Travelling back?

[daedel]

My game group completed the first of the Tales of the Wilderland adventures. Due to pressing matters in Esgaroth, from where they departed, they want to come back immediately. My question is: should I just narrate that they are back after, let's say, three weeks, or is it necessary to roll again Travel and to account for Peril and Fatigue?

[Mytholder]

I'd just let them go back without rolling until I had some pressing reason not to. Travel in TOR Isn't lethal - it just builds up Fatigue and makes adventures harder if you travel poorly. If they're not going to be involved in an adventure the moment they arrive back in Lake-town, then just say "after several weeks, you return..."

[Stormcrow]

After a fellowship phase you can go anywhere you've already been to start the next adventuring phase.

[Dalriada]

After a fellowship phase you can go anywhere you've already been to start the next adventuring phase.

Unless it's a pressing matter and time is critical.
Then it would make sense to play it completely.

The rules for Travel are a tool to make adventures more interesting than "go there, do that", but it's not a time-sink. Skip it if they bring nothing (IMO, at least).

[Beran]

If you have nothing planned for the trip home then just narrate it.

[Stormcrow]

Unless it's a pressing matter and time is critical.
Then it would make sense to play it completely.

In which case you "go" to wherever you are to start the fellowship phase. As soon as something becomes urgent or time-sensitive, that's an adventure; fellowship phase over, no more traveling.

[daedel]

Thanks all for the comments!

[snapeye]

I agree with all the above.

And I haven't played the game yet (tonight is the first session), but the only other thought I have about it is that sometimes making travel rolls (in games that have them--mostly random encounter stuff) even when it isn't thematically or narratively necessary can imbue the world with a certain gravity, an impression that the imperative of "the world as a constant that you're walking on" doesn't switch on and off by whim. It's a technique to make players feel like their characters have consistent world-physics. But considering that there seems to be so much traveling mechanics during the Adventure phase, I'm not sure it's needed all the time here.

[Majestic]

Good point, snapeye. One other thing it does is give the PCs a chance to gain Advancement Points.

Best of luck with your first game tonight, snapeye!