Rules for Quick & Dirty Overland Travel

These rules are from my upcoming Cairn hack, Lovi, and are designed for simple hex-based travel.

Time

The day is split into three watches: morning, day, and night. One watch must be spent resting to avoid fatigue.

Weather

Roll d6 daily on the table below to determine weather. "Extreme" can either be a seasonal phenomenon (blizzard, monsoon, heat wave, etc.) or something more magical, like the sun forgetting to rise or a wind that bites off your nose.

d6	Spring	Summer	Autumn	Winter
1	Calm	Calm	Calm	Calm
2	Windy	Calm	Windy	Calm
3	Windy	Windy	Windy	Windy
4	Windy	Rainy	Rainy	Rainy
5	Rainy & Windy	Rainy & Windy	Rainy & Windy	Rainy & Windy
6	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

Player Actions

Each player may choose an action to do during each watch. An action might be moving, resting, gathering food or other resources, maintaining gear, surveying your surroundings, etc.

Only one player has to move in order for the whole party to move, but some actions might not be possible if the party is moving. For example, you might not be able to rest while moving, unless you have a wagon or a boat.

Movement Speed and Getting Lost

Speed is measured in miles. Your speed begins at one mile per watch, and you gain more miles according to the following table:

Circumstance	Extra Miles
Decent weather	+1 mile
Moderate or easy terrain	+1 or +2 miles
Road or river	+2 miles

If you're moving slow, like during the night, by wagon, or upstream, halve your total speed. If you're moving fast, like on horseback or downstream, double your total speed.

If there is a chance of getting lost, roll d10 and add your extra miles. On a five or lower you get lost and move full speed off course, 30 degrees left or right of the intended direction.

Event

After the players have decided what they will do during the watch, roll d6 and consult the table below. Here are some resources for interesting encounters and locations: Prismatic Wasteland's Encounter Checklist, d4 Caltrops' Wilderness Hexes.

d6	Event
1	Encounter: Monsters, travelers, other creatures
2	Sign: A clue of a nearby location or encounter
3	Environment: Weather or terrain changes
4	Obstacle: Passive hindrance, move through by spending time, resources, or health
5	Loss: Ration expires, torch gets soaked, etc.
6	Location: Natural, artificial, inhabited, abandoned, magical