Help - Meat-grinding overland travel is boring us to tears...

[TBoarder]

I'm fishing for some suggestions here...

I'm DMing again for the first time in ages and it looks like I made a few errors in judgement in my game. I started the players out at 1st level, even though we all have a preference for higher levels (at least 7th or higher) when the world opens up. All of the PCs have a special ability that makes them immune to scrying (as well as making the attempt to scry on them a deadly gamble).

So, I have the PCs being hunted and chased by a society of Illithid and Phaerrim in the Forgotten Realms. By 3rd level, they make their way to Cormyr and learn that the only 2 NPCs in their group, the supposed only survivors of the Illithid and Phearrim massacring a thorpe the PCs just visited (a female bard and a 9 year old boy), were doppelgangers. The Illithid sent the doppelgangers to infiltrate the PCs group, so they'd have someone to safely scry on when they try to locate the PCs. The doppelgangers had absolutely no ill intent for the PCs though, doing what they did only because Illithid threatened to make their people (about 1,000 other doppelgangers) food slaves instead of work slaves that they are now.

Long story short, the PCs decide the get the frell outta Cormyr before the bad guys send anyone down to kill any more innocents. They *can't* take the doppelgangers with them though... being only 3rd level, they wouldn't stand a chance against even a single, base level Illithid, and don't tell *anyone* in Cormyr where they're going, just in case the bad guys manage to use *them* to now locate the PCs.

So, they decide to go to Baldur's Gate to set up a power base for themselves. It's about a month long journey and it's an absolute meat grinder. Three gameplay days later, and the PCs went from 3rd level to midway through 4th level... by the time they reach Baldur's Gate, they could conceivably be 9th or 10th level. This isn't what I have the problem with though... I was more than willing to simply say "Okay, you make your way to Baldur's Gate. The trip takes you to 9th level, this is what you encountered, and we continue from here..."

The first problem is, there are some encounters that I don't know *how* the PCs could survive... Groups of Fire Giants, Red Abishai, Wyverns, Yrthaks, Trolls, Dragon Turtles,and even an old White Dragon that crosses their paths on up to 3 different occasions.

The second problem is, this is boring us to tears. I'm trying to make the encounters as role-playing intensive as possible when I can. A swarm of 60 ravenous gibberlings doesn't give too many conversation options though, so too much of the past 3 game sessions have been fight, fight, and fight, with a bit of fighting in-between. I snuck an NPC into the group in one of the encounters to at least add some role-playing options to the trip, but it's not enough... not by a long shot.

I can't just remove the encounters... the PCs want to see what the world is like and it would just ruin the *feel* of the world if suddenly overland travel was easy. The world is a deadly place, and it's not going to throw low to mid level challenges at the PCs simply because that's what level they are. On the other hand, they're at the midway point between where they left and the next major town... our game sessions are short and sparse as it is... I don't think any of us could handle another 3 sessions of these tedious fights.

So... it looks to me like I'm stuck in a catch 22. Continue individually playing out each encounter and bore everybody (myself included) to tears, or, in effect, take control of the PCs from the players by saying that they survive the trip, bump them up to the appropriate level (a level which we would prefer playing at anyway) for everything the encounter, and go from there... allow the players to make up the stories of how they fled the dragon and killed the Yrthaks (or vice versa), even though it opens up the oddity of a group of 4th level characters killing things that they wouldn't be able to handle without extremely clever tactics.

They've shown these clever tactics in the previous 3 days of encounters... surprising me utterly when they soundly defeated a pair of vampires without the aid of a single weapon that could penetrate their DR... but I feel that I could be stretching things a bit by saying that the PCs remain equally clever in the next 30-some encounters they come across.

So... does anybody have any suggestions about how I can handle this? I'm sure that I'm missing an option or 3 somewhere... Thanks.

 

[FCWesel]

Well, for one thing, you can keep the flavour and skip days of travel. To think that they are going to get attacked EVERYDAY is a bit much, especially when they are on a road of any kind.

Also, if they are on a road, why not throw them into the mix...a tough encounter...and have some local guard help them out. Then they could go meet the Guard's master, Duke What's-His-Name. Some chance for RP then with some nobleman.

Also, what about Gates. FR under WOTC has sprung into a gate-mad zone. Have them stumble upon a gate and let them hop about a bit. Lets you get some distance and keeps the flavour.

Also, they could help a wizard who is getting attacked by sheer numbers. After they help him, he could offer them a ride of somekind to help them along. Don't make it that hack, Elminster, just a wiz of your own making that could maybe be an ally now and again because they helped him. (As for him being powerful enough to help them but not get himself out of that mess, maybe he just didn't have the spells memorized that day, or already used them.)

Hope that gets you started.

 

[Turanil]

Encounters with fire giants, etc.: Can you invent some plot so the PCs don't have to actually fight the creatures? Well, probably 3rd level PCs won't look like threats to fire-giants and similar creatures who on the other hand could have their own problems to deal with. Now they could see the PCs as useful to them. So the PC would have to interract in some way in some adventures involving some types of creatures against other types of creatures (I don't know: Abishai vs fire giants for instance). As such PCs would have to save their life through trick and deception, not just melee fight to the death.

