Travelling

Travelling in Aspirant can take long amounts of time. Travelling involves knowing the direction or location of something and then travelling towards it. Travel will usually take a number of days. To travel you require at minimum Camping-Gear.

Travel Segment

For simplicity, travel is:

  • Simply, the time to get from one location to another
  • Most travel should focus on hitting a milestone of some kind at least within 5 days. Travel should be directed to get somewhere. Unstructured travel isn’t travel, it is adventuring.
  • A full day of travel is considered 14 hours of continual travel, this gives the characters ample time to rest.
  • Characters need to manage their Needs.
  • At the beginning of travel Travel Roles must be determined.
  • A travel segment will have a Segment Danger.
  • A travel segment will have a Segment Time.
  • A travel segment may have Segment Modifiers.
  • Characters will experience a Night Encounter.
  • Characters will experience a Route Encounter.

Night Encounter

During their time camping something eventful will happen to the players. It can be as simple as a description of the night sky, fireflies out, or a companion telling a story from their childhood.

This encounter depending on Segment Danger might be dangerous instead.

Route Encounter

During their time traveling something eventful will happen to the players. It can be as simple as a description of the local flowers, a passing caravan saying hello, or a shift in the weather. More involved events such as encountering other travellers, enemies or a point of interest could occur.

This encounter depending on Segment Danger might be dangerous instead.

Players should only experience 1 route encounter per travel segment. If your players were attacked by wolves a number of times travelling through a forest, instead, that should be handled as one extended narrative / combat Scene where they realize they’ve entered dangerous territory and need to navigate out of it.

Segment Time

In Aspirant movement between places should be measured in time, not distance. So a place might be a days travel, or 4 days travel, from where you are.

Segment Danger

Each route will have a rating between 1-6 for danger. When traveling the GM should secretly roll 2 6 sided dice to see what sorts of events the characters will experience. For each dice that comes up with less than or equal to the danger rating the players experience a dangerous encounter. This can either be their Night Encounter or Route Encounter, or, if both dice roll dangerous, both encounters will be dangerous.

A route has a danger rating of 3. The GM secretly rolls a 2 and a 4, this means one dangerous encounter and one normal, they decide the players will have a dangerous night encounter and a normal route encounter.

Segment Modifiers

Some travel segments will have specific modifiers.

  • Maybe its dangerously hot, cold, you can get sick.
  • Some travel segments will restrict types of Asset, no Vehicles, no horses, etc.
  • Maybe no Travel Activity can be performed.

Travel Roles

While traveling certain characters become responsible for certain tasks to help make life easier. Everyone else is considered a passenger and may perform a Travel Activity.

Quartermaster

You find a camping spot, lead setup and organize watch for the team, taking extra shifts when necessary.

Travel Speed

Some Asset or abilities may increase the travel speed of characters. Humans have a travel speed of 1x, a traveling groups speed is equal to the lowest speed among them.