long distance move rates?

[NewJeffCT]

What would be realistic for long distance travel time - say, a journey of 1,000 miles by foot? (or, around 1,600km to you non-Americans) I don't recall it in the DMG, but it's Monday morning and my caffeine hasn't kicked in yet.

In 2E days, if the party normally moved at 12" a round, you would make that 24 miles a day, making a 1,000 mile journey a 42 day trip, not counting rough terrain, encounters or anything else.

However, is it realistic to walk every day for 42 straight days, or would a party of adventurers need an occasional day off?

Also, how much of a difference would a horse make, and how often would the horse need a break - i.e., a day off, new horseshoes, etc. I am assuming a horse would be about twice as fast in distance covered per day, but may require a bit more 'down time' in regards to horse shoes, the burden of carrying armored adventurers, etc.

 

[diaglo]

don't forget inclement weather.

bad roads or no roads at all.

getting lost and having to backtrack.

 

[Dracomeander]

Unless you're talking about Mongol-style step ponies, horses are rather high maintenance. They require stops more often than a pedestrian and over the course of a day will only cover approximately the same distance as a human who is in the shape to be a hardened adventurer.

Travel by horse came about because people are basically lazy and look to make their own lives easier. Also, horses were status symbols. If you were someone who could afford to maintain a horse, you were someone to be reckoned with.

That's the arguement against travel by horse. However, there is also the tactical advantage that combat from horseback gave a person which gave a reason for wanting to have the horse available while traveling.

 

[Gothic_Demon]

In the early 1200s traders would walk from Northern France to Rome and back, a journey of some 700+ miles, and that was just to make money. Pilgrimages to the Holy Lands would see people walking 1000+ miles, and the same distance back. It's unusual, but not totally uncommon or unheard of.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Unless you're talking about Mongol-style step ponies, horses are rather high maintenance. They require stops more often than a pedestrian and over the course of a day will only cover approximately the same distance as a human who is in the shape to be a hardened adventurer.

Travel by horse came about because people are basically lazy and look to make their own lives easier. Also, horses were status symbols. If you were someone who could afford to maintain a horse, you were someone to be reckoned with.

That's the arguement against travel by horse. However, there is also the tactical advantage that combat from horseback gave a person which gave a reason for wanting to have the horse available while traveling.

Hmm, that's interesting. I figured horses would be faster, but just required more down time.

 

[diaglo]

In the early 1200s traders would walk from Northern France to Rome and back, a journey of some 700+ miles, and that was just to make money. Pilgrimages to the Holy Lands would see people walking 1000+ miles, and the same distance back. It's unusual, but not totally uncommon or unheard of.

of course, the number that made it there or back was ....??? unknown.

my guess is most died. just like in D&D.

 

[NewJeffCT]

They may have journeyed the 700 miles, but how long did it take them to do it? Was it weeks? months?

 

[Meadred]

Well, some RL experiences: Last summer I participated in a rather well-known (at least among walkers/hikers in Europe) march called "the International four days marches" (http://www.4daagse.nl) in Nijmegen, Holland. It involved walking 25 miles a day for four consecutive days with a pack weighing at least 22 lbs. (10 kg) in addition to the water needed (I drank close to 3 liters between stops). The surface was mostly concrete/asphalt roads, but also included cobbled streets and mud paths. Each day my group spent about 9-10 hours "on the road", including both shorter breaks and a few 20-minute refreshment stops. Before going there I had practiced at home, walking a total of slightly more than 250 miles (400 km) in a series of stretches no shorter than 18.75 miles (30 km).

By the fourth day, I felt as if all my strength had been completely sapped, and I was physically exhausted when I reached the finish. It took me about two days of resting to get back to normal.

In comparison, most people from a medieval type setting would problably be alot more accustomed to walking than modern day people. The "road surface" would be softer, thus not so hard on joints and feet, but at the same time available roads would be more like cattle paths than roads. So, while it wouldn't be so hard on the body to walk, the roads would impede the rate of travel compared to modern roads. Given that you have enough daylight to walk perhaps 10-12 hours a day, it may be possible for a party of adventurers to cover about 20 miles a day in light terrain for, say five days to a week. If they are travelling for a longer time, I would decrease the amount of ground covered slightly, perhaps 15 miles a day.

Alas, it is said about medieval times here on Earth that travel by land was annoyingly slow. The best way to travel was by boat or ship, and people living on the shores of a large body of water more often traded with other coast-dwellers than with their inland neighbours. One of the great "inventions" of the Romans was their road-building. It is one of the key elements that gave them the possibility to leverage the might of the legions against their enemies. So, it seems probable that those inhabiting a medieval type fantasy world would either have invented better ways of getting around than walking (teleporting, flying ships, sea travel, etc.) or have built good roads.

Well, well, some almost random thoughts.

Cheers,
Meadred

 

[NewJeffCT]

Thanks Meadred. I was following up to a post on another board and had mentioned that on the History Channel last night (Sunday, April 3), the narrator on a feature on Andrew Jackson implied it was an amazing feat to push his early 19th century 1,000 man army to march 450 miles in 46 days from somewhere in Tenn to Georgia. I think when they arrived at their destination, they rested for a good week before invading Florida. And, this is with unarmored 19th century soldiers and not armoured medieval ones.

 

[diaglo]

...they rested for a good week before invading Florida. And, this is with unarmored 19th century soldiers and not armoured medieval ones.

they should've rested even longer. they got their hats handed to them.