Food Poisoning

[arakish]

Some of you may have already seen this on the ICE forums, but thought I'd copy and paste here also.

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Official ICE Forums
Game Systems => Rolemaster => Topic started by: James McMurray on September 05, 2007, 10:33:33 pm

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Title: [RMC] Food Poisoning
Post by: James McMurray on September 05, 2007, 10:33:33 pm
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Can someone tell me if the equipment or services tables in RMC have chances for getting food poisoning if you skimp on a meal, and whether they're labelled optional or not?

Thanks!


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Title: Re: [RMC] Food Poisoning
Post by: David Johansen on September 05, 2007, 10:52:30 pm
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Ah...the inevitable rpgnet thread that declines into edition wars...sigh...guilty as charged...none the less...food poisoning rolls are pretty awesome...I'd use 'em!


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Title: Re: [RMC] Food Poisoning
Post by: yammahoper on September 06, 2007, 09:01:50 am
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I recall these percentages were listed on some old services table, but dang if I can recall were.  So much for my one time perfect recall.  Dont use it, lose it.

lynn


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Title: Re: [RMC] Food Poisoning
Post by: arakish on September 09, 2007, 02:37:33 am
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If memory serves, the equipment lists listed meals as something like the below:

Light meal, 3% chance of illness.
Normal meal, 2% chance of illness.
Heavy meal, 1% chance of illness.

Week’s rations, Normal spoilage.
Trail rations, 1 week. Preserved.

Normal Spoilage would equate to: 0% first day, with +1%/day after the first.

Preserved always depended upon preservation.  Even the Neanderthals had fairly good preservation techniques such smoking/drying meats, vegetables, and fruits for the long haul.  We used the rule of 0% first week, with +1%/week after the first.

We used the "Chance of Illness × 3" to indicate the "Chance of Food Poisoning."

Maybe lame, but that is what my wife and I used.

rmfr

[arakish]

Now to add some further info.

Totally dehydrated meats, vegetables, and fruits are basically preserved almost forever unless they are hit with water or high humidity.

There have been excavations of meat and vegetables that were 1000s of years old, but when rehydrated, proved to still be edible.  There was even a frozen Mammoth in the Siberia that was 10s of thousands years old, but the meat was still so well preserved, it MAY have been edible.  Though no one volunteered to prove it.  Needless to say, I would not have volunteered.

rmfr

[Dame Eldgeth]

Yep, grain has been pulled out of Egyptian tombs and has still sprouted. 
I don't understand the

Light meal, 3% chance of illness.
Normal meal, 2% chance of illness.
Heavy meal, 1% chance of illness.

I would think a heavy meal would expose you to more types of foods, therefore more chance of food poisoning.  Or at least heartburn!

[Avidos]

Well lets not forget what every good PC should have in their belongings

[Grinnen Baeritt]

In theory, eating a wider variety of food reduces the chance of food poisoning, at least statistcally, since you are eating less of each type, and the bulk tends to be food items with less of a risk. I.e Vegtables, rice, pasta. Whereas Meat & fish tends to represent a smaller proportion. Also the volume of tainted food increases the chance of the body being affected.

[Dame Eldgeth]

Well, you do need to balance the constitution of the person against the infectious agent, but it only takes a small amount of contaminated meat to cause illness.  And for grain, there is a theory that the Salem Witch Trials were the result of a mold on the grain which lead to hallucinations and other derangements of the brain.

[arakish]

Also, don't forget that well cooking the food also further reduces the chance of food poisoning.  I have even eaten slightly spoiled meat that was cooked well-done, usually by boiling in a stew or soup, and suffered no ill effects.  However, thoroughly spoiled meat I'd never even think of eating unless I am absolutely starving.

rmfr

[Grinnen Baeritt]

A case in point is Game and Curry...both foods historically bordering upon rotting.

Also although food poisioning does occur, additional food has two effects... it either forces the food through faster or enables vommitting easier..

