Travel Encounters
Travel in many games is often glossed over—a simple “you get there” without much thought. But in the wasteland, the journey is just as important as the destination. It’s not just about covering distance; it’s about the dangers, discoveries, and decisions along the way.
The goal of travel encounters is to make the journey feel like an adventure, rather than a time skip between story beats.
Why Travel Should Matter
The wasteland is vast and unpredictable. Whether navigating through ruined cities, barren deserts, or dense forests, every trip has risks and opportunities:
- Salvage hidden in the ruins of the old world.
- Strangers—potential allies, merchants, or deadly raiders.
- Environmental hazards—collapsing bridges, Fae anomalies, or mutant-infested zones.
Travel should create challenges that force the party to make choices:
- Do they take the longer but safer route, or risk the shorter path full of dangers?
- Do they travel slowly to scout ahead, or push ahead at full speed, knowing they could be ambushed?
Encounters don’t always have to be combat—sometimes it’s a lost traveler needing help, a group of scavengers with information, or an old-world ruin waiting to be explored.
How Travel Works in the Game
Each journey presents multiple routes, each with different risks and encounter rates. A well-traveled road might have less danger, while a route through the wilderness could be teeming with threats.
Along the way, the players make survival choices:
- Travel Pace – Moving slowly allows for scouting but takes longer. Moving fast might get them there quicker but leaves them open to ambush.
- Encounter Resolution – The party rolls Perception to see who spots who first—them or the danger.
- Rest and Recovery – Players decide when to stop, heal, or repair gear, knowing the clock is always ticking.
Each choice influences the flow of the journey, making travel a meaningful part of the game rather than a footnote.
More Than Just a Means to an End
Travel should feel like part of the story, not just something to "get through." By making each journey dynamic, the players will start to remember the roads they traveled just as much as the places they reached.
No two trips should ever feel the same. The wasteland is always changing, and that uncertainty is what makes every journey an adventure in itself.