"Hardy" Trait and travel tests.

[DarthSauron]

Hi

My group finally got round to starting The One Ring this week, with me as the LM. We started with the Marsh Bell and have got around half way through so far. Its going well and I think we all enjoyed it, bit slow going as we learn the rules but i'm sure it will get quicker.

One thing that came up that I have a question about though, and I apologise if its been asked before. The Dwarf has taken the trait "Hardy" and asked if he could use it to automatically pass the travel fatigue test. I initially said no thinking that this would be far to powerful if he could autopass any journey fatigue tests, but having thought about it im wondering if its actually that big a deal. He is a hardy Dwarf after all. My concern is that Journeys are a quite important part of the game, and is it fair to have him pass the inital travel check automatically. I toyed with the idea of allowing him to just pass the tests in the free lands.

Is this an issue that anyone else has come across?

Thanks

Rich

[Corvo]

I allowed the Hardy hero to bypass just one travel check per journey (not per leg, the whole travel).
If the players want to rule-lawyer it playing around the definition of "journey" and "leg", I would change it to "once per session". It wasn't needed in my game: the hardy hero behaved stoically and sucked up all his failed travel tests without a word

[Stormcrow]

A character with the Hardy trait should certainly be allowed an automatic normal success on a travel test. Note that this means he cannot claim advancement points when he does this.

[James Harrison]

I would be happy with them passing all fatigue checks with travel, as you say they are notably hardy!

However I personally prefer the revised journey rules, so fatigue can still be accrued by other members failing their "job" journey tests, so the Hardy individual could still tire, just not as swiftly as the others.

I wouldn't let him uses the Hardy trait to succeed on the Travel/Hunting roll for hunting etc. (unless it was justified by the player) but here I would let someone with Mirkwood Lore do so in Mirkwood etc.

Oh and as mention they cant get an advancement point from an automatic success - but they could choose to roll and invoke the trait for the advancement point tick.

The "living rules" for travel are here Journey rules revision III

[DarthSauron]

I was using the revised rules anyway but thanks for the latest update to them, and thanks everyone for their input. Ill put some options to the group and see where we go from there. Still getting used the rules so im sure there will be some trial and error anyway

[Hermes Serpent]

Let the dwarf use Hardy to pass all the tests he want's to. Without rolling he wont get any Advancement Points and everyone else will generate enough Hazards anyway and he wont escape them if you use Francesco's Revised Journey rules Mark 3.

Just have him role play how his trait has helped him deal with that last section of the journey and he'll see it can be a lot of work for no reward (AP's) and he'll be less willing to attempt to use one trait to solve every problem. Especially when it comes to a Fellowship Phase and he has less points to spend than others.

[James Harrison]

Just have him role play how his trait has helped him deal with that last section of the journey and he'll see it can be a lot of work for no reward (AP's) and he'll be less willing to attempt to use one trait to solve every problem. Especially when it comes to a Fellowship Phase and he has less points to spend than others

I think this is right; letting players use their traits when relevant is great. But I want to just add my thoughts a little. I like the invoke a trait before a roll for a success /after a roll for an advancement point dichotomy; role playing and an automatic success is a great reward, and some players will prefer one over the other. So if somone does always want to go for the auto success, I think that's fine - having a few less AP is balanced by chances to narrate your own section's and success' in the story.

[AaronC]

If you use Francesco's Revised Journey rule Mark 3

Mark 3? I saw the revised rules, which Francisco later recommended using the original, but I hadnt realise there was a Mark 3? Ive tried searching for it, after reading uour post, but I fear my google fu is letting me down.
Can you let me know where to find it?
Thanks

[James Harrison]

They are here:
http://cohorsarcana.blogspot.com/ - this is Francesco's Blog. It hasn't been updated in a year, but the rules are at the end of the "The One Ring "Living Rules": Journeys revised II" blog entry... this single entry had the second revision of the rules and evetually the third revision of them.

Direct to the blog post in question: http://cohorsarcana.blogspot.com/2012/0 ... rneys.html

Finally direct to the rules themselves: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/141 ... %20III.pdf

[AaronC]

Awesome. Thanks for that. Now to see how it works!