[Avidos]

ah but curry flavored pringles proves that certain combinations should be left uncombined

[Dame Eldgeth]

Curry-flavored Pringles?  I *erp* at the mere thought.
Anyway, I would think that the type of food consumed is more important than the amount of food consumed.  How to work this into a handy formula for gaming?  Sorry, no idea.
I do agree with the formula for risk of spoilage of trail rations at 1% per week.  Even carefully preserved foods have a risk of becoming wet (splattered with blood during combat, being dragged through the swamp, etc.).
I mean, you're sitting around the campfire making stew for dinner.  The evil nasty trolls attack, and after a heated battle you defeat them.  Then you look at your stew, which was either knocked to the ground and trodden on, or has little bits of troll swimming in it.  Are you going to dip your spoon eagerly into the resultant mass?

[Avidos]

yep

[arakish]

Curry-flavored Pringles?  I *erp* at the mere thought.
Anyway, I would think that the type of food consumed is more important than the amount of food consumed.  How to work this into a handy formula for gaming?  Sorry, no idea.
I do agree with the formula for risk of spoilage of trail rations at 1% per week.  Even carefully preserved foods have a risk of becoming wet (splattered with blood during combat, being dragged through the swamp, etc.).
I mean, you're sitting around the campfire making stew for dinner.  The evil nasty trolls attack, and after a heated battle you defeat them.  Then you look at your stew, which was either knocked to the ground and trodden on, or has little bits of troll swimming in it.  Are you going to dip your spoon eagerly into the resultant mass?

In such a case: NO.  I'd rather dump the contents on the fire as further fuel.  Then start over.

Another point:  Why did the first settlers in this new country (America) have beer?  Because beer, even in a weakened state was still more sanitary than the water they could get from here.  One has to remember the beer on ships such as the Mayflower was much weaker than what we drink now.

Most often, it would have registered as 0.5% to 1.0% alcohol.  Just enough to make the beer more potable water than something to get drunk on.

It would have taken an entire barrel (approximately 50 gallons (11550 litres)) to get a sailor "drunk."  Thus, the reason why any sailor showing signs of inebreation was often thrown overboard.  This was learned from the History Channel.

Have fun...

rmfr

[cormac_doyle]

More than just sailors - throughout the middle ages and early renaissance ... the normal drink for villagers during the day was Beer - again, it was low alcohol ...

Each vallager made their own beer, but  in general there would only be one or two houses with drinkable beer at any time ... so that house was the supplier until they ran out ...

One of the most highly prised jobs was that of Beer Taster - whose job it was to verify that the beer HAD NOT BEEN WATERED DOWN. (e.g. was still potable and had not een topped up with rain water or similar)

[arakish]

More than just sailors - throughout the middle ages and early renaissance ... the normal drink for villagers during the day was Beer - again, it was low alcohol ...

Each vallager made their own beer, but  in general there would only be one or two houses with drinkable beer at any time ... so that house was the supplier until they ran out ...

One of the most highly prised jobs was that of Beer Taster - whose job it was to verify that the beer HAD NOT BEEN WATERED DOWN. (e.g. was still potable and had not een topped up with rain water or similar)

How true.

rmfr

[Dame Eldgeth]

Sounds like Le Morte d'Arthur, when Lancelot wandered mad through the countryside.  He was reduced to eating vegetables and drinking *gasp* water.  It was to show how far he had fallen.

[rafmeister]

     Some of the first laws concerned how beer was to be made. For example, the inn keepers (who were mostly women) were not to strain the beer through stockings they had worn. Nor were the women to get male travelers drunk and steal their posessions.

[GrumpyOldFart]

Also, don't forget that well cooking the food also further reduces the chance of food poisoning.  I have even eaten slightly spoiled meat that was cooked well-done, usually by boiling in a stew or soup, and suffered no ill effects.  However, thoroughly spoiled meat I'd never even think of eating unless I am absolutely starving.

rmfr

Legend has it that chili con carne originated with a restaurateur who had the concession to feed the prisoners in the San Antonio, Texas jail sometime in the 1800s. It was a dish he thought up to hide the taste of meat that had "begun to turn".

While I can't say whether it's true or false, I can easily believe it was some variation on that scenario. I strongly suspect most highly seasoned dishes from any culture originated with a desire to either hide the flavors of some ingredients or preserve the leftovers better.