Hey everyone,
A while ago, I posted here about line-of-sight on 2D maps (the "Skyrim Mountain effect"). The discussions and advice from this community were absolutely incredible and gave me a lot to think about.
I'm currently refining a custom system I put together to track complex travel logistics automatically but I want to make sure the logic is truly verisimilar.
These are the variables I am currently using:
- Terrain Type & Condition: Not just "forest", but is it a paved old road, loose sand, or deep mud from yesterday's storm?
- Vegetation Density: Open plains vs. thick, machete-requiring jungle.
- Weather & Visibility: A sunny day vs. a blinding blizzard or heavy fog that forces the party to slow down to avoid getting lost.
- Transport & Rests: Mounts, wagons, and how often they actually need to stop to breathe.
And these are the variables I would like to add to the calculations:
- Party Logistics: Total encumbrance, group size (a party of 4 moves faster than an escort mission of 20), and physical exhaustion levels.
- Elevation & Incline: Going up a mountain should take exponentially longer than going down.
If you didn't have to do any of the math at the table yourself, which of these granular details would you consider the most important to track? Are there any other variables I'm missing? And more importantly, how would you weight all of them? (e.g., does deep mud double the time, or just add 20%?).
Thank you all!!