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Make Travel a Journey Again

With the addition of WORLDS to the ever expanding library of ICRPG comes the notion of Travel, especially in the settings of Alfheim and Ghost Mountain. I find this topic fascinating, and while I was slightly disappointed to not receive an official rule on "how to travel" in WORLDS as I was expecting, I have an idea of my own that is about to be tested. I'll post an update once that happens, sometime in June. As always, ICRPG terminology from RUNEHAMMER GAMES, LLC to be used.

The "Official" Rules

The only real guidelines given on travel in CORE and WORLDS is that A) Supplies are consumed each day of travel (WORLDS gives more information on rate of consumption depending on location) and B) Travel between locations takes time. Based on this information, I see a couple different ways to handle travel: Destination and Journey

Destination Travel

This is a simple, literal interpretation of the above that is streamlined and concerned only with getting from point A to B. The way it works is simple: Calculate the distance from where the players are to where they want to go, use WORLDS to determine how many Supplies would be consumed, and then have the players "give" you the supplies needed for the trip from their stock. Bam. They arrive. Not enough supplies? Give them a simple "Exhausted" status effect: no Recovery action until either Food is consumed or Supplies are found. If you want to add a little flavor, use a simple "discovery" from WORLDS along the way and see what the party does with it. It should take all of 10 minutes to get to the next adventure. This is perfect for groups more interested in the plot hooks than exploration.

Journey Travel

This is a more complicated, mechanical, and time-consuming but also rich and (hopefully) fun experience as the party journeys from A to B. Simply put, it uses the standard Room Design concepts we all know and love to deliver that sense of Danger, Energy and Wonder about not only the adventures they go on, but the World the adventures are in. 

The Guts

A Journey uses Effort, Timers, Threats, and Treats. It also takes a LOT of prep work to pull off effectively, but by the time I post the update to let y'all know if it works or not, all the material, encounters and roll tables I made will be available on DriveThruRPG.com as pay-what-you-want. I already have it all hand written, but would prefer to try it out first.

Effort and Time

Effort on a Journey is simple. 1 Heart = 1 "Day" of travel. In reality, this could end up being more or less depending on how well the players are rolling that night. I would recommend using a base Target 10, and all player Effort being BASIC. Let them be creative. In addition, while time is in Days, I would recommend still requiring Effort as normal for things like Recovery, learning items, crafting, etc. as well as being in place of applying Effort to the Journey's Hearts. After all, the Wilds of Alfheim are hardly a place of safety, aren't they?

Timers

In truth, Journey's have two timers. One is the Threat timer, the other is the turn or day counter for tracking Supplies consumed. When the Threat timer counts down to 0, roll on the Threat Table (1D4).

Threats

Threats are prepared before the Journey session and are randomly rolled on a series of 1D4 tables. It is a recommendation to rank the tables in ascending order from least to greatest threat:
  • Random Encounter (Single Rooms, another 1D4 list. Design and prepare before hand)
  • Environmental Encounter (Check or Negative Effect, another 1D4 list. Prepare before hand)
  • Roleplay Encounter (Moral Imperative or WORLDS, another 1D4 list. Prepare before hand)
  • Discovery (LOOT, another 1D4 list. Supplies, SHABBY, BASIC, CURSED)

Treats

Treats on a Journey can be simple things, based on the actions of a player. A detailed reading of a map may reveal a shortcut, reducing the Journey by a Heart. Digging through the snow may find a Telescope (+3 Scouting) in the clutches of a less-fortunate adventurer. An overturned wagon may have 1D4 Supplies. Foraging/hunting may produce Ire Bacon or healing berries. Improvise or make a list.

Supplies and Why You Need Them

Other than simply "because I said so," all the CORE gives you is that supplies contain food, flint and flares and are consumed during travel. So why does the party need them? There are no official exhaustion, hunger, or even lighting rules in ICRPG. Well, here is where the flexibility of the system and the creative, devious mind of the GM comes in. Here are some Grizzly House Rules on Supplies.

Supplies are important in my group on extended Journeys for a variety of reasons. One is that in order to use Tools, there has to be at least one Supplies pack in the party. This is because materials are needed for their craft. Is it silly? Maybe. But it's a reason. Another is Recovery. A day without Supplies, and they are too winded to even Recover. This gets deadly, fast. That is one heck of a reason. If you want, extend it further. Longer than a day: Make all Attempts HARD. I'd avoid actively killing them. Those last two will do that quickly enough. And that... is for a different post.

Happy gaming!
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