Fishsweeper
Fishing Minigames
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| Fish harder noob |
I don't know why but I always tend to slip in a fishing a thing players can do when I create locations in whatever adventure or campaign I am running. It is a fun distraction from the grind of defeating ancient evil horrors and looting dangerous crypts. Plus some players really enjoy the extra roleplay aspect it brings, it is a moment of relaxation for their character in their downtime, or in between combats within a dungeon.
Ostensibly there are two ways to do this:
Random Tables: The player finds a body of water they want to fish in. They make a skill check and if they are successful they roll on a randomised table to see what they catch.
Fishsweeper: The second approach emerged from a desire to make fishing a bit more interactive and fun. It works as a cross between battleships and minesweeper
Random tables
This approach is really straightforward. The player approaches a fishable area and declares a desire to fish (assuming they have the equipment). The player should then make the appropriate skill check and if they pass they catch something and roll on one of the location tables below.
It is up to the DM to decide what the Fishing Skill should be. I usually think of it as either a matter of intelligence, dexterity and having the right gear, even a hunting skill would work well. Regardless the skill check should be fairly easy to beat. This is not a high-stakes exercise and should be a pleasant distraction.
Dear reader, the tables below represent the potential fish one might find in different locations. Please use them, change them or take inspiration from them in any way that takes your fancy.
The Fishsweeper Approach
My thinking on fishing has evolved into a minigame. It is good fun, and quick to make and turns fishing from a quick dice roll into a tactical puzzle. The way it works is a bit like Battleships or Minesweeper.
Create a grid on squared paper (or like me scribble one down onto lined paper), and put coordinates along the X and Y axis. Now every square on the grid can be identified by a unique coordinate!
Fig 1: So it looks something like this!
The next thing to do is populate it with your fish and other aquatic creatures and maybe some loot. So your fishing area now looks like this.
Figure 2: Completed Fishing Graph
Sprat: x1 Ration
Seabass: x2 Rations
Crab: x1 Ration (fishing check or take 1 point of damage from them nipping you)
Eel: x3 Rations (Fishing check or 1D6 poison damage)
Ring: Worth 1 Gold piece
Fishing Battleships Rules
The player declares they want to cast a line.
They will give you a coordinate (X, Y) and make a fishing check.
If they choose a square where a fish or item is they catch that fish.
If they choose a square with no fish or item in it but make a successful fishing check tell them how many squares away is the nearest fish or object.
If they failed the fishing roll they do not benefit from that information
Each time they cast a line it will take 30 minutes in game time.
I hope that helps. It is a quick and fun way to create an encounter that eats up a bit of time and keeps your players coming back for more to see what is in that water. I have also put below two examples from my own campaign notebooks to show you how I present it myself.
Much love
Tea set of Civility
The edge of a pirate dock. Complete with a wand of eavesdropping to hear all the good gossip!
The base of a brackish waterfall, there are some nasty bitey fish in here that can nibble your fingers
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