this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2023
41 points (100.0% liked)
rpg
3176 readers
28 users here now
This community is for meaningful discussions of tabletop/pen & paper RPGs
Rules (wip):
- Do not distribute pirate content
- Do not incite arguments/flamewars/gatekeeping.
- Do not submit video game content unless the game is based on a tabletop RPG property and is newsworthy.
- Image and video links MUST be TTRPG related and should be shared as self posts/text with context or discussion unless they fall under our specific case rules.
- Do not submit posts looking for players, groups or games.
- Do not advertise for livestreams
- Limit Self-promotions. Active members may promote their own content once per week. Crowdfunding posts are limited to one announcement and one reminder across all users.
- Comment respectfully. Refrain from personal attacks and discriminatory (racist, homophobic, transphobic, etc.) comments. Comments deemed abusive may be removed by moderators.
- No Zak S content.
- Off-Topic: Book trade, Boardgames, wargames, video games are generally off-topic.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I usually try to drop in one scene or situation along the way usually at the site of a notable landmark. You can roll randomly for the landmark and maybe two groups. Maybe they’re fighting. Maybe one group already beat the other group. Maybe they’re friendly. Just a situation to expose something about the world and it’s history and people.
You can also use it as an opportunity for campfire tales. Ask each player ahead of time to think about what their character thinks of what they’ve done so far and where they’re going. Have each player share their thoughts during a long rest along the journey.
Finally, if the characters are traveling anywhere with risk you can define some traveling roles like who is scouting, who is trailblazing, and who is provisioning. Have them roll checks on these jobs to give you some interesting ideas about what might happen along the journey.
I do this. I learnt it from a game called Torchbearer which features a travel subsystem. The journey gives you a toll based on how far it is, what sort of terrain etc. To pay a point of toll you need to expend a ration of food and one of water, else you can pay it by having equipment break such as shoes and armour or you take horrible conditions.
You can take a role on the journey which increases your individual toll but allows you to do something that will benefit the whole team. A scout gets a chance to save against encounters. A hunter or forager will test to find food. A cartographer will map progress. A cook tests to stretch those rations. A guide is essential to get to the destination.
A difficult journey has resulted in the party sacrificing their animals which is something I'd never seen happen in any other system!
I haven't looked into Torchbearer yet! Seems like it might be good for research.
The campaign and system are all about traveling though dangerous lands from point to point, exploring along the way and staying alive. I think maybe though I've put too much emphasis on the points if interest and not enough thought into the travel in between. Possibly this is because there's built-in pressure to do this as quickly (and sure, safely) as possible, so I never really thought about them actually doing things when they don't need to slow down and fight/explore.
Hmm ... Maybe doing the "who's scouting" and prompts like that can be a good lead in and out of these obstacles where things speed up and slow down!