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I've got players who travel by boat — a lot of travel by boat, in fact — and have been tweaking the travel rules a bit for it. So, here's what I've got so far, and comments (and additional travel events) welcome.

The Travel roles change:
1—2 Navigator (Explore) — limit 1
3—4 Fishermen (Hunting)
5—6 Oarsmen or Sheetmen (Athletics) — limit by boat
7—8 Lookouts (Awareness)
–9– Passenger (varies)
–10– group events
S = GM choice
G = Player Choice

The leg process also changes somewhat.

At the start of a leg, the navigator may make a TN14 lore to reduce the time. (He may instead appoint another to do this).
Base Speed:
Fumbled: 10 miles per day.
No lore, or failed lore: 20 miles per day.
Success: 25 miles per day
Great Success: 30 miles per day
Extraordinary Success: 35 miles per day.

Missing men reduce speeds; the loss per man is their share, halved for downstream travel. A boat that requires 3 men loses 6 miles/day upstream, 8 on a lore success; downstream this would be 3 and 4.

Upstream fast water is 1/4 this, and upstream slow water half; downstream or lake is at base.

For each (seasonal days) stretch, the Navigator rolls Explore or Travel (at TN 14) to see to it the boat is ship-shape . If made, the Travel TN is 10 for everyone, and everyone halves fatigue losses (as if on ponies). On a great success, the TN may be reduced to 8, or the leg shortened by a day; on an exceptional success, Either 1 day off and TN8, or 2 days off and TN10. If failed, Fatigue losses full, and TN 12. On a Sauron-failure, TN 14, or TN12 and increase leg by a day. Winter, swamp, or boat damage each add TN+2.

Navigator samples:
Into the Rushes Explore Test; on failure, lose a day due to slow going.
Wrong Turn I Travel or Explore test; on failure, grounded (oarsmen and navigator all take 1d6 End loss from pulling it free).
Wrong Turn II Explore Test; on failure, lose 1d6 days backtracking to the correct one.
What are those doing here? Explore test; on failure, boat damaged. (+2 to all TN's)

Fisherman Samples:
No fish Hunting test; on failure, supplies depleted (everyone weary until a good catch - a day spent fishing or hunting ashore rather than traveling)
Big Fish Hunting test; on failure, fisherman is wounded by a flailing fish, taking 1d6 End as well.
Lots of little guys Hunting test; on failure, take 1d6 end loss from frenzied fishing and failure to pace oneself.
Fish Food Hunting test; on failure, you angered something that attacks you. Party faces an angry beast.
Broken Tackle Hunting test; on failure, all hunting TN's increased by 2 until tackle can be replaced.

Oarsmen examples
Hard to Starboard - sharp maneuvers require athletics test; on failure, 1d6 people overboard. They must make additional travel tests at TN14 (summer) or TN18 (winter).
Avoid that Rock! - all oarsmen make Athletics test; if any fail, damage the boat once each.
Pulling it off the sand - The oarsmen all make athletic tests at TN12-16 (by season). If failed, they are miserable for 1d6 days due to being cold and wet for too long.
Don't get it caught! Athletics to keep the oar from snagging on something; if failed, the oarsman's oar is broken and cannot be used. (later stretches must be recalculated due to slower speed). It can be replaced with a field-carved one by making a craft roll at TN16 after finding a suitable tree (shore's TN on Explore), or at martial or better expense in any town with a port.

Lookouts are standard.

Passengers:
Making the Trip by Rail Travel test; on failure, miserable until spending a full day ashore.
Frayed Nerves Everyone's nerves are frayed by the cooped up space. A specific passenger must make a custom test; on a failure, they gain a shadow; on a fumble, they start a fight and everyone gains a shadow.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time Hit by an oar or a boom. Awareness test, TN14, failure is: 1 feat die damage; a fumble is 2 feat dice damage. (A sauron on the damage die is 10 damage, plus wound with Injury 12.)
Man Overboard random passenger makes an Athletics test; on failure, 1d6 end lost; on fumble, 1d6 end lost, 1 fatigue and 1 day lost recovering them from shore.

