Ponies

[beckett]

In game prep and started wondering about how much a pony could carry. Do the rules assume one pony can carry the supplies of only one player-hero? So that each hero needs his own pony to benefit from the reduction in fatigue gain from failed Fatigue tests?

[Otaku-sempai]

Ponies are strong. Many have been bred to pull mine carts and similar loads. I'm not sure what RAW says, but one pony should be able to carry a fair amount of supplies. I would think that a small adventuring company (3 to 5 individuals) could get away with only one or two pack-beasts.

[zedturtle]

Based on Don't Leave the Path, where four ponies are sufficient to reduce Fatigue for the company (which would contain Baldor, Belgo and whatever number