Server Travle times and cost

[Keryn]

This is not an easy subject!!

The claim that -now- we have DM so we can do it comes a bit short, if we think that ALFA is a dynamic community and if now that is the case I can easily state that not that long ago that was -not- the case and we had several days without seeing one single DM about. So if we moved in the direction of this suggestion because now we have DMs who could help some players who legitimately need a port sooner then a RL week back to the server where they were, we could be here in some months discussing it again because the DMs left and now people were stuck for 7 RL days in a server where no one is playing or whatever, the situations are several.

Last I remember when we opened our second server, and then MS we discussed this situation and then the 24h gap seemed ok, like many people pointed 24 RL hours = 1 week IG, and the distance from Silverymoon to BG is around 750 miles, so actually in terms of actual gaming a whole week to walk 750 miles doesn't seem that off. From BG to Caer Callidyr is another 480 miles more or less once again not that far off even though it is by boat.

If we look at it in terms of metagaming then I guess people will notice it, and as in all things we should act on it. After all ALFA always had a part of educating its players to adapt to its ways, in order not to shaft all the others who play by the book and might find themselves in need to travel in order to meet other players and have a bit of fun, let us not forget it is a concession between being truly realistic and still allowing for some room for people to enjoy themselves.

I can point a situation I had recently, I didn't played for some months and got back recently, my toon was in MS, but all the toons he was with at that time had got back to TSM. Those are my regular friends IG, due to timezones and IG relations, I obviously wanted to come back to TSM to play with them, my toon would have gotten back anyway, but there was no DM about, I had to port to BG, wait 24h, and then port again to TSM, and wait almost another 24h until I met them, since there was almost no one in MS initially I RPed for a bit with paazin's toon, and moved on. In BG I was able to found no one even though admittedly there were other toons logged in.

Maybe I could have bothered a DM on IRC to help me, would this be beneficial? I was a DM and these are the things that we do willingly but are not entirely fun, just to open the game for a port.

Was this in any way beneficial? I don't think so, and for the casual gamer this might happen quite often.

All in all I think atm we have a compromise regarding the prices on the journeys I cannot comment I'm sure there are others who know how to price these more accordingly with the source books.

I do ask myself why are we searching for a fix? Like many people have asked is there evidence of abuse? If so should we investigate? Or should we change everything mechanically and latter maybe found ourselves in a tougher situation?

My 2 pennies

[Heero]

distance from Silverymoon to BG is around 750 miles, so actually in terms of actual gaming a whole week to walk 750 miles doesn't seem that off.

Yeah, Im cherry pickin here, but no way in hell. There is no possible way ANYONE can cover over 100 miles/day on foot, or even on horseback. 50 miles/day is very unlikely (and probably not possible for 7 days straight) unless yer super-human. 25 miles/day is even pushing it, and that is assuming favorable terrain (ie no elevation gain). A more realistic asumption is maybe 12-14 miles/day, tops, and thats on a road.

[Blindhamsterman]

i can and have walked 25 miles in a day through rough terrain. Have done it two days in a row. Had no reason to do it any additional days though. So its doable. probably not a whole lot more than that though.

[Brokenbone]

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/movement.htm

D&D full of abstractions, travel is one of them. How many miles a human can walk in a day based on terrain is just another set of rules. So like, a move 30 guy can walk 24 miles in a day assuming no other terrain complications. If he has a horse, it's probably 48. No wonder adventurers like horses!

Especially the shorties.

[paazin]

Prices for ships are artificially deflated and IC-wise should likely be twice or thrice that.

I'd like to think the cost we use for caravans (~10gp/person) is about correct for the distance travelled.

[Zelknolf]

You forgot the forced march rules! You can make a fort save v. sudual damage (DC 10 + number of hours beyond 8 marched) to keep going, theoretically up to double, if you want to rest between days (and you do; D&D is merciless when it comes to being tired).


Also, 12-14 miles was the pace for an army to march back in the day (unless you're Alexander... but he was nuts anyway). It is indeed difficult to drag metal and stone stuff on planks sitting on top of wooden wheels over bumpy ground, especially when setting up and breaking down camp is a many-hours process to be done at the beginning and end of each day.

