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.
Incidentally, I really don't like travel rate charts because they are too arbitrary. The most important factor is not taken into consideration - the fitness of the person hiking and the amount of weight he/she is carrying.
I have some guidelines to share that build on Julians comments. First, my credentials :) With work I backpack in mountainous terrain, at elevation, for extended periods of time over extended distances. Hence, I am in good shape and spend alot of money on shoes ;)
Note these all assume decent to poor weather and a good footpath. Falling rain and snow don't decrease travel rates unless its torrential, thus causing loss of visibility or physically causing difficulty. Snow on the ground will obviously decrease travel rates unless you're a good crosscountry skier, but Glorantha has no equivalent to modern skis.
Trails on flat or mildly rolling terrain: ~4 mph. 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. Most people CAN'T keep this pace all day (I can't) 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.
Trails in Hills: 3-4 mph depending on fitness, weight, steepness, etc.
Mountain Trails: 3.5 mph max. walking as fast as you can. If the person is carrying a heavy load or is out of shape (or not acclimated to altitude) this can be reduced to as much as 1mph or even 1/2mph. At work I carry a 50lb pack and hike up steep terrain. I can keep a 3mph pace easily (or 3.5 mph if I really push it, almost jogging), but after five hours I need to sleep. Unloaded I can walk at 3mph in steep terrain all day without much trouble.
Climbing Mountains: When walking over an alpine pass or up a mountain peak even without snow you can easily expect to take 2 hours to travel 1/2 mile of horizontal distance. You are actually walking much further, but the maps dont take into account the mountain's angle. Obviously with snowpack or ropes this will take longer.
Some stats for extraordinary foot travellers:
Pacific Crest Trail hikers average 27 miles per day, on a very good foot path through mountainous terrain carrying 15-30 pounds of gear. Most through-hikers complete the 2650 mile trail in 3-4 months.
My work partner runs 100 mile endurance races without sleeping or extended rests. He has finished in the 24-30 hour mark depending on the course. He doesn't run again for two weeks, but can do moderate hiking.
In 24 hour endurance races the winners are upwards of 120 miles.
Now, this is all assuming you are diddy daddling along without a concern in the lozenge. For Glorantha that's hooey! If my players want to blow through any but the most civilized of locales at 30 miles a day, they will quickly find themselves subject to a mighty narrator-inspired wake-up call, in the form of trouble. I would think being alert would reduce these travel times. And being very cautious, traveling through dangerous territory would reduce by half or more.
thats my two sheep worth,
Mitch
Powered by hypermail