Travel throughMirkwood

[Lorimez]

Good evening fellow "ringers" (Hmmmmm - might need to have a better name than that! )

A few questions if I may:

1. Given that players only have about 7 days worth of food and to use the elven path in Mirkwood takes 20+ days and you can't hunt for game (?), how do you cope with players going via that route? Is it always with a pony and cart?

2. How do you deal with players running out of food when travelling as there are no rules regarding this? House rules?

Thanks!

Lorimez

"They have a cave troll!" - Moria expansion anyone?

[Corvo]

Hi Lorimez

I think it's assumed* that the Fellowship forages and hunts during the travel.
That said, someone on this forum posted rules about hunting for food, in the past.

*in other words it's assumed that normally the Fellowship don't starve, as it's assumed that they don't get lost... there are travelling hazards for such occurrences!

[Beran]

I've always thought that if some of the Company remains on the Elven Path anyone foraging nearby can find their way back. Perhaps I am wrong in that thinking, but other wise I have no idea how they would be able to remain supplied during the passage. Unless they are lucky enough to run into a friendly elven patrol every couple of days.

[Lorimez]

I think, I read in the Wilderness guide, that no animals can be found in the forest. Hence why I've had this dilemna about what to do.

May they can find and hunt some small deer . . .

Thanks for the input.

Lorimez

"They have a cave troll!" - Moria expansion anyone?

[Arkat]

While Mirkwood is described as having scarce wild-life, I don't think we are supposed to assume that there are none at all. After all, the elves hunt something and wolves have to eat.

It is probably hard to find food (and perhaps even harder to find water) in Mirkwood, but this is simulated by the raised difficulty on travel rolls.

[Ecorce]

I think I've read it in "The Heart of the Wild".

Food and water are hard to find (hard TN), but exists. Darks animals can't be eaten (not adviced). A player with a specific trait "Lore (Mirkwood)" - sorry I've the french edition, don't know the exact name - should be able to reduce that TN to something easier (but not easy in the end). It means that he knows the edible mushrooms, plants in this particular forest and knows what kind of animals they can hunt.

Am I wrong ?

(sorry if you can't understand my english, I don't speak as enough as I'd like :/ )

[Terisonen]

Find thar in The Heart Of the Wild:

"Travelling across Mirkwood is of either severe or
daunting travel difficulty, with the exception of
its Western Eaves where the Woodmen dwell and
the difficulty is only hard" .

You can guess you can use Hunting with the difficulty given. Ordinary Success will give one day of food for one, a Great one day for everyone, a Extraordinary one Week for everyone. Just a proposition. And don't be to severe with my english, i'm a poor Froggy

[shipwreck]

Yeah I don't make my players hunt unless it feels right (or it's a Hazard). It just starts to feel tedious and, like many other things such as detailed currency and inventories, I think that's why it was mostly left out of TOR.

[Falenthal]

The way I play it, if a Hazard comes in the first days of a journey and targets the Hunter, I try not to use something like "You run out of food". But if the Hazard is triggered after the first week or so, I use it to represent the difficulty of hunting in Mirkwood. On the other hand, I try to avoid using "Lack of supplies" kind of Hazard when on generous terrains, like the Anduin Valleys.

[Lorimez]

Lots of great advice - think I'll assume food is found unless a hazard event comes up and then I'll increase the TN for hunting in the region, based on what the TN is for the travel rolls..

Thank you all

Lorimez

"They have a cave troll!" - Moria expansion anyone?