Overview
A brief introduction for beginners containing some general rules and guidelines. I repeat: this introduction is meant for newcomers i.e. not experienced players. Discovery and permadeath is an integral part of this game and this is my attempt at making a guide that don’t spoil that wonderful[www.greenmangaming.com] game[www.dontstarvegame.com]. If are an experienced player or are looking for a straight-up wiki type guide this is definitely not for you. Beware it’s a work in progress. Also if you like the guide I would appreciated it if you rated it and if you are interested you can see my other guides here.
Preface
Welcome Scout, to the Boy Scouts’ Handbook. This guide will include guidelines, tips and tricks, but no specific information about any specific creatures, foods or environments. It’s basic guide aimed at young boy Scouts.
It’s a basic survival guide that will cover all of the necessary needs that a Scout must meet to survive. It will follow of the way of life that a Scout strives to achieve. A Scout must value and respect nature and all of its inhabitants; of course humans are carnivores, but there’s no need for excessive force or unnecessary mutilation of other organisms. Anyway, here’s a checklist of basic needs that a Scout must keep in mind to earn his rank. [survive]
- Provision [Hunger will kill you.]
- Fire [You have to keep your body temperature at 37 degrees Celsius at all times.]
- Shelter [Mother Nature is a heartless ♥♥♥♥♥.]
- Mental Health [Once you lose wit you won’t survive for very long.]
- Protection from the Wild [You’re no longer at the top of the food chain. Welcome back to square one.]
Always.
The Scout Oath, Motto and Law
Before he becomes a Scout a boy must promise:
On my honor I will do my best:
1. To do my duty to God and my country, and to obey the scout law;
2. To help other people at all times;
3. To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
A scout must follow the Scout motto:
Be Prepared – in Mind by having disciplined yourself to be obedient to every order, and also by having thought out beforehand any accident or situation that might occur, so that you know the right thing to do at the right moment, and are willing to do it.
Be Prepared – in Body by making yourself strong and active and able to do the right thing at the right moment, and do it.
[Just skip the fluff and focus on the the important things.]
1. A Scout is trustworthy.
2. A Scout is loyal.
3. A Scout is helpful.
4. A Scout is friendly.
5. A Scout is courteous.
6. A Scout is kind.
7. A Scout is obedient.
8. A Scout is cheerful.
9. A Scout is thrifty.
10. A Scout is brave.
11. A Scout is clean.
12. A Scout is reverent.
A proper Scout in full uniform.
Finding Provision
Remember always to have enough food for the day to survive, but if you want to thrive you are going to have to store food as a backup in case you don’t find any food during the day. If you work hard you could eventually make your own food nearby your shelter. Having large quantities of food is necessary to focus other tasks at hand (for more tasks see the bullet point list in the Preface). To save the energy that is needed to digest raw food a Scout always try to cook his food before eating it. In the field we need to be effective and not waste energy, because it’s a precious resource. And remember, no matter how hungry a Scout is he (or she) always eat fresh since spoiled food is harmful and should be avoided. In fact old food might do more harm than it helps. Due to this Scouts that are in the field for a long time are going to need a fresh supply of food or very sophisticated equipment to slow down the food spoilage.
Don’t get distracted by the beauty of nature, focus on surviving.
Keeping Warm
A scout always makes sure to keep normal body temperature by having fitting clothes for the season and if there’s a temporary decrease in temperature like for instance at night a Scout makes a well-contained fire to keep himself (or herself) warm. The cold will slow down the metabolism and even ruin body parts (e.g. the nose) if it gets really cold. This is however a slow process and as soon as a scout notices any symptoms a Scout must take care of himself (or herself) and/or his or her fellow comrades by lighting a fire.
Fire is vital.
Making Shelter
A regular sleep pattern and protection from the cold is key and therefore making a proper shelter is very important for surviving in the Wild. Your shelter should be placed in walking distance of all of the necessary resources that you will need to survive, that includes food, fuel for your fire and other necessary materials. You’re going to invest a lot of time and resources into your shelter so choosing a perfect placement is a very important and difficult decision.
Make a nice comfy shelter, you’re going to spend a lot time in it.
The Night Is Dark and Full of Terrors
Try to keep your routine as normal as possible. If you don’t try to achieve a semi-normal life in the Wilderness will your mental stability deteriorate. Keeping your mental health good is as important as your health and hunger. Worst of all, if you go down the rabbit hole you will not be able to separate reality from fiction. If this happens try to focus on your work, which is to survive. It might distract you for a moment. If are feeling down try to get a good night’s sleep and eat a proper meal.
[The night will come for you, if you don’t scare it away with fire. ALWAYS KEEP THE FIRE CLOSE.]
The uncertainty of the Darkness may scare you but keep your head straight and always have a light source with you.
Survival of the Pointiest
If you provoke a beast in the Wild it will most definitely attack back. Be prepared to dodge the creature’s counter-attack or you will be sorry. Sure you can beat animals to death with a stick but it’s going to take a while. To make slaying beast -if necessary- more effective and less dangerous make proper weapons to kill more easily. You will need to man (or woman) up because it’s a harsh world out there. You’re going to have to defend yourself against the Wilderness. The Wild will wipe you of the map if you try to be a pacifist, you gotta do what what you got to do.
Fuel for your fire is an essential resource. Although, when in danger an axe could come in handy
You are not alone in the Wild. I know you are used to being on the top of the food chain but that time is over. You’re going back to square one, which means you are going to have to defend yourself against other creatures that want to have you for dinner.
Try to find a use for everything you find.
The Scientific Method
It’s a dangerous and mysterious world out there and to thrive you need to conquer and understand your surroundings. This means that are you going to use the Scientific Method to approach new things.
Formulation of a question
What’s it you want to research?
Hypothesis
What do you think will happen?
Prediction
What do think will happen?
Testing
What happens in practice?
Analysis
Draw a conclusion.
[The one thing this dimwit henrik got right. The power of science.]
Science is your friend.
General Scout Rules For Surviving In the Wild
Things that a good Scout keeps in mind: [Things that you need to keep in mind (otherwise you will be eaten, or stabbed, or poisoned).]
- Always bring at least one torch or the necessary materials to make a torch.
- Always bring with a weapon.
- Always have enough food for the day.
- Always make a shelter, eventually.
- Decide if you are a Hunter or a Gatherer; this can change on a day by day basis. If you are a Hunter you will need armor and a weapon and if you are a Gatherer you are going to need a backpack (or something to carry things in) and some good shoes.
- No rest for the wicked. Gotta work hard to survive.
Final Words
That’s all my dear Scout. Now that you are ready it’s time to prove yourself once and for all. Good luck out there and Godspeed, you’re going to need it.
Signing off, Eagle Scout henrik.
[Your daddy is not here to help you now. It’s only me… Wilson.]
Salute Scout! Don’t trust anyone
Source
All of the pictures are public domain and are taking from Boy Scouts’ Handbook[www.gutenberg.org], The First Edition, 1911.
Ownership of Copyrighted Works
As to the legality of the use of copyrighted pictures, likeness and so on, I invoke the Fair Use doctrine.
“Not withstanding the provisions of section 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship or research, is not an infringement of copyright.”
I believe I comply with all of the four factors that are involved.