On page 34 in the Loremaster's Book, it says that travelling downstream by boat, you make 20 miles a day - the same as on foot.
However, on page 128 (in The Marsh Bell), it is implied that the company travels downstream by boat twice as fast as on foot (which seems to make more sense).
Any thoughts? Have I missed something?

In The Marsh Bell heroes traveling on foot would be slogging through the Long Marshes, which slows them down considerably (terrain modifier x2).

That said, I do agree that a blanket statement like "boats travel 20 mpd downstream" is unrealistic. A clear channel with relatively fast current would easily allow a company to travel further. Those are, however, ideal conditions. Based on my own kayaking/canoeing experience, most streams will have shallow spots that might be passable in a kayak (albeit with the bottom scraping), but the skiffs as described in the adventure with their rudders would need to be portaged past such areas (not only would they be deeper-bottomed, but you would want to avoid the possibility of damaging the rudder). In forested areas (or downstream of them!) there are also usually plenty of log jams that may or may not require portaging to get around (and with steep banks this can be quite the ordeal!).

So yeah, distance covered in a day is going to extremely variable, but the same is true while walking if you're not on a path or a road. The 20 mpd averages sound pretty good to me, though I'd probably add in "terrain" modifiers for waterways as well. Paddling through a dense swamp certainly wouldn't be as fast as paddling down a swift river!

Sounds plausible - I didn't think of such problems. However, travelling downriver on a broad stream (like the Anduin), one should probably be at least a little faster than on foot. But the explanation makes sense for the Marsh Bell and a lot of other situations, thanks!

On p. 32 of the LB there is a Terrain Difficulty chart. To fix this issue, you could include wide or fast-flowing rivers along with good roads*. That would give traveling on such waters a x0.5 modifier.

I wonder if we can itemize it thusly:


Wide x .25 (I think the Amazon is wide - but doesn't seem to move very quickly).

Fast-Moving x .25



They can stack (as is the case w/ the Anduin, or the Mississippi or The Nile.) for a total of x .5 travelling time modifier.




Of course as with most things in the game, the LM has to make arbitrary decisions on which of these apply using common sense.

Something to consider as a potential hazard ... (from something I saw on History Channel) I believe the Amazon gets fairly treacherous during the tidal change from high to low tides ... something to do with its width and volume of water. You might apply something similar if warranted by blown Travel rolls on some of M-e's rivers.

Actually that very hazard reared its head (at least in discussion so as to prevent it happening) in the pilot episode of The River.

Which if my opinion matters at all - was a good solid show and story - I just can't watch that "amateur personal camera" effect of moving and shaking all over the place a la Blair Witch and Cloverfield. I can't stomach it - it's gives me a headache, and is very unsettling and unpleasant to be able to enjoy it. I know it's "suppose" to immerse the viewer more - but really all it does is makes me look away till it stops. I'm no longer recording it - sad too, cuz it has a good story.

Back to TOR _ that's an excellent idea for a hazard.