I have a question about the “perilous journey” move. The trailblazer may reduce the time it takes to get to the destination, and the quartermaster may reduce rations used up. But “Distances in Dungeon World are measured in rations. A ration is the amount of supplies used up in a day. Journeys take more rations when they are long or when travel is slow.” (p. 75)
So if the time is reduced, does that mean that rations used up are? Are those role narratively doing something different that are mechanically the same (in one way; arriving faster can have some other important impact, for example). Not that it is bad, but I’m a bit confused, since the book does not say explicitely that the trailblazer reduce the number of ration, but definitely imply it, since it says that a longer journey would use more.
Thanks!
Interesting questions. I’ll be listening in.
I believe they are doing the same thing mechanically but I may be wrong.
/sub
Mechanically the same thing, but in your story getting there faster may have a huge impact.
The way I read it is that a Trailblazer flat out makes the trip faster: what was a 6 day trip is now a 5 day trip, and thus consumes 5 rations instead of 6, say.
A Quartermaster acts to “stretch” your supplies, saving one but not affecting the distance traveled.
So if you have both, the 6 day trip might become a 5 day trip (thanks to the Trailblazer) but only consume 4 rations (thanks to the Quartermaster).
+Eric, that how I see it too.
Ok another question on this. Are these pcs or do you have to hire npc specialists? If pcs then its a “gimme” for any party if three or more. But if npcs it means you need to recruit and spend money to pay them… plus feed them rations! These roles strike me as specialized skills…
PCs get to roll. Appropriate NPCs are treated as rolling a 7-9. They’ll never be excellent.
And these are only a “gimme” if the party is together. One of your moves as a GM is “Separate Them.” Perilous Journey is triggered by traveling A to B through hostile territory.
It is remarkably easy to make Perilous Journey anything but a gimme.
Mike, Alfred, it’s not a “gimme” at all, even if there are three PCs together. Even on a 10+ on each of the three roles, a perilous journey roll could very well lead to an encounter with some monsters or some other type of trouble. The PCs would have the drop on the situation and saved two days worth of rations, sure, but the danger would still be very real. Here, the move talking about specifically the scout :
On a 10+, the scout will spot any trouble quick enough to let you get the drop on it (p. 77).
Of course, on a 6-, the GM can make as hard a move as she wants…
There’s a reason I put gimme in quotation marks. 🙂
OK that makes sense. I hadn’t thought about it from the standpoint that it gives opportunities to make rolls, which means opputunities for gm moves. NPCs automatically roll 7-9… is that a general rule?
Perilous Journey ends up being just one giant excuse for random encounters while travelling in the wilderness – you’re meant to use any result that’s less than a 10+ to introduce new things for the party to do.
In last week’s session, my players managed to roll all misses on the three rolls, which resulted in them getting lost in a blizzard for three days while on a glacier, and their spare mount (carrying all of the rations and camping gear) falling into a crevice and landing in a cave occupied by blind ape-alligators who fire lightning bolts from their eye-holes.
Mike Harvey, I honestly thought it was, but I can’t seem to find it in the book now? So I feel a little dumb. The closest thing to what I said is the Tracker hireling Skill “Guide.” As long as the distance is less than their skill, they successfully lead the party.
Otherwise, for any other PC, just be honest about their competence. Could they help on a perilous journey? Yes? Throw the PCs a bone. No? They really shouldn’t have given him a job, it’s a golden opportunity as long as you broadcast his incompetence before hand.