All good and reasonable suggestions. I also like the sense of discovery that can occur when traveling. Shadowdark and Black Sword Hack handle travel pretty well.
I really like your framework of discoveries, challenges and meaningful choices. For more plot and character driven games and campaigns you can replace travel time with downtime/in-between-time focused on factions/fronts/crafting/clocks. Fiction is rarely a detailed travel log and more a collection of scenes that matter to the individual characters and overall plot. What matters to your PCs and campaign? Do they want to learn more about important NPCs, rival factions or baddies. And with that knowledge do they want to harm or help their plans, ask for their help or try to play NPC-1 against NPC-2?
- travelling players must learn something about the world - players should be challeneged in some way - players should be given choices while travelling, so that they feel like they have agency and control. All these points are great, and definitely make travel better
Tip 1 - prepare multiple encounters and NPCs to find in the world. (Personal addition - either place these encounters on the map, or log which ones are used, add a new one to the list when you're bored, and present a few randomly from the list when travel happens)
Tip 2 - put challenges in, with varieties beyond combat. Have social encounters, obstacles like broken bridges, and combat as well. Present the challenges randomly, on different routes. Allow for various solutions from the players.
Tip 3 - resource management. Ask the players if they want to do this - many players don't like it! Have players carry required resources for the journey. Have challenges occurring that may affect them based on equipment they have. (Personal tip, don't always raid their items. Have food go off, or the party get ill from bad food variety. Have equipment break, or mules tire from moving too much kit. Adjust to your players so that they have a fun challenge.)
Tip 4 - give players choice in direction. Provide information, so they know the impact of their choices. Make sure the choices are balanced, such as puzzle Vs combat, or time Vs danger.
Great suggestions. I am definitely a fan of using random tables to add unexpected events to travelling.
All good and reasonable suggestions. I also like the sense of discovery that can occur when traveling. Shadowdark and Black Sword Hack handle travel pretty well.
Great!
I really like your framework of discoveries, challenges and meaningful choices. For more plot and character driven games and campaigns you can replace travel time with downtime/in-between-time focused on factions/fronts/crafting/clocks. Fiction is rarely a detailed travel log and more a collection of scenes that matter to the individual characters and overall plot. What matters to your PCs and campaign? Do they want to learn more about important NPCs, rival factions or baddies. And with that knowledge do they want to harm or help their plans, ask for their help or try to play NPC-1 against NPC-2?
- travelling players must learn something about the world
- players should be challeneged in some way
- players should be given choices while travelling, so that they feel like they have agency and control.
All these points are great, and definitely make travel better
Tip 1 - prepare multiple encounters and NPCs to find in the world. (Personal addition - either place these encounters on the map, or log which ones are used, add a new one to the list when you're bored, and present a few randomly from the list when travel happens)
Tip 2 - put challenges in, with varieties beyond combat. Have social encounters, obstacles like broken bridges, and combat as well. Present the challenges randomly, on different routes. Allow for various solutions from the players.
Tip 3 - resource management.
Ask the players if they want to do this - many players don't like it!
Have players carry required resources for the journey. Have challenges occurring that may affect them based on equipment they have.
(Personal tip, don't always raid their items. Have food go off, or the party get ill from bad food variety. Have equipment break, or mules tire from moving too much kit. Adjust to your players so that they have a fun challenge.)
Tip 4 - give players choice in direction. Provide information, so they know the impact of their choices. Make sure the choices are balanced, such as puzzle Vs combat, or time Vs danger.