Journey vs Destination

We had some talk recently in the G+ Warhammer Community about whether we focus on the journey or the destination in our RPGs. These questions are never as polar as they seem.

I brought up a few points: Is the GM running a location-based adventure? Did they or the party want the extra part of the adventure that comes with the journey? What medium are you playing in?

For location-based adventures, many GMs admit to just hand-waving the travel portion. It seems best if that is agreed upon by the entire group. Our WFRP 2e GM said he often just uses a "time passes, you arrive" approach.

I think a GM should read the attitude of the group (which our GM has done perfectly and is why I can't tell if it's his choice or ours when "time passes, you arrive" happens). If the GM tries it and a player asks "wait...did anything exciting happen on the trip," or "there was stuff I wanted to do on the way," then it is probably a good idea to play the trip out. If your adventure is the journey, it's a good idea to play it out. Otherwise, reading the mood of the group seems the best option.

Also, maybe a consideration of medium is in order. I've come to the opinion that, for an online Hangout game, screen time is best filled with action. Description, stage-setting prose, espionage, and possibly stories about what happens during travels ("the towns you pass seem to be in a state of depression and defeat, grudgingly rebuilding after the destructive herd of beastmen that just came through") are best left for emails and play-by-post in between sessions. 

Does anyone else have similar or differing opinions about on-air vs tabletop vs play-by-post?

Popular posts from this blog

[D&D 5e] Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden 17

The party left the ice fortress to check out the dead body we heard was frozen in the ice halfway up the island. The body was of Nas. It turned out she was still there in spirit, and she possessed Vael. In Vael’s body, she went after the Codicil that Ylenn had her face stuck in. When Vael couldn’t get to Ylenn, Nas possessed Prax instead. Prax also couldn’t get there, as Ylenn cast Hold Person on him, and the rest of the party dragged him away from Nas’ dead body. After he was far enough away, the spirit had to return to the dead body…which Morgan had burned to a crisp. We got the orb containing Professor Scant from Nas’ dead body. We circled the island, looking for the whale or another good way off. We couldn’t find one. Ylenn said she could summon the whale, if we could just last the night. We made a lean-to to sleep in and keep cover from the roc. As an octopus, Morgan was able to get some sail from a sunken ship to cover our lean-to. He also was able to find a huge treasure che...
Read more

Thoughts on Stalwart Adventures 7

We were quite surprised at how we found our new party member, and exactly what race/class he was! I kept hearing there were witches outside of town, so I kept trying to recruit village folk to go adventuring with us, figuring that’s where our new party member would come from. Begrudgingly I was forced to leave town without anyone, only to find the new guy hanging from a tree in a cage.  The DM kept letting Zak try to climb the tree and pick the lock, no matter how badly I failed. Mostly it was to find out how long it took and what zany stuff happened while I was trying, including falling from the cage, and then also standing in Thanin’s saddle while she rode to stand under the cage.  Searching for the dwarf hold entrance, we were reminded once again how out of our element these characters are. I can see the benefit of a stable of rolled up characters, and then choosing the one used to the wilderness for this particular adventure. Zak is an in-town dude. He really needs to snap...
Read more

Thoughts on Stalwart Adventures 3

I think we were all done with fighting goblins. The DM had the pack leader in the next room. He gave himself up and assured us the goblins (and his ogre) would leave us alone. The rest of the night (until the end) was exploring. It’s really good to mix in the exploring after so much fighting. I still need to get better at Find/Remove Traps, as one blasted me pretty good.  I played the character a little more chaotic, and it was kind of fun. Probably not the type of fun that the other PCs feel they can rely on to watch their back, though. The fun thing about chaotic neutral is I can lean into it whenever I’m looking to spice things up. The rest of the time I can be more reasonable and reliable. The cleric held its own again. I really think he may be the best option for fighting the alpha werewolf. We’ll have to talk it over and see what the others think. I know Zak isn’t the best choice! If we can defeat the alpha wolf, it should wrap up this little adventure nicely. 
Read more