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webmanus
Learned Scribe
Sweden
338 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Apr 2005 : 21:43:47
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Hi folks!
I am looking at the FRCS map and calculating distance and travel time for a merchant company between Suzail and Dagger Falls.
My figures ... But first ... 120 miles per inch gives me 24 miles per hex (24 mph  ) ... I have hex grid ...
Suzail - Arabel
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This part is pretty simple: 5 hexes through cleared terrain x 24 mph = 120 miles. And, travelling with wagons (16 miles per day) gives 7.5 days of travell. Comments?
Arabel - Tilverton
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Now, I don't like this part ... 1 hex through mountain terrain, 2 hexes through hills, and 2 hexes through cleared terrain gives me a distance of 120 miles. But, travelling through mountains and hills decreases the travelled distance (8 miles/day through mountain and 12 miles/day through hills). Thus:
1 hex mountain x 24 miles / 8 miles per day = 3 days
2 hexes hills x 24 miles / 12 miles per day = 4 days
2 hexes cleared x 24 miles / 16 miles per day = 3 days
So, 10 days spend on the road. Comments?
Tilverton Dagger Falls
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Longer distance, but not so difficult ... 11 hexes through cleared terrain and 2 hexes through hills:
11 x 24 / 16 = 16.5 days
2 x 24 / 12 = 4.0 days
OK, 20.5 days.
Total
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The total days spend on the road would be 7.5 + 10 + 20.5 days = 38 days. OK, with other FR maps, and other tools, the distance and the days spent on the road could be another than my 38 days.
Weather and Other Issues
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Now, do you think that merchants could do the travel route Suzail - Dagger Falls in 38 days? Each time? Bad weather should have an effect. For simplicity, I would add an addtional 12 days, thus, have a total of 50 days. With luck, the travel could take 38 days, and with the oppositive, up to two tendays (50 days +/- 25%).
Furthermore, when do you think that this travel would start? At the earliest? 1st of Mirtul? How long time do you think that the merchant group would stay? I can imagine that a merchant group would like to be back to Midsummer. Or maybe, reach Dagger Falls prior to Midsummer.
Well, that is all folks ... for now ... I will soon start another trade related post ... Trade Route Suzail - Dagger Falls (Goods).
Best regards,
Manuel
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4685 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2005 : 22:19:42
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The travel rules offer problems as do any simplified system.
The hill/mountain climbing does take more time then an open road. How the rules deal with it certainly can be unfair. This though is part of the system. There is no logical reason that travel needs to be limited to 24 miles a day, even pulling a wagon, this though depends on how supportive the trade route is. Replacement horses can speed travel up to 50 miles (and some cases even more), the slopes still something to contend with but how steep a sloop is the factor of how hard to go up and how slow one must travel to go down. The rules treat a mountain as three times as hard as level land.
The overland travel simplyfied allows for downtime due to weather, unless a pass/route is closed preventing forward movement. Also hex map is not the perfect system to cover actual travel, it depends on the road. Travel also can be more then the defalt 8 hours a day that the system uses.
All in all the travel time should be treated as an average. Getting over the mountain might be quicker and the level road can have many curves in it.
If you want a more detailed system to include weather, sloop and actual road configuration you can do so. 50 on the level (5 miles per hour for 10 hours per day) can be achieved, but the road might not be straight. That is you might travel Eastward 30 miles and Northward 10 miles, sometimes muc less depending on how straight the road is.
The system infers such delays and offers an average of travel time.
So yes if your math is correct the 38 days is enough travel time, that with magic can be shorter and with road bloackage can be longer.
At least this is my view. |
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webmanus
Learned Scribe
Sweden
338 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2005 : 22:52:01
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Thanks for your answer!
I have used the PHB when looking at figures (for example, a wagons does 16 miles per day), and, not page 292 in the FRCS. I do not whant a complex system, but, still, I whant to use the FRCS map and do some math ... and not go in too much more details than I have. With a "baseline" travelling time, it is then easier to increase and decrease the travel time.
While writing, I did not think of replacement horses and such thing. But, your input makes me think on, having cross reference tables between different places, that several modifiers could be applied to calculate travel time:
+/- 25% for weather
+/- 10% (or more) for travelling faster
Of course, dice rolls and DCs could be applied ... but I just do not care of that ... right now ... It is enough to have a rough idea of the travel time for a merchant company ... Could become a bit embarassing stating that the merchant company reached Dagger Falls after a tenday ... and there is no sign of magic and other speeding stuff.
Once more, thanks for your reply. Time to go to bed.
/Manuel |
Link to my homepage: http://user.tninet.se/~bsu242v/ |
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webmanus
Learned Scribe
Sweden
338 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2005 : 21:55:08
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Below, if you follow the link, you can see a summary of the distance, and the time it could take to travel from Suzail to Dagger Falls. For example, it would take, more or less, 42 days to travell with wagons. If travelling 50 miles per day, and then 10 hours per day, it would take 12 - 13 days to reach Dagger Falls.
The link:
http://user.tninet.se/~bsu242v/realmslore/miscellaneous.htm
Any comments? |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4685 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2005 : 22:15:22
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The only quick comment is the travel modifier of clear and hills being the same, strikes me as odd. The rules however do support such a thing when using a highway. Most traders of course would use a highway.
Oh to your other post as to tolls, I really could not offer even a reasonable quess. The basic guideline is that tolls should not eat up the profit resulting from the travel. After that it really depends on how much (as a percentage of profit) would each twon/community try to extract. Perhaps as low as 10 percent of the goods value, perhaps more. On a bad day goods might be seized for common defense, which might in time be paid for. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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webmanus
Learned Scribe
Sweden
338 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2005 : 22:22:19
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Thanks Kentinal!
I used the Road column of table 8-2 (Terrain and Overland Movement in Faerūn) in page 292 of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.
I will try to find something about toll ... otherwise, yes, why not 10% ...
/Manuel |
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Trade Route Suzail - Dagger Falls (Travelling)
