Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RyanTheMagus 01-01-06, 03:31 PM	I have recently began DMing a game for a few friends, although I am having a bit of difficulty and I was hoping some kind people here may be able to help. The problem I mainly seem to have is the portion of the game where the characters are traveling long distances.I am uncertain on how to word these things taking place to make everything flow naturally, and seem to hold any real importance. Allow me to give an example The group had to travel from town to the site of a battle where a group of Kobolds had assaulted a wagon, where they were supposed to look for clues to where the Kobolds had taken their prisoners. They found a trail, and followed it. My problem is that this travel, which was supposed to take several hours, went by along the lines of... "You leave the city. Do you go to the attack site?" Players: Yes "Okay, after two hours of travel, you arrive." And then after arriving, and finding the trail... "The Ranger successfuly picks up the trail, do you follow?" Players: Yes "All right, after roughly three hours of walking as the Ranger carefuly tracks the Kobolds, you arrive at a cave." The long periods of travel just go by in the snap of a finger, as there were no encounters, and this makes them seem to lack any real... substance, or any meat. Do you understand what I mean? Is there anything I can do to help remedy this?
moto 01-01-06, 03:39 PM	"you fallow the trail, luck is with you tonight, though, since the ground is moist holding the tracks well, the weather is cooperating with you, and your quary was carless in covering there tracks. Leading eventually to dun dun dun, the kobald cave." Or do you have sometihng else in mind?
BlingTheElf 01-01-06, 04:40 PM	I, too, have struggled to fill travel times with something interesting. A couple of hours of travel is not that long so I wouldn't worry about it in this case. However, you could try adding a couple of minor encounters to set the mood. Like a second set of kobold footprints cutting across the path, a sudden silence in the forest, dying animal with spearhead (maybe poisoned) still in it, etc. Encouraging PCs to use skills and do a little thinking is good. I do not recommend adding random monster encounters unless they link to the main plot (or are a hook for the next). I have used them on longer journeys and the side effect is that the PCs gain more XP and level up before you expect it.
Talonz 01-01-06, 07:11 PM	Wow. I was thinking days or weeks when you first described your problem. But a couple hours? Really there is very little to do in that timeframe except describe what they see as they travel. Run through the terrain, weather, common activity like road traffic/farming/buildings/hunters, etc. "You spend several hours getting to the ambush site. Traffic is light at this late hour, but you pass a few caravans loaded with common merchant supplies and a few hunters headed home for the evening. The land is primarily grassland and farmland, but as you near the site it turns hilly and forested. The wind picks up and blows loose leaves around and the harder dryer bits of dirt off the hills into your travelling clothes. Finally, you see the ambush site itself (describe site)." Unless you are going to add some random or minor encounters, thats all you need to do. Give them a feel for what they see and hear while traversing the land. You can even drop hints by other travellers for the current or future adventures. For longer trips, you will likely want to do the same and add some set/random encounters.
fatal error 01-01-06, 07:34 PM	Well, on the subject of longer trips: I suggest, rather than wandering monsters, use larger, adventure sized obstacles. Rather then; You camp, nothing happens, next night, you camp, three worgs attack, blah blah blah... for however long the journey is Instead, have them run into a more major obstacle, like a mountain pass, controlled by a bandit king who won't let anyone through. Now, they can either go through the hostile pass, or go around through the duergar tunnels beneath the mountain. What this does is still makes travel seem long and somewhat dangerous, but without making it seem like you're in an arena waiting for the next wandering monster attack.
pmurray@bigpond.com 01-01-06, 08:08 PM	Instead, have them run into a more major obstacle, like a mountain pass, controlled by a bandit king who won't let anyone through. Now, they can either go through the hostile pass, or go around through the duergar tunnels beneath the mountain. Fractal campaign structure.
Talonz 01-01-06, 08:22 PM	Well, on the subject of longer trips: I suggest, rather than wandering monsters, use larger, adventure sized obstacles. Good set encounters are always more interesting than random combat, absolutely.
Reighnhell 01-01-06, 08:35 PM	Use the environment. Overland travel can always be spiced up by having the P.C's work against mother nature. Rainstorms, Lightning Storms, Blizzards, treacherous climbs, unforgiving rapids, knee-deep mud, brutal cold, punishing heat, deadfalls, quicksand, flash floods, poisonous plants and many more hazrds remind the players that sometimes a Knowledge Nature or Survival check isn't enough to get past the worst the environment can throw at them.
KJW 01-02-06, 08:39 AM	Not everything should be exciting and interesting, if you do this it can actually make interesting seem boring after awhile. If every trip from the city involves some encounter or serious challenge then it also begs the question of how merchants and other mundane characters can travel between communities. Usually, I just fly through travel unless I have a clever idea or the party is traveling into deadly territory.
Gilean 01-02-06, 11:38 AM	Add something mysterious, like tracks. If they are identified, it is a four-legged creature o approximately bear's size, but with human feet. Or something like that. See the players guessing what it is. Be inspired.