Part I: Identification

This is a continuation of a multi-post series about tracking, and how the real-world implications can be applied to role-playing games (RPGs). In this post, I'll cover the second discipline of tracking: Interpretation. For part I, see the link above.

2. Interpreation

Interpretation of "sign" means understanding the scene and what happened at the Last Known Point (LKP). In this stage, we're trying to paint a picture of what exactly happened when the quarry was last in that spot. This is something that is highly neglected in RPGs and games as a whole. Most games think only about following sign, but not interpreting the evidence/clues.

• Why was the quarry there?
• What were the events leading to the incident?
• What factors would push/pull the quarry a certain direction?
• What is the relationship between the quarry and the flora/fauna, environment, local population, etc.?
• Where did the subject dwell / rest and why?
• Who else was involved in the incident?
• When did this occur?

It may seem far-fetched that a tracker can "pull" this level of detail from the earth, but you'd be surprised by what your own eyes and intuition can reveal. Characters can use this ability to great effect; to almost peer into the past. Given a high enough level, a master tracker could have an almost super-natural post-cognition ability to see peer into the distant past and relive events.

Additional facts a tracker should be seeking, when interpreting sign:

• Speed and direction
• Number in quarry group
• Age and gender of quarry
• Physical condition and disabilities
• Attempts to counter track
• State of outdoor experience
• Weight carried
• Whether the quarry is armed
• Whether the quarry is moving tactically/stealthily
• Whether the quarry was traversing up or downhill
• Whether the quarry was moving during the day or night
• If and when the quarry rested
• Direction the quarry is traveling and where he came from
• Location of Campsites

The more time spent interpreting, the more complete of a picture will be painted in the tracker's mind's eye.

Counting Quarry

It's very rare to find a clean, standalone foot print of your target. In reality, many animals (and humanoids) choose paths of least resistance -- such as game trails, roads, and so on. These paths are often shared by other like-minded creatures; causing many foot prints to bunch up in a single area. Certain herd animals often travel in packs (or parties, in the case of adventurers). Trackers often need a way to count the number of passerbys on a trail. To do this, we use two different techniques to determine the size of the quarry's group.

Box Method. The first method is the preferred method, since it's faster and requires less effort on the tracker's behalf. After finding a trail of foot prints, the tracker draws two lines (perpendicular to the direction of travel) , about 48 inches (122 cm) apart. Then, the tracker simply counts the number of left-only (or right-only) foot prints between the two lines. Divide the total by 2 (round up). This final number if the approximate number of creatures who have travel on that trail as of recent.

 

Comparison Method. If the box method is not possible, or there's simply too many foot prints to count, the comparison method is a good fall-back. The tracker walks parallel to the path several paces. The repeat this process, counting the number of times they do--until their made-up path looks roughly the same as the true path. If both paths look like they have roughly the same number of foot prints, the tracker will have an approximate number of creatures that walk through as of recent.

Conclusion

Interpretation, while straightforward, is surprisingly challenging to pull off well. If you wish to practice yourself, have a loved one walk around your backyard or local park while completing several individual tasks. Be sure not to watch them do it! After they've finished, tell them not to tell you what they've done (that's the secret for you to discover). Find their starting path, then slowly find their sign, interpreting their actions along the way. You'll quickly find its not as easy as it sounds. This is a skill that should be reserved only for high-level rangers, druids, hunters and other tracker PCs.

Next post we'll discuss the ecological factors of tracking; and how to use that information to find your quarry fast. Thanks for reading!