Whole Company:
Rapids Everyone makes an additional travel test or takes 1 fatigue.
Run Aground Everyone makes athletics test or takes 1 fatigue from cold water unsticking the boat.
Run Aground Suddenly Everyone makes Awareness test or takes 1d6 end from the sudden stop.
Rats Everyone faces rats. It's a fight aboard!


Rats:
Att Level 1
Personality 0
Movement 2
Perception 2
Survival 2
Custom 0
Vocation 0
Hate 1
End 3
Parry 7 (they're small!)
Protection 0d
Bite: 1 damage, Edge Sauron, Injury 10, Called Infection
Traits: Craven, Shinies! (can be distracted with food or shiny objects)

River beasties (Gators, Snapping Turtles, etc.)
Att Level 2-4
Personality 0
Movement 1
Perception 1
Survival 1F
Custom 0
Vocation 0
Hate 1
End (3xAttLevel)
Parry AttLevel+2
Protection 1d-3d
Bite: AttLevel damage, Edge Sauron, Injury 16–AttLevel, Called pierce

Boat Damage:
A knarr-like cargo boat can take twice as many damages as the number of oarsmen/sheetmen. Then it sinks.
A longship, dory, or rowboat can take only as many as its oarsmen.
A longship has a bonus of 10 miles/day extra speed.
A hide canoe sinks with the first damage.
A dugout canoe can take 2 damage per rower.

Getting them...
A dory or rowboat can carry 2 passengers per oarsman/sheetman, plus the navigator. It's a prosperous expense for up to a 3 sheetman dory or 3 oarlock rowboat.
A longship can carry 1 passenger per 2 oarsmen/sheetmen, plus the navigator. The cost is about 2 Treasure per oarman/sheetman.
A knarr can carry 3 passengers or 1 horse per oarsman/sheetman, plus the navigator. It is about 3 treasure per oarman.
A canoe is a martial expense for a 1-3 man hide canoe - but a hide canoe sinks on a single damage. Speed presumes everyone rows, but they are light and agile, making hazard TN's on athletics TN–2 easier.
A dugout canoe is a prosperous expense (or 1TP) for 1-3 man; +1TP per additional man to maximum of 10.

two dogs count as one passenger. a pony counts as 2 passengers in a knarr or longship, and a horse as 3; they won't travel in anything smaller safely.

This pretty much presumes 10-12 hours afloat, and hauling ashore at night (although sleeping may actually be aboard a larger boat).

Not sure I really see the need for specific rules for boat travel, but I do like the hazards you have come up with. Not sure on your damage rules, but your speed listings seem to be spot on.

Beran wrote:Not sure I really see the need for specific rules for boat travel, but I do like the hazards you have come up with. Not sure on your damage rules, but your speed listings seem to be spot on.

My speed listings are actually quite bad - too slow downsteam. Open Lake probably should be double, and open ocean triple... after all a 10 hour day, at 35 miles a day, is a whopping 3.5 mph, and that's pretty darned slow. A Knarr sails at 8-10kts. A longship can make 12 on sails, 5 on oars alone. Typical currents downstream run 1 to 3kts.

Oh, and I've been thinking - canoes probably should get the same +10 base speed as longships. But note that most canoes will be operated by less than full crew.

(Nautical drag is a function of the length to width ratio - the higher the length/width, the faster. Canoes and longships are often comparable.)

As for damage to ships - about the only thing routinely damaging to a major boat is going to be impact with rocks... And basing it upon crew size is the easiest way to make it work. Thing is, a knarr is twice as big as a longship per crewman - so... different rates by crew.

Remember that a captain isn't going to be doing full speed down a river. Also, at least for my self I don't picture rivers in ME as being like the St. Lawrence. I think your speeds are pretty reasonable.