Recently I found a very interesting book about survival. Below you can find a description of the book, a note about the author, and I am already writing why it is interesting for RPG players. Full title is: “The Dark Secrets of SHTF Survival: The Brutal Truth About Violence, Death, & Mayhem You Must Know to Survive”.
The brutal truth about the violence, death and suffering you must know to survive in the city. True survival is not romantic or idealistic. It is violent, dirty and unjust. In the city danger lurks at every step. Let Selco take you into this world. This is a guide that takes a different look at every aspect of the preparation and struggle for survival. Learning the rules from the book save lives and health much more effectively than fancy survival techniques.
Polish publisher’s comment
You should read this book, even if you are not a prepper or survivalist. Its author is not afraid to touch upon difficult and controversial topics he knows from his own experiences. By the way, he overthrows many survival myths and gives the reader specific, practical tips.
The author himself, Selco Begovic, is a someone I did not know before. On the Internet you can find such information about him, among others:
Selco survived the Balkan War in the 1990s in a besieged city without electricity, running water and food distribution. As he says himself, these experiences left a lasting mark on him, but also made him want to develop in the subject of survival. He is the author of several books, an online course and a realistic field training on urban survival.
vademecum-survivalowe.pl
The book itself is not a typical survival guide, giving lots of ready-made solutions for lots of situations. There are not many similar books, and that is what this one is so interesting. Due to the author’s experience, we quickly learn that a lot of gadgets and that the theory acquired from YouTube will not help in real survival. The book is a collection of memories that should become an important clue for the reader.
The title has a clear message: the most important are practical and irreplaceable skills, knowledge and supplies, and that in the war situation works best in a group (aka the team). When the shit starts splashing on the walls (shit hits the fan – great disaster, it’s really serious), mixing with the dust after the bombing, most of the colored survival junks can be thrown away right away – because barter trade is not so easy in war conditions.
The author also touches upon the psychology of survival, survival modes and even life after a crisis.
Since the book is not a detailed survival guide, it can be very helpful in Role Playing Games. The author describes his experiences from the times of war and generally presents related situations and the ways in which it came to solve some situations. Most often, Selco Begovic does not spare the war details to better reflect the atmosphere of his experiences.
Some will probably disagree here, but playing RPG (and especially being a Game Master) is the art of cursory familiarization with the chosen topic, and skillfully weave it in during the session. Seriously, most people will not be entertained, describing in detail or requesting such a description regarding the use of kindling or water filtration. The problem of too much detail can also hit below the belt when it turns out that the other person in the team knows the topic much better.
And here is why this topic is important for RPG: the book is friendly to read. It does not contain point procedures, schemes or golden recipes for all survival problems. And by reading it, you can learn about the situation and the difficulties associated with survival in a situation of armed conflict and even afterwards. This will allow you to better reflect the chosen circumstances, scene, and build an appropriate – definitely shitty – mood.
There is also a chance that the book will become a starting point for more detailed guides. The book and the author will probably also provoke the question: can I do anything useful at all?