Also if having to fight powerful foes they cannot kill, they could be captured instad of killed, and then this opens on some other plots. Example: PCs are captured by Fire-giants who bring them tied with ropes in order to sacrifice them to their god in a distant place. But on their way they are hampered by some nasty little creatures living in an underground maze. So fire giants (not very bright creatures) tell them to go there and do something on their behalf. There PC must bargain with said nasties to... etc., etc.

 

[Dyne]

Why do they have to get to Baldur's Gate again? Wouldn't there be some alternative?

Or, rather, couldn't the PC's find a way to teleport there? Perhaps they must complete a quest for some Wizard so that he'll teleport them there immediately. Or, perhaps they come across a teleportation circle in a dungeon or the wilderness.

Or just suggest that they go someplace else.

 

[scourger]

It's a tough dilemma. I say, stick to your guns. If the world is a dangerous place to travel, then the players may have to learn it the hard way. It sounds like you're not going to be happy with either option, so you might as well take the one that makes you most happy (or least unhappy). IF it wrecks tha campaign, so be it. It happens. You can start out the next one at higher levels.

FWIW, my players love it when travel is just reduced to "Okay, you get from Point A to Point B." Maybe they could encounter a ship or something to make the journey quicker & safer as it sounds as if overland travel is the dangerous part--my FR geography is a bit rusty so I have no idea where the cities you mention are located. There have to be some safe trade routes, which makes me think of shipping. Why not join up with a caravan or something? Safety in numbers. Perhaps they see & avoid some encounters that would otherwise end in combat. Possibly, they have to flee something.

 

[mearls]

This is my advice:

Answer these two questions:

1. What do the players think is the funnest part of the game?

2. What do you think is the funnest part of the game?

Once you have the answers, add those things to the game in liberal quantities.

Seriously, I don't really understand the issue here. D&D is supposed to be fun. If the battles are boring, stop running them. Throw other stuff into the game.

 

[Glyfair]

I can't just remove the encounters... the PCs want to see what the world is like and it would just ruin the *feel* of the world if suddenly overland travel was easy. The world is a deadly place, and it's not going to throw low to mid level challenges at the PCs simply because that's what level they are.

Out of curiosity, how do "common people" actually survive in this world? Trade must be non-existant if only high level characters can actually have a chance to survive moving from town to town (yeah, I know all the jokes about how the beggars on the streets are 10th level characters in the Forgotten Realms). Everyone must be mass huddled in fear in the cities. Farming must be only done by retired adventurers.

 

[F5]

If having a magic plot device open up and whisk them away to Baldur's Gate would ruin the feel of overland travel in FR for your group, then compromise. Give them a "free ride" to that nearby town, but not all the way to Baldur's Gate. Along the way, have them encounter a group of fire giants fighting it out with the Old White Dragon that will be crossing their paths eventually, just to hammer home the idea of "there's no way we can make it to Baldur's Gate on foot". You've got an NPC with the party now, so they can be your voice here. "Guys, I can't do this anymore. There's just no way...". Once they get to tthe town, they can re-evaluate their options.

If you and your group aren't enjoying the meat-grinder combats, don't keep running them. There are plenty of good ideas in thsi thread already as to how to jump ahead, without just saying "you all jump ahead".

 

[Gothmog]

A couple things to keep in mind here:

1) While the PCs will probably meet others along the road every day, the number of actual potential combat encounters should be few- maybe 3 or 4 for a month long period. Roads exist because they are relatively safe to travel along, and are usually well patrolled. Otherwise, merchants, pilgrims, etc would never go anywhere because they would be getting killed by the hundreds.

2) If the PCs go off the road or looking for trouble, sure- up the number of encounters. But I'm guessing that since you and the players don't really like all the encounters, they won't go poking around too much.

3) If you are determined to have encounters, then decide on 5 encounters on the road to their destination for a month long travel. The stat them up, and make one unavoidable (ambush), two that they could avoid (seeing/hearing the other group first), one RP intensive, and the last a hook into an adventure they could have along the way. If the choose to participate in/ignore these encounters, then they control the pace of the game and look into what they are interested in.

4) If you don't want the PCs to level so fast, then don't let them. Nobody says you have to use the wonky CR/EL/XP tables- in fact I've found it best to throw them out completely and give mission or story-based awards.

5) Don't just roll on encounter tables and throw at them whatever it says. Make "random" encounters that will be stimulating, challenging, and different. Also remember that "encounter" doesn't have to be a monster or something to fight. It could be merchant with a broken wagon axle, a battlesite, a freak storm, gypsies that offer to share camp and tell legends as well as gamble with the PCs, etc. Just hacking and slashing through the wilderness in an endless series of combats is dull.

 

[S'mon]

Give the PCs a chance to fall in with a trade caravan, pilgrimage or similar travelling in the right direction, suitably well defended with mid-to-high level NPCs. Then when your 60 gibberlings attack the PCs deal with 6 while their companions deal with the rest off-camera. Etc.