Traveling - Chapter 1

[Vardaen]

The other thing we need to sort out is what roles people are taking on the traveling aspect of things.

TRAVELLING COMPANIONS (page 154)
Balin, who was always their look-out man, said: “There's a light over there!”

An experienced company differs from a random group of adventurers in the capability of its members to collaborate effectively. When they are travelling, the companions usually divide up some of the duties according to ability.

Players assign their characters a role for the journey, roughly summarising what their characters will be doing for the length of the trip.

The duty chosen for a character comes into play when a failed Travel roll triggers a Hazard sequence. For example, if the track disappears into a bog, the company's scout will be the first to stumble across it. With the exception of the company's guide, more than one player-hero may be assigned the same role (i.e. there may be more than one character acting as lookouts, or more heroes going hunting regularly), but normally no character may assume more than one role at the same time (posing as the group's huntsman AND scout, for example). In time, players will probably assign the various roles on a permanent basis as they discover which character works best in each role.

Guide
One companion should have the responsibility of guiding the group during the journey. The guide of the company is responsible for decisions such as when the group should stop for a rest, or how to manage their reserves of food.
• The main asset of a good guide is a superior Travel skill.

Scouts
A character acting as a scout can be called upon to find a suitable location for setting up camp, or when a situation forces the company to abandon the road it was following to find a new one. Leaving a well-trodden path is difficult and dangerous, involving climbing up steep hills, wading wide streams or scaling doubtful paths along cliff-sides.
• A good scout is characterised by a decent Explore skill.

Huntsmen
When travelling with haste, a company can soon run out of provisions, especially when completing a journey that is going to take several weeks.
• A companion skilled at Hunting is always ready to track prey into the woods before making camp.

Look-out Men
A journey brings a company through wildly different territories, most of them dangerous. The look-out man is a vital duty that often puts a hero in the position of saving the lives of all members of a group, or of dooming them all through inattention.
• The look-out man's skill is Awareness, usually tested at the Loremaster's request.

Please pick a role. Baldor and Belgo don't have one, they are responsible for the ponies, etc.

[Shurijo]

Borir has 3 travel, 2 explore, 0 hunting, 0 awareness.

So he'd be best as Guide or Scout - Unless there's anyone with higher or equal stats). I wouldn't mind being a scout. I think someone else with equal or higher travel could be guide and might make IC sense. If nobody has a 3 travel, then Borir can take Guide role. Since I have 0s in Hunting and Awareness, I think others could take those roles (unless everyone else has better stats elsewhere).

[Trogdor]

Pipkin has a Travel 2, Explore 0, Hunting 0, and Awareness 2 (though that's a focused skill - or whatever the underlined means, I forget)

So Pipkin is passable as a Guide (but we have a Travel 3, don't we?), and he's okay as a Look-out Hobbit. He's no good as Scout or Huntshobbit.

I think I'll have to pick Look-out Hobbit.

[Vardaen]

Just to help things along: (f) means favored skill (bonus with Hope points)

Aerth has: Travel 1, Explore 3(f), Hunting 2(f), Awareness 2
Varuthil has: Travel 1, Explore 0, Hunting 1, Awareness 2(f)
Wren has: Travel 0, Explore 1(f), Hunting 1, Awareness 2(f)
Borir has: Travel 3, Explore 2, Hunting 0, Awareness 0
Pipkin has: Travel 2, Explore 0, Hunting 0, Awareness 2(f)

[Eilandor]

Trumped by others in both Explore and Hunting as well as a zero in Travel, Wren is probably best suited to be a Lookout.

[TetNak]

Guess I should scout, huh?

[Trogdor]

Borir as Guide: 3
Aerth as Scout: 3(f)
Wren or Varuthil as Huntself: 1
Pipkin and Wren or Varuthil as Look-outs: 2(f) for both.

Unfortunately, while that maxes out everything else, it gives us a sucky Hunter.

Another option that spreads out the pain is:

Pipkin as Guide: 2
Borir as Scout: 2
Aerth as Hunter: 2(f)
Wren and Varuthil as Look-outs: 2(f) for both.

We don't get any 3's, but we don't get any 1's either.

[Vardaen]

If you ask me:

Borir - Guide. He can set the marching schedule, track the food, and generally be bossy and grumpy about not making enough time or running low on supplies.

Aerth - Scout. He's traveled in the forest before, and can do it again, scouting for dangers on a lone wolf sort of style to return to camp later on.

Pipkin - Look-Out. He might not hear things coming with all his chatter but he should see them.

Wren - Look-Out. He's worked as look out before, and is Keen-eyed.

Varithul - Hunter. By default if you want one. She has Elven Lore, Shadow Lore and would know what to hunt and what to avoid perhaps. Or work as a Look-out and just leave your luck to your stores you've brought with you.

[Trogdor]

We're reasonably well provisioned. We can probably afford a Hunting 1 for our Hunter.

[Vardaen]

It might prove to be some what of a role Var might like to develop as she hunts creatures of the shadow, and the like.