D&D General Travel In Medieval Europe
Well, sailing is more efficient than travelling by road ...
My understanding of the suggestion is that (i) journeys should not overlap (very much) with places, as far as the challenges they pose and the resources they consume, and (ii) journey should be necessary to get from place to place, and (iii) places are where resolution (ie quest/story-level "victory") occurs, at least most of the time.I feel like I just got mugged by theoreosaurus.
I'll admit freely that most of that sailed WAAYYYY over my head.
In this suggested framework, (iii) in combination with (ii) is the reason why players have their PCs undertake journeys - ie they need to get to places in order to achieve resolution; while (i) is the reason that journey don't suck - ie they let the players do things, and succeed at them, in a different way from what happens at places.
The simplest version, in 5e D&D, might be that journeys use an exhaustion-based attrition economy, whereas places use a hp-and-spells attrition economy.
bedir than
Full Moon Storyteller
An example of Pilgrims Roads that connect through port cities scattered through multiple nations while being maintained by none of them.
www.trafalgar.com
Other similar roads connected to Rome or Istanbul or Jerusalem.
Connecting these to D&D means embracing the multicultural composition of the peoples on the way. Recognizing that there could be bandits, cultists, mainstream sects at war, that in tier 1 play food & water resources matter especially since other pilgrims are draining the land, that your party will meet peoples who need saving as they are out of their own capabilities. And maybe you'll meet a saint or avatar along the journey.
Do not shirk from the challenges, as epics are written of pilgrims traveling by road. There's a rather famous collection of English Tales that do just that
Everything you need to know about the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrimage route of Spain
Lace up your boots and read on for everything you need to know about taking on Spain's famous pilgrimage trail, El Camino de Santiago. Buen Camino!
www.trafalgar.com
Other similar roads connected to Rome or Istanbul or Jerusalem.
Connecting these to D&D means embracing the multicultural composition of the peoples on the way. Recognizing that there could be bandits, cultists, mainstream sects at war, that in tier 1 play food & water resources matter especially since other pilgrims are draining the land, that your party will meet peoples who need saving as they are out of their own capabilities. And maybe you'll meet a saint or avatar along the journey.
Do not shirk from the challenges, as epics are written of pilgrims traveling by road. There's a rather famous collection of English Tales that do just that
Ancalagon
Dusty Dragon
Historians estimate that boat shipping had a 20 fold greater capacity and profit than overland caravans. River trade was about 5 fold
bedir than
Full Moon Storyteller
Isn't the discussion about pilgrims pilgraming?
niklinna
satisfied?
"Guarding the caravan" is a staple trope of RPG journeys. Yes, that's a bit redundant, and purposely so! Escort quests of any kind can just die in a fire.
Oh wait, I'm thinking of MMO escort quests. They're fine in TTRPGs, just...just fine! twitch
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
How is it redundant. Trade goods have moved along roads throughout history, even along coast lines, and they’ve been guarded while doing so.
niklinna
satisfied?
"Staple" connotes that a thing is very commonly used. "Trope" connotes, well, much the same! Hence using the two words is redundant.
Ancalagon
Dusty Dragon
That bothered me as well - it might be too much for them to build full curtain walls etc, but at least a palisade to keep raiders at bay
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