Traveling

[Mechanimal]

I'm not sure if this has been brought up ever; and, if so, you can refer me to another thread. I was wondering, since everyone in every game has to travel from point A to point B at some point, how they get there. I mean this as in city to city travel. Either by ship, walking, horseback, or other means. Do you just skip this, and, unless there's an encounter, assume they arrive there safely and turn the clocks ahead? Or, do you find interesting ways to pass the time, and intrigue the PC's while they travel? I have done some things, but am at a loss for words most of the time my group is traveling somewhere. I can setup an ambush, but sometimes ambush after ambush gets stale. I've introduced NPC's on the road, but this is also kind of bland after the first or second time doing so. I would like to know what others' ideas are on the issue. Anything else you'd like to add, feel free to do so.

 

[Gilladian]

Travel is the best time to let the party do their own thing. It is also a great time to show off campaign color.

Have them tell you how they set up camp. Who cooks? Who is good at cooking? Who catches dinner? Who brought food? Who wants what watch? What kind of shelter are they packing? Tents? A wagon? One of my parties bought a caravan wagon and fixed it up with lots of magic doodads.

What's the road like? Paved, or dirt? What are the villages like? Is the weather good? Are the locals happy, miserable, scared, sick and tired, or what? Are there lots of travelers? Nobody? Refugees fleeing from the direction the PCs are going?

When they reach the edge of the dark forest near the mountains, what kinds of stories do they hear in the nearest Inn? Is there a nearby Inn?

When traveling by ship (air or sea) or caravan, where the most important thing is the mix of NPC's they're stuck with every day, you can have loads of fun making them hate the whiny spoiled kid, the flirtatious teenage girl, and the fat old drunk (with tons of money). Or let them fall in love with the girl going to her arranged marriage, meet the greatest bardic tale-teller ever, etc...

Don't skip travel time entirely; use it to your advantage. However, it is okay to sometimes say "you leave the last village behind and you travel down the road for five days...(roll dice)... and have no significant encounters." [note that the dice rolling is probably fake- I already know what's going on].

 

[aco175]

A lot of what the previous post says is right on. Also, at low levels travel allows you to fill out encounters that may foreshadow things to come or point out specific campaign details that may come up again. There may be a traveling circus that they meet one day on the road at 1st level and again at 8th, but this time one of the npc's they remember is cursed/dead/fill in appropiate game hook.

Don't forget roadside places like temples and inns that the party can come back to and rest or find information. these locations add to the overall story, esp at low levels before the party can fly and teleport right to the dungeon.

This is also dependant on your time and flavor of play. You may have planned a cool encounter on the way to the dungeon, but people came late and you must decide if the travel encounter is worth putting off the dungeon encounter. Some DM's and parties like very little story and all dungeon. Each week starts of, "You are hired by the Duke to rescue his son being held in the Caves of Chaos. Roll Perception as you approach the mouth of the cave".

 

[CarlZog]

When traveling by ship (air or sea) or caravan, where the most important thing is the mix of NPC's they're stuck with every day...

Fellow travellers can also be a significant source of intrigue and information, giving the DM a chance to develop adventure hooks in the form of rumors, offers, new contacts, etc.

 

[Mechanimal]

When traveling by ship (air or sea) or caravan, where the most important thing is the mix of NPC's they're stuck with every day, you can have loads of fun making them hate the whiny spoiled kid, the flirtatious teenage girl, and the fat old drunk (with tons of money). Or let them fall in love with the girl going to her arranged marriage, meet the greatest bardic tale-teller ever, etc...

Don't skip travel time entirely; use it to your advantage. However, it is okay to sometimes say "you leave the last village behind and you travel down the road for five days...

I like the idea of having significant NPC's, who aren't necessary for story advancement but stir up emotions among the party. I'm going to have to borrow your idea of the obnoxious, spoiled kid. I'm also thinking that I could have him steal from the party, or do something that will make them angry. It will be great because they won't be able to hurt the child, but it'll bring up some good roleplaying.

Another similar thought I had was to have a small salesman along the path with some odds and ends, and conveniently just enough rumours and information to point in a certain direction. I'm gathering based on this that the mannerisms are what make these NPC encounters so memorable.

Don't forget roadside places like temples and inns that the party can come back to and rest or find information. these locations add to the overall story, esp at low levels before the party can fly and teleport right to the dungeon.

I think this will be great to add to the trip. All I could ever think of on the way are caves that the party seldom had any interest of going into, because of the inherent danger, and no motive to go there anyway. I think something that's right on the path that presents no direct danger will get the party's attention.

Fellow travellers can also be a significant source of intrigue and information, giving the DM a chance to develop adventure hooks in the form of rumors, offers, new contacts, etc.

I want to add some travelers along the way, but no one with certain answers. Just vague details/rumours that will push the PC's in a direction, even though this person didn't answer their specific question, just something that'll have them interested in a location. I presume that there's a difference between basic travelers and NPC's. I don't think I would need to develop much for a traveler if they only relay information once and have no name.

Thank-you everyone for all the great advice. I'll let you know how it turns out. Currently my party is in the middle of a dungeon, but will be traveling afterwards.