[hollyfant]

You forgot the forced march rules! You can make a fort save v. sudual damage (DC 10 + number of hours beyond 8 marched) to keep going

Actually, it's a Constitution check. So no "Steadfast Determination"-shenanigans!

[Heero]

i can and have walked 25 miles in a day through rough terrain. Have done it two days in a row. Had no reason to do it any additional days though. So its doable. probably not a whole lot more than that though.

With how much gear strapped to your back?

Ive run plenty of marathons, but aint no way Im covering 26 miles in a day with 60lbs of gear. Ive also hiked in to plenty destinations with full camping gear/food/etc for 3-5 day stay ....25 miles/day is really pushing it.

[Keryn]

i can and have walked 25 miles in a day through rough terrain. Have done it two days in a row. Had no reason to do it any additional days though. So its doable. probably not a whole lot more than that though.

With how much gear strapped to your back?

Ive run plenty of marathons, but aint no way Im covering 26 miles in a day with 60lbs of gear. Ive also hiked in to plenty destinations with full camping gear/food/etc for 3-5 day stay ....25 miles/day is really pushing it.

Heero >_> come on man, are you really trying to make a fair comparison with our real world? This is a game where our characters are not the common guy around the corner.

But if we are to be really picky about it, half of the journey is by boat down the river, and the other half would likely start in waterdeep or slightly before by horse or caravan.
So once again I think it isn't that unlikely to happen.

Let us not forget we are still talking about the game we play

[Heero]

Heero >_> come on man, are you really trying to make a fair comparison with our real world? This is a game where our characters are not the common guy around the corner.

But if we are to be really picky about it, half of the journey is by boat down the river, and the other half would likely start in waterdeep or slightly before by horse or caravan.
So once again I think it isn't that unlikely to happen.

Let us not forget we are still talking about the game we play

Fine, fine...our characters can probably travel a bit further per day than we can, but 100 miles/day by any means other than a ship with a stout wind at the stern is simply unfeasible, even floating down a river. Lets just go with the standard (provided by BB) of a medium character being capable of traveling 24 miles/day. Even with that assumption, a week travel between Silverymoon and Baldurs Gate in entirely unrealistic.

[Ansha]

Over the course of 24 RL hours, 205 in-game hours (i.e. 8.5 days) pass. At 48 miles per day (since all non-DMed inter-server travel is via ship), it takes 15 days to travel 750 miles (which is what a previous post said the distance between Silvy and BG was). This is not an RL week. It may be more than 24 RL hours, but not much so.

[oldgrayrogue]

Just be practical about all this and trust people to do the right thing. Time is so amorphous in ALFA anyway with comic book time etc. Don't bounce back and forth between servers to farm statics etc or fish for DMs or events. I'm with Keryn on the idea that time restrictions that prevent people from hooking up with their friends to RP are silly. We are here to play an RP game not simulate RL. We don't have mandatory sleep or meals etc and for good reason.

[t-ice]

Hardly think fudging the amorphous timeflow is the issue. Miles/RL day is rather totally irrelevant. The issue is a PC who is involved in (possibly IC acute) matters at area A would choose to say screw it and waste a couple IC weeks traveling back and forth to area B. Let alone two PCs who are involved around A would indenpendently choose to say screw it simulateously and meet in a tavern at B half the world away.

[Veilan]

other than a ship with a stout wind at the stern is simply unfeasible, even floating down a river

Actually, apart from maybe with a single square rigged mast, most sailing vessels are fastest with broad or beam reach wind .

[oldgrayrogue]

Hardly think fudging the amorphous timeflow is the issue. Miles/RL day is rather totally irrelevant. The issue is a PC who is involved in (possibly IC acute) matters at area A would choose to say screw it and waste a couple IC weeks traveling back and forth to area B. Let alone two PCs who are involved around A would indenpendently choose to say screw it simulateously and meet in a tavern at B half the world away.

Sure, but why limit everyone's ability to travel between servers for RP to prevent some player or other from hypothetically leaving a server in the midst of a great group RP event? OOCly Who would do that anyway? If it does happen, just have a sit down. No coding that limits the ability of others to travel and find game required.