Travel in "A Life Choise"

[WoeRie]

Hi,

Initially I decided to wait for "Book 3 - Dearg" to start leading an Esteren campaign, but as we stopped our current campain, we decided together to try a small Esteren campaign right now to see if we all like the system and the setting.

For this reason I'm currently preparing "A Life Choice" as our "test" campain. I assume we wil start in December or January. So far so good, I like the plot and that I have big sandbox parts to fill the journey with canvasses, so my players can see multiple aspects of the world before they'll finally reach Múdan.

However when I read Scene 2: Travelling (on page 108) it seems that Anais wants to travel to Seól, then Smarág, Koskan and finally Osta-Baille to reach Múdan. However, for me this makes no sense, why isn't she preparing the (nearly) direct way to Kalvernach, Crail, Gline and then over Ruel's Crossroad to Múdan?
This way is only half the other way in miles, sure it may be a little bit more difficult, because of the mountains, but compared to the detour neccessary, this shouldn't be valid reason... or am I wrong here?

Have I missed or overread something? I read most books some years ago, so maybe I forgot something...

Thanks for any help,
Wolfram

[Iris]

Anaïs may prefer the sea because of the boats : you're quite confortable on them (when there is no tempest and so on )

I played with a group and gave them the Departure not far away from Baldh'Ruoch but in the land, and they choose quite the route you mention. Their motivation ? They were too afraid of the sea to even considere this option

You may add some professionnal interest for Anaïs (any magientist mission) in Kel Loar or Smarag in order to go on the sea route. Or you may change the city of departure...


As this part of the story is a sandbox, you really have the choice.



Hope your group and you have fun on this test campaign

[WoeRie]

Ok, thanks. Sure I have the choice, but I try to find the most logical way to prepare it for my game (I know my players wouldn't use a way which is nearly twice the size, without a logical reason). And I was a bit confused about Anaïs choosing a much longer route. But the part with the ship somehow slipped my mind and the route makes totally sense, now.

And as my players are totally new to Esteren, they are not (yet) afraid of the ocean... nor of anything else... though this will change... soon... VERY soon

[Citizen K]

Ok, thanks. Sure I have the choice, but I try to find the most logical way to prepare it for my game (I know my players wouldn't use a way which is nearly twice the size, without a logical reason). And I was a bit confused about Anaïs choosing a much longer route. But the part with the ship somehow slipped my mind and the route makes totally sense, now.

And as my players are totally new to Esteren, they are not (yet) afraid of the ocean... nor of anything else... though this will change... soon... VERY soon

My players also chose the inland route...and none of the PCs have particularly good ratings in the Travel domain either. They are at Kalvarnach now, but the journey further south will be ... interesting.