I'm basically in agreement with him, and have just a couple of comments to make, and I'll try and make it game-useful ... :
>25 miles is a good base number for a good trail, good weather,
>moderate terrain, and a reasonably fit person who will be spanked the
>next morning.
>
>
FWIW, I can do that as a daily average over a period of weeks, but I
understand that by modern standards this is fast. When I started my
walking career, it was more like 12.5/day ... ;-)
I picked the 25/day number as a base because most Gloranthans, not having modern transport conveniences, would likely be far more used to walking than we are, have more calloused feet, be fitter, and generally have greater stamina. Compared with the daily travel rates in historical Europe, 25/day is actually relatively low. I would expect Sartarites, for instance, to be very good walkers ...
One important point : daily travel rates can fluctuate pretty wildly from one day to the next. This can be for any reason, including psychological, emotional, equipment malfunction, physical problems, need for supplies, religious, et cetera. My own travel rate actually varies between 0 and 40 miles/day, averaging at 25. Also, whatever rate you're accustomed to, you physically *need* a day of rest every two weeks or so ...
Another important point : daily rates and averages are dictated by the slowest member of the group. It's a good idea to get that person a donkey or a mule ... ;-)
(Although they're smaller, donkeys are better than mules, because they are about as good at walking as humans are)
>Snow on the ground will obviously decrease travel rates
>unless you're a good crosscountry skier, but Glorantha has no
>equivalent to modern skis.
>
>
AFAIK they have them in Rathorela, and the main functional difference
between traditional wooden crosscountry skis and modern ones is that
moderners use ski sticks instead of the traditional pole.
If the ski-ing Sartarites are anything like RW pre-modern Alpine ski-ers, they would use something else : a long ski on one foot and a shorter skate on the other, and a long stick/pole : so nothing like modern crosscountry skis in that case. But YGWV, and I'm not sure what I'd do in my own game ...
>Trails on flat or mildly rolling terrain: ~4 mph.
>
>
I generally concur, but ...
>Add weight (armor, pack, sword, etc) and this will cut most people to
>2.5-3.5 mph. If the person is in good shape and accustomed to
>walking they can keep the 4mph pace even with a load. Realize, that
>this is essentially walking as fast as a person is able to walk, to
>go any faster you have to jog.
>
It's :possible: to do 5 mph before lunchtime, if you're an experienced
walker, are not too heavily loaded, have had an excellent night's rest
and a great breakfast, and weather conditions are *perfect* ...
I'd apply the following conditions to Mitch's (and my own) information :
These rates can be applied for people who ...
To compare, the average group of modern RW urbanites, in good enough physical condition otherwise, tends to average at about 15 miles/day, in summer that is, doing virtually all of the walking before lunchtime, keeping the afternoon free for rest and other activities, with the oxccasional 25 mile day. This would be a good daily average for much of Glorantha ; in Sartar for instance, travellers would be expected to arrive at about lunchtime and spend the afternoon with their hosts (Mastakos devotees, Herald Goodword initiates, and other kinds of weirdoes excepted, natch).
Plus, in Glorantha as in RW, potential hosts tend to distrust late travellers ...
>Most people CAN'T keep this pace all
>day (I can't)
>
I can :-)
>and if you add any weight or steep terrain you can
>expect to cut this down to about 5 hours of walking max before the
>average person is exhausted.
>
>
e.g. at early-to-late lunchtime ... In summer, you can do 3-5 hours
extra in the afternoon/early evening, if you really *need* to ...
>Now, this is all assuming you are diddy daddling along without a
>concern in the lozenge. For Glorantha that's hooey!
>
Oh, yes !!
Anyways, that's probably enough on this topic ; unless anyone has the equivalent in long distance horse-riding info ?
Julian Lord
-- __________________________________ "Hmmm, I've heard of other powers. Can you tell me about ... ... Real Life ?"
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