Travelling in Eberron

[Brandigan]

So I assume there's only one lightning train operating at a given time or are there multiple lines?

 

[WayneLigon]

it didn't make sense to me that the line would be built to service a population base of 1% of the population.

That 1% holds what percentage of the cash, I wonder. I'm still reading on the main book, so I forget how long the thing has been in existance; it might still be a 'rich man's toy' or a simple statement of how powerful House Orien is. The last reason of course pays for itself.

Mail and freight are probably the big moneymakers for the thing, esp for low-weight goods that must be transported long distances quickly - lots of luxery goods are in the low-weight/volume - high-price category, such as caviar, certain fruits, etc. Wine might or might not be an acceptable cargo - I know some wines have a problem with 'travel' and I dunno how bumpy (I would think not at all) the Lightning Rail is.

 

[WayneLigon]

That's pretty much how I see them as well. I've actually gots some old train car diagrams I'll be using for layouts/maps. So far I've got a dining car, a standard car, a sleeper, and a private car.

The boxed Call of Cthulhu adventure for the Orient Express has maps for all the major cars, the engine, etc, for use with minis. I'll certainly be pulling all that out soon.

 

[Staffan]

So I assume there's only one lightning train operating at a given time or are there multiple lines?

Given that Cyre's destruction split the rail network into three distinct sections, there has to be more than one train running.

 

[SpuneDagr]

Honestly, I don't think there is a whole lot of difference in the number of people who could afford a 200 gp trip and those who could afford a 1000 gp trip. After a certain point, you are only going to be dealing with the extremely wealthy anyway.

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

Perhaps 5 sp. is for the "luxury" cars, with some modicum of comfort. For 1 sp., you're packed into a car like sardines, with no amenities and little more than wooden pews on which to sit.

Just a thought. In my campaign, I've been describing the interior of the train very much like the old-style international trains of the noir films--comfortable chairs, valets, dining and gambling rooms... But I can certainly see the presence of less appealing accomodations for the poorer folk.

Rather than wait for a "Eberron Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels" I have been googling railcar diagrams

Here is one of the more promising links Car Builder's Dictionary

The "Emigrant Sleeping Cars" shown here have 28 Berths (14 upper, 14 lower).

Assuming 2 adult people per Berth then that is 56 people at 5sp/mile (280sp/mile if the car is full).

if we accept 280sp/mile each car as a base rate, then a 200 passenger coach car (all seats, no beds) would be 14cp/mile for each person.

<erian_7's one end of Eberron (well, Sharn) to the other (Krona Peak in the Mror Holds) trip, the long rout costs 540gp by this method.>

a "compartment sleeper" with 8 "rooms" would be 35sp/mile for each compartment.

 

[Staffan]

A thought occured to me... why not compare the cost of the Lightning Rail to that of the time-honored way of travelling long distances in D&D: the teleport spell?

Teleport, cast at the basic 9th level of ability, transports the caster and three others up to 900 miles. The normal fee for spellcasting is spell level * caster level * 10 gp, or in the case of teleport, 5*9*10 = 450 gp, multiplied by two because you're also paying for the caster's return trip - so 900 gp. You can split this cost three ways, so we get 300 gp for instant travel of 900 miles - that's 33 coppers per mile, or 2/3 of the cost for a trip along the Lightning Rail. Now, let's compare some other things about the two modes of travel:

Lightning Rail pros:

• You can travel shorter distances, and/or by yourself and still get your money's worth.
• It's probably easier to book transport on the LR than it is finding a 9th level wizard who knows teleport (and house Oriens charge 10 gp per mile for teleporting, which is a lot more expensive than the formula above)
• The LR can transport cargo more effectively.

Lightning Rail cons:

• Limited to travelling along the actual rail.
• Have to wait until a train leaves (how often that happens isn't specified in the book).
• You "only" travel ~600 miles per day (assuming the train takes breaks at stops, and only travels effectively 20 hours per day).

Teleport pros:

• The time taken for actual travelling is instant.
• You can go anywhere the caster is willing to take you.

Teleport cons:

• You need to find a 9th level wizard (or 10th level sorcerer) willing to cast the spell for you.
• You will probably need to wait until next day so he can prepare the spells (which may or may not be longer than the time until the next rail leaves).
• Slight risk for accidents in transit, depending on the caster's knowledge of the destination.
• You always have to pay for the full 900 miles of travel, even if you're only travelling a relatively short distance.

Still, with these things in mind, I think it would be reasonable to price travel along the Lightning Rail at, say, 2 sp per mile for first-class accomodations and 5 cp per mile for second-class. The Rail and teleport both have different advantages, but I think teleporting wins out in the end, but not by that much.

 

[erian_7]

I don't suppose you could let us know where you tracked those down?

I'll see if I can track them down--it's been 3-4 months back...

The boxed Call of Cthulhu adventure for the Orient Express has maps for all the major cars, the engine, etc, for use with minis. I'll certainly be pulling all that out soon.

Hmm, I'll have to check that out. Thanks!

Rather than wait for a "Eberron Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels" I have been googling railcar diagrams

Here is one of the more promising links...

Nice stuff, that! My findings were all floorplans and such. These external shots and cut-aways are very good for inspiration.

A thought occured to me... why not compare the cost of the Lightning Rail to that of the time-honored way of travelling long distances in D&D: the teleport spell?

House Orien already has a standard teleport priced out in the Eberron CS - 10 GP/mile.

 

[grimslade]

Teleporting vs. Lightning Rail

I don't think you would be able to find a 9th level caster to pay for a teleport. First off, a ninth level caster is a rare person. Second, I think any caster that tried to give a discount teleport would be leaned on hard by House Orien. That's their business, see. The next time the discount teleporter ordered some spell components from the old Sears and Roebuck catalog, maybe the shipment gets lost while being delivered by a House Orien courier. Or maybe random smelly objects or unfriendly beasts are teleported into the casters yard. It would quickly become more profitable for the discount caster to seek his fortune elsewhere.
You will pay 10gp a mile for your teleport.

Grim

 

[Staffan]

I don't think you would be able to find a 9th level caster to pay for a teleport. First off, a ninth level caster is a rare person. Second, I think any caster that tried to give a discount teleport would be leaned on hard by House Orien. That's their business, see. The next time the discount teleporter ordered some spell components from the old Sears and Roebuck catalog, maybe the shipment gets lost while being delivered by a House Orien courier. Or maybe random smelly objects or unfriendly beasts are teleported into the casters yard. It would quickly become more profitable for the discount caster to seek his fortune elsewhere.
You will pay 10gp a mile for your teleport.

Except the cost I calculated isn't really a discount - it's the standard cost for spellcasting. That's assuming you can find a caster - 9th level wizards should be available in large cities and metropoli in most settings, though they may be restricted to metropoli in Eberron (where high-level NPCs are supposed to be more rare than in regular D&D). 10 gp per mile is overcharging by a lot.

This is strange, because in most cases the use of dragonmark abilities are supposed to cost the same as or less than the normal spellcasting fees (compare house Jorasco's fees for healing to the normal prices). The one reason I can think of for the pricing of teleportation is that they price it that high per mile to account for those who don't use the entire 900 miles - my calculations did assume that you were doing 900-mile 'ports, which might not be the most common case. 10 gp/mile costs 900 gp for 90 miles, which might be the average teleport length. Though in that case, it would be more fair to price it per teleport than per mile.