The Grand Arena Rules

The premise is that the characters are participants in "The Grand Arena", the ultimate Survivor game. The world is TL9+ substituting magic for technology. Taking the voyeuristic appeal of "Survivor" and "Gladiator" to the logical conclusion, a TV network has created the ultimate reality show. The playing field is a landscape similar to Canyonlands National Park: a high desert with many small canyons crisscrossing the whole plain. The players are people down on their luck: debtors, felons, etc. They are given the opportunity to play the game; if they survive, their debt, crime, or whatever is cancelled. Occasionally a wealthy thrill seeker will play too, but with an excape clause to teleport out.

Rules

To "win" (survive) you must pass through a Gate when it is active. There are several Gates throughout the land that become active pseudo-randomly (ratings play a big part). Known Gates:
- The Castle a big castle in the center of the land. The winners of various tournaments are permitted to leave through the Gate in the Castle.
- Ra's Anvil a Gate in the middle of an intense desert. It is a difficult challenge for the survivalist.
- ...
You can keep anything you take with you.

Symbols

	water - potable water. usually a fontain so that it cannot be contaminated.
	food - each food "plant" has a rating (3 by default) which is the number of meals provided at dawn each day. A meal will last for one week before it goes bad (it''l taste pretty bad by then too). A meal is usually some sticky rice with vegetables and a little meat all wrapped in a banana leaf. The meals are not very travel worthy; you need to make a (Hiking, Survival, etc.) roll for each day (10 mi) travelled. Failure = it broke open and you lose the food.
	prize - a prize is usually not present at the beginning of a scenario. A player most move into the hex and then do a "concentrate" maneuver. A 1 on a 1d6 means that the prize appears.
	healing - most healing "plants" provide one (or more) healing fruit(s) (like an orange) at dawn each day. Each fruit is 3pts of healing and requires 5 secs to consume. They are very stout and can be tossed around, only breaking on a critical failure. Each fruit will last 2 weeks.

The members of a team will switch sides if opposing leader makes a successful "Leadership" roll. Modifiers:

mod	description
+/-1 per 5pts	A Leader's Reputation
+4	killing the other leader
+2	display of strength (see Intimidation pB246)
+x	reaction mod. e.g. Charisma, Appearance, etc.

References

Marching - "Incur (1 + encumbrance) fatigue per hour of marching", pB134. So if you walk 50 minutes and rest 10 minutes every hour you come out even, see Long Distance Movement. The daytime between 8am to 7pm (yes, after dark) is 'Warm' with 11am-4pm 'Hot'.
Equipment