Non-fight travel encounters

[Ry]

People keep telling me that... maybe one of these days I'll break down and listen.

 

[rounser]

Some random ideas:
A plains fire, with wemic nomads fleeing before it.
A waterfall which flows upwards.
Tracks which lead to a hollow tree. There's a ladder carved into the inside of the tree.
Strange bird calls which might be detected as false with a listen check (or maybe survival?).
Bog mud which slows travel.
A sinkhole.
Snares and game traps.
Giant spider webs.
Giant mushrooms.
A highway tollkeeper who taxes the party.
A raven sitting on a runic sign, eyeing the characters with an intelligent and baleful gaze.
A blasted area with a pair of charred boots in the centre, smoke still rising from them.
A strongly flowing river, forded by several boulders to jump across.
Drunken satyrs throwing a party.
A woodcutter arguing with a druid.
A bridge over a deep chasm, with a sign reading "Bridge closed due to troll. Turn back."
Rain that brings with it a magical effect, such as feeblemind or dispel magic.
Dense thickets with mildly poisonous thorns. They regenerate mere rounds after they're hacked.

 

[Imaro]

My criteria aren't expected to rule out a lot - but they do rule out vacuous setting exposition. Imaro, your idea is a great example of an encounter that sets up a problem. The PCs can't solve it then, but it's definite problem. They're not supposed to go "well, people are starving, too bad."

Yeah but I've had some real hard-ass mercenaries in my campaign that I wouldn't classify as heroes except in the Black Company sense of the word. Some of them might have even went for getting hired by the ruler to squash the minor rebellions and keep peace. But your right it sets up a problem, but moreso IMHO stresses the mood of the place and forces the characters to "experience it".

Examples:

Cleric in town telling the players how the gods of good interrelate, even though this has nothing to do with anything the players will be doing.

Bartender talking to PC about nothing at all. "Hello." "Hello." "Want a beer?" "Sure." "Nice weather we're having." "Yep."

Some GMs put these in because they think they need to inject realism in the game, but they are aggravating and poor design IMO.

See these encounters don't necessarily stress a mood or theme in the story. They don't accomplish that because they could be interjected into any campaign and give you no clue as to what the atmosphere of said campaign is. Here are some I think fit a little better for what I'm trying to convey.

Ravenloft: A fog-shrouded caravan of gypsies who appear out of nowhere and upon seeing the PC's shout dire warnings and whisper prophecy of death and madness to come. They flee, with horror in their eyes, if the PC's approach, fading away into the fog.(Sets a mood of doom and mystery.)

Dark Sun: In the middle of the dessert, the PC's come upon a group of men who are all dead, save one. The lone survivor is clutchig a waterbag, which has a cut along it's bottom and is now empty. When the PC's approach him he will croak at them about his water and how he deserved it, because he was strong enough to take it, before finally expiring from his wounds.(Sets a mood of desperation and savagery)

I don't think this is bad design or aggravating,( and are often a staple of the fantasy stories I have read). Overused, yes I can see it being a poor substitute for progressing the story, but during times like the OP stated, like traveling long distances, I don't think it subtracts anything from the game and, if done right, can give a richer experience to the players. This is all dependant on the type of players you have, if all they want to do is fight or aren't interested in the campaign worlds themes or mood, then yes these types of encounters are a waste of time. I take it as a complement that my players do enjoy an encounter like this once in a while.

I guess if you aren't trying to convey anything but "vanilla fantasy" then these types of encounters are less necessary, but I think if you have certain expectations in regards to the feel of your particular campaign world they can work alot better than giving the PC's a hand out or a quick description. Of course YMMV.

 

[Ry]

I don't think those are bad encounters, but both encounters would be better game material if they gave the PCs something to do - presented them with a choice or dilemma.

For example, imagine using the first encounter when the PCs were wounded, and the gypsies could help. Their terror and horror would be a complicating factor in using the resource - so the players could really engage the horror and terror. The PCs might fail to overcome the gypsies fear - or they might manage to get some brief respite while the gypsies are trying to get the PCs to move on. The GM has more opportunity to play it up than if the encounter - by design - gives nothing for the PCs to do but watch.

For the second encounter, watching a thirsty man who killed his comrades die is one thing - PCs picking helpful items off their corpses emphasizes the desperation of the setting even more. "Where'd you get that knife?" "Off a dead man who killed his friends for water."

 

[JohnnFour]

This list here makes for a good encounter seed resource:

http://www.roleplayingtips.com/readissue.php?number=301

 

[Ry]

Hi Johnn - I love your site, but I've got to disagree about that list of encounters. A lot of them really don't have anything for the players to engage in at all - they look like filler.

Few sun bleached papers,
Fish bones,
Small Pond,
Abandoned Shack - these might be idea generators for GMs, but they don't have much meat on them.

 

[Gilladian]

Especially early in a campaign, I try to have the PCs encounter things that make the campaign seem real and lead to roleplay or at least to an understanding of the world.

A wedding/funeral/religious celebration in a village is going on when the PCs pass through. Maybe they get a free meal out of it.

Pilgrims to a nearby or far off pilgrimage site fill the road and slow the PCs. Maybe they need help fording a river or are begging.

A crossroads outside a village or town boasts a hanging tree or gallows - either with old bodies on display or a future hanging about to occur.

Some of these lead to roleplay, some just to the PCs hurrying by to avoid "getting involved". But they all add flavor.

 

[Nathan P. Mahney]

What I normally do when I know the players have to make an overland journey is this (all done well before the game begins):

1) Work out how long it will take the party to get to their destination via the most obvious route.

2) Roll on the random weather charts to see what conditions will be like.

2) Roll on my random encounter tables for the entire journey to see what pops up.

3) Look for links that can tie the encounters to the current scenario.

4) If 3 isn't viable, look for ways I can link the encounters into a mini-adventure

5) If 4 isn't viable, look for ways that I can use the encounters to seed future adventures or enhance the setting.

6) Work out the most likely alternate routes that the players will take and repeat the process.

Admittedly, this is really time-consuming when the PCs reach mid-levels and get a few different modes of travel up their sleeves. But it makes for more interesting overland travel.

 

[JohnnFour]

Hi Johnn - I love your site, but I've got to disagree about that list of encounters. A lot of them really don't have anything for the players to engage in at all - they look like filler.

Yes, good call. Sorry, I should have framed my response better. That list is good for encounter seeds - ideas for encounters to grow from. Pick one idea from the list, then use it to inspire the rest of the encounter design.