Exploring Travel Mechanics

As I work on my next project (a mobile app that generates travel adventures) I found myself diving deep into various travel mechanics and systems. I eventually came up with a system that I believe works well, and I thought it would be worth sharing how it works.

Each day of travel

The app breaks up travel into individual days. A typical travel sequence is 3 days (60-90 minutes of gameplay).

Stage 1: Daily rolls

To start each day, the party must make two ability checks. The first check is determined by travel mode (for example, if the party is tracking someone, this is a Survival check). The second check is randomly selected. Two different characters will make these checks for the group. The success of these checks affects the encounters in the next stage. There will always be 4 encounters per day, but higher rolls mean more favorable encounters.

Stage 2: Encounters

Each day of travel, the app generates 4 random events, some positive, some negative. There are 5 broad types of encounters:

1. Discovery: The party uncovers a campaign secret / clue or discovers some sort of landmark / interesting location.
2. Boon: A helpful event, often providing a benefit for subsequent encounters.
3. Random event: A role play encounter or other miscellaneous event, generally neutral or positive.
4. Challenge: An environmental / terrain challenge, often requiring an ability check to navigate. On a failure a character may take minor damage or suffer some other setback.
5. Monster: Easy or difficult monster encounter, often modified by other interesting factors.

For positive encounters, the app will randomly generate a discovery or boon. For random encounters, the app will generate an encounter from any of the 5 types. Each challenge includes potential solutions, but the party is encouraged to think about other creative ways to handle it.

There's also a small chance for a dungeon shortcut to appear, which will replace the encounters for the day.

Stage 3: Campfire

At the end of each travel day, the app will pick a random character / role play question for the party to answer. This stage does not have a mechanical effect on the travel, but rather serves as a break for the group and an opportunity to role play and develop their character.

Travel Modes

The app supports several different use cases / situations. Each mode has its own unique mechanics, encounters, and challenges.

• Exploration: Default mode. The party is traveling to a location and wants to see what they can find along the way. 
• Race against the clock: The party is trying to reach a destination by a certain time. Primary mechanic: distance to goal
• Tracking: The party is trying to track down or catch up with someone. Primary mechanic: distance to target
• Survival: The party is trying to get back to civilization. Primary mechanic: supply remaining

Get Involved!

If this all sounds interested, feel free to check out the Kickstarter campaign for the app, which is currently live! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dmmicycle/5e-travel-simulator-ios-and-android-app?ref=4cz926