Re: Movement rates from Paul May on 2004-11-16 (HeroQuest-Rules)

From: Paul May <kax_at_...>
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2004 22:33:59 +1100

At 02:02 PM 16/11/04, pedrodevaca wrote:
> > A person has a best movement rate of about 50 miles a day. This
>assumes
> > 10 hours of travel, reasonable terrain and carrying no real load.
>snip
>
>Unless I am misunderstanding what you are saying, a person would be
>able to average 50 miles a day unloaded along a good, flat road - say
>a Lunar highway running along the Oslir River valley. IMHO, this is
>much too fast. People simply don't walk 5 mph. That is jogging
>speed, especially when talking for 10 hours of movement. 10 hours is
>a respectable finish in most 50 mile ultramarathons, and those folks
>are jogging the entire time.

It does err a touch towards the high side, for play's sake. Use it as is with a 35 or 40 mile cap if you want more proper realism. But that top rate is as fast as you can move for distance, which is either run/jog/walk/run/&c, or jogging all the way. So it is actually realistic as written.

> >From my experience I would say 35 miles is a much more reasonable
>starting point. Thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail carrying
>light loads across a very well marked trail with absolutely no danger
>of being attacked by chaos or angry clan neighbors, will do 35 miles
>a day a *few days* in the 3 or 4 months it takes them to walk the
>2700 mile trail. That travel rate is in the flattest and most easily
>traversed sections of the trail and is a good base, imo, for movement
>rates. But of course YGMV.

Force-marchers (including some special ops soldiers) have done distances that have fitted the numbers. But for short periods, and only about once a week. ;) But those guys are often as fit as marathon runners. Those hikers are not moving as fast as possible. They are moving as fast as is comfortable and healthy. These are two different rates. :)

-- 
| Paul May               | paul.robert.may_at_...
| Kax Hoplodyne, Ltd     | kax_at_...
| MIB 1138; RD Australia | the_kax_at_...
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    I'm an omnitheist. You can't have too many messiahs.  

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