Long Distance Roads or Travel by Ship

[Scott Christian]

Was thinking this morning of how impossible it would be for a long distance road to be safely maintained with all the creatures running around in D&D. I mean, it makes me think that guards in outposts are paid triple due to the high risk. Some of the random encounter tables could wipe out a caravan or outpost with ease. One griffon, one otyugh, or really one anything could cause a lot of damage. And the people travelling, in small groups? Wrong time, wrong place would definitely be a mantra for many.

Then my mind shifted to how much safer ship travel would be... and it seemed safe for awhile... then merrow, merfolk and sahuagin sprung to mind. And I thought, how the heck is anyone travelling out there? (At least they have the comfort to know the ocean is vast, and travel is not solely limited to a narrow road.)

So my question to the GM in you is how do you handle this? Do you just assume the major roads are kept safe? Do you detail your world more like, say The Witcher, where monsters are more spread out and rarer? Do you just say they are dangerous, that's why adventures always start with: "You're being hired to protect a caravan."

Truly curious how GM's reconcile with this. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[pogre]

Roads are dangerous in my campaign. Although closer to cities they usually employ Road Wardens to help keep traffic safer. Dangerous roads and the need for caravan guards is a built in low-level adventure hook. Much like you suggested.

Travel by ship is much faster, but not really safer.

The wealthy may have access to teleportation.

 

[John Dallman]

Ships are much easier for places where ships can actually go. If you have goods to move, ships are vastly cheaper to run than trains of animal-drawn wagons or pack animals, because all those animals need feeding and caring for. In an AD&D campaign I play in, I run a government of a newly-founded city that needs to import and export a lot, so we built lots of canals via magic, and re-structured the banks of a river to make it practical for barge transport.

 

[Fenris-77]

The population control implicit in the monster population balances out the socio-economic impact of magic on health and food production.

 

[pemerton]

My first thought is that encounter tables aren't demographic or ecological predictions.

 

[Fenris-77]

My first thought is that encounter tables aren't demographic or ecological predictions.

Except about itinerant peddlers, who apparently have the life expectancy of new lieutenants in Vietnam.

 

[Shiroiken]

Well, it really depends on the game and setting. D&D is generally known for high danger outside of any civilized area (at least in most settings), so roads not regularly patrolled are going to have monster problems. Even regularly patrolled roads are going to have bandit issues, as the bandits just ignore the patrols, waiting for vulnerable caravans.

In my Greyhawk campaign, about 95% of people never go further than a few miles of their home because of the danger involved, leaving merchants, soldiers, and the ever foolish adventurers. Soldiers are paid the same: in war, on patrol (either town or countryside), or even just watching a gate, so for them it's a crap shoot based on the assignment. Merchants and adventurers have the high risk/high reward lifestyle.

Other games and settings are going to have less problems. In Rokugan (Legend of the Five Rings), there aren't that many monsters, and bandits have a short lifespan, leaving the roads very safe. However travel is extremely limited, normally requiring permission from your daimyo and the daimyo whose land you cross.

 

[aramis erak]

So my question to the GM in you is how do you handle this? Do you just assume the major roads are kept safe? Do you detail your world more like, say The Witcher, where monsters are more spread out and rarer? Do you just say they are dangerous, that's why adventures always start with: "You're being hired to protect a caravan."

Truly curious how GM's reconcile with this. Thanks for the feedback.

Generally, I handle it by most roads being along the farmed belt. The farmers tend to have a village every 3-6 miles (half a day's walk). Monsters generally stay away from civ.

 

[smcc360]

I introduced Road Wardens, like Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying had. Underfunded and overworked, they're always willing to hire some adventurous mercenaries willing to clear out a bandit-infested wood, or a gang of toll-extorting trolls camped under a bridge.

 

[Fenris-77]

I introduced Road Wardens, like Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying had. Underfunded and overworked, they're always willing to hire some adventurous mercenaries willing to clear out a bandit-infested wood, or a gang of toll-extorting trolls camped under a bridge.

That's a keen idea. Did you write them up like a faction, with hierarchy and goals and the like? I can see that being pretty interesting as well.