D&D General How Do You Run Travel and Exploration In Your Games?

[Shadowdweller00]

This kind of meant more on the DM-side of things, but I'm happy to hear from players as well. Travel and (wilderness) exploration happen to be amongst those things that seem highly variable from table to table. Was just kind of curious: How do you personally usually handle travel and (wilderness) exploration? What aspects or versions of travel and exploration have been most fun for you personally? Which aspects have been...less fun?

Speaking for myself: Despite having regularly DMed for many years, I'm mostly pretty lazy about these things. I've had mixed experiences with hexcrawls, and mostly don't bother with them. I will occasionally keep a personal map, but more often then not keep track of things in my head. Usually I run points-of-interest travel and exploration: I divide travel and areas up into major landmarks that PCs traverse when going from place to place. I don't usually bother with detailed encounter tables, but I try to have a few possible encounters roughly outlined for each region or landmark. On occasions when I ask for Survival checks to keep from getting lost, the price of failure is usually an extra encounter. I try to maintain a mix of combat encounters, environmental hazards, the odd social encounters, and a bunch of random and hopefully fun things for the PCs to play around and interact with. (An example might an ancient shrine that offers a blessing to those who can figure out how to make an appropriate offering; or maybe a ring of toadstools imbued with fey magic that curses anyone who steps inside into speaking with a high-pitched, squeaky voice).

Sometimes I'll place secrets, "dungeons", or alternate entrances around particular locations if people wander around them in particular directions.

How about you all?

 

[Rabbitbait]

Depends on the game. Normally I just handwave it, but in my Tomb of Annihilation game I went all in: Resource management, chance of getting lost, random encounters etc. at one point they were lost in the jungle for a month and only one character survived.

It was great and frustrating fun for everyone

 

[Storyteller Hero]

If I manage to live long enough to get enough people together for my next campaign, I'm thinking about having a shared Discord or Facebook Group between the players and settle traveling mechanics (if they have to travel far) through online posts between sessions. Put up a shared map for everyone to look at, and maybe even a bit of commentary or play-by-post, along with brief session recaps, so even if someone misses a session or sessions get delayed a long time, they can easily keep track of what's happening and stay actively engaged in some way.

 

[aco175]

Some depends on the campaign and if it is worth keeping track of things. I might just Indiana Jones things and have the plane fly across the map landing at different points and asking if people want to buy anything.

I tend to do al of of what the OP listed if the game is in a smaller area or off road and PCs can get lost

 

[Zardnaar]

Travel usually hand waved.

Exploration depends on how much effort I put into it. Generally xp per hex and landmark discovered.

 

[AnimeSniper]

Good points in previous post replies such as the Campaign World Setting, the Player Group desires as not all want to experience the slow trudge of point A to point B. Points of Interest are always good if the group is traveling to an entirely new location without say a carriage services straight to point B or acting as hired muscles for said caravan.
Points of interest could be a Wizards Tower appearing from the mists on an Island Lake. Moonlight or water on nearby stone ruins giving access to the secret dungeons below. The signs or remains of a battle with remnants strewn about the area.
Survival and other checks for minor things such as setting camp in a non-flood area, recognizing Goblin or other signs being in the area,

 

[Shiroiken]

Depends on the adventure. If exploration is a primary aspect of the adventure, then I run it by the book. If it's just about getting from point A to point B, then I tend to ignore it. For my next campaign, I'm looking into using the travel rules from LotR 5E.

 

[Distracted DM]

A5E's Trials & Treasures has rules for traveling, called journeys, which I loved once I finally grokked them. They're pretty simple, while also using big ol' random tables (I love random tables) and giving players the option to take part in journey activities.

 

[Weiley31]

I'm looking into using the travel rules from LotR 5E.

You got this that you can probably combine/grokl with.

https://cubicle7games.com/uncharted-journeys-roleplaying-game

There's also a fantastic review of it here by Libertard.

D&D 5E - [Let's Read] Vault 5e: Uncharted Journeys

Drive-Thru RPG page The Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook has described the RPG as supporting three pillars of gameplay: combat, exploration, and social. In reality, two of those pillars are vestigial in function and only one is holding up the mass of game rules. There have been various...

www.enworld.org

 

[AlViking]

Like @aco175 Indiana Jones travel is dot to dot. Sometimes there are unexpected dots like when Indy crashed into a mountain.

For exploration mostly we just talk through it, I only have high level maps most of the time.