Travel and Exploration: A Guide to Dying Far From Home

The Old World: Where Every Road Leads to Danger

Travel in the Old World isn't a vacation—it's a survival horror experience. Between the bandits, beastmen, bad weather, and worse roads, leaving your village is essentially signing up for a death lottery. Think of it as a road trip where the GPS is trying to kill you, the rest stops are haunted, and your car is a mule with attitude problems.

graph TD A[Reasons to Travel] --> B[Fleeing Something Worse] A --> C[Hired to Deliver Something] A --> D[Following Plot Hook] A --> E[Poor Life Choices] B --> F[Usually Witch Hunters] C --> G[Package is Probably Cursed] D --> H[GM is Smiling] E --> I[Most Common Reason] H --> J[You're Doomed]

Travel Methods: Pick Your Poison

Daily Travel Distances: Managing Expectations

Daily Travel Distances Good Conditions (Road, Daylight, Good Weather): • On foot: 20-25 miles • Mounted: 30-40 miles • Coach: 30-35 miles Average Conditions (Trail, Some Weather): • On foot: 15-20 miles • Mounted: 20-30 miles • Coach: Not advisable Poor Conditions (Wilderness, Bad Weather, Night): • On foot: 5-10 miles (if lucky) • Mounted: 10-15 miles (horse probably dies) • Coach: Crashed in ditch Reality Check These assume: • No combat encounters • No getting lost • No equipment failures • No plague checkpoints • No bridge trolls Actual distance: Half this

Random Encounters: The Spice of Death

Navigation: Getting Lost with Style

graph TD A[Navigation Check] --> B{Have a Map?} B -->|Yes| C[Is it Accurate?] B -->|No| D[Use Landmarks] C -->|Yes| E[+20 to Navigate] C -->|No| F[-20 to Navigate] D --> G[Hope They Exist] E --> H{Pass Test?} F --> H G --> H H -->|Yes| I[Right Direction] H -->|No| J[Lost] J --> K[Roll on Lost Table] K --> L[Usually Bad]

Roadside Inns: Shelter or Slaughterhouse?

Inn Quality (d10) 1-2: Flophouse • Straw on floor: 5d/night • Fleas guaranteed • 50% chance of being robbed 3-5: Common Inn • Shared room: 10d/night • Edible food (mostly) • Only 20% chance of robbery 6-8: Coaching Inn • Private room: 1s/night • Hot meals, decent ale • Roadwardens sometimes present 9: Quality Establishment • Clean sheets: 2s/night • Good food and wine • May not admit rat catchers 10: It's a Trap! • Run by cultists/bandits/worse • That's not beef in the stew • Check-out is murder Standard Inn Features Suspicious locals | Watered ale | Mysterious stains | Creaky floors | Rats | More rats

Wilderness Survival: Nature Wants You Dead

Rivers and Waterways: Wet and Dangerous

River Travel Considerations:

Pro tip: Never lean over the side. River creatures are always hungry.

Essential Travel Gear: Don't Leave Home Without

The Experienced Traveler's Checklist:

Total cost: About 5-10gc (more than you have)

Travel Complications: Because It's Never Simple

Broken wheel Lame horse Bridge out Customs stop Wrong turn Bad weather Blocked road Equipment lost DELAYS

Real Travel Example

Journey from Altdorf to Middenheim (About 250 miles):

Day 1: Leave Altdorf on foot. Make 20 miles. Sleep in haystack.

Day 2: Rain starts. Make 12 miles. Boots ruined. Find expensive inn (1s).

Day 3: Bandits attack! Lose fight, lose money. Walk 15 miles in underwear.

Day 4: Find merchant caravan. Work as guard for food. Make 18 miles.

Day 5: Caravan attacked by beastmen. Barely survive. 10 miles.

Day 6-8: Hide in woods. Eat berries. Probably poisonous. 5 miles/day.

Day 9: Find road again. Roadwardens suspicious. Detained 1 day.

Day 10-15: Actually make progress. 20 miles/day.

Day 16: Reach Middenheim. Denied entry (look like vagrant).

Total: 16 days, 250 miles, lost everything, gained dysentery.

"They say travel broadens the mind. In my experience,
it mainly broadens the collection of scars."
- Karl the Well-Traveled (missing three fingers and one ear)