> Maybe you 'should' try.
For things where numbers will not clash horribly with player expectations, I can and do. That does not make it compulsory for all circumstances.
> B) So, it is now full moon, and we need a message
> taken from Boldhome to
> Whitewall and back before the moon is dark. Known
> number of miles, known
> number of days. Will that be "travelling upon the
> winds, inspired
> by...", or "travelling gently and enjoying the
> scenery", or "let's drop
> in and see some friends on the way"? Or what? For
> that, we need numbers.
> Ending in a resistance to roll against. Was it 6,
> 14, or 10W3? It helps to know! And now we do.
> Do you?
Yes, we do. Jeff provided us with a table. About 60 miles each way, good roads but hills, say 25 miles per day tops (light load, and got a horse). 5 days is as fast as will be reasonable. No, to make it back before the dark of the moon isn't a gentle stroll, it's really, really pushing it (40 miles per day??) There, that took a lot of time and effort, didn't it?
> Well why can't you make them up as you go
> along?
Because the players would first laugh me out of the game, then start an argument about how long travel time should take (see this list for an example). Known number of miles, known number of days, if I just pull a number out of the air instead of taking 30 sec to get it "right" (where "right" is defined as "according to the published rules"), there will be objections. If it was an unknown place, then yes, I'd pick a resistance that made good story. But it isn't. And we can't have major cities moving around and expect suspension of disbelief to hold together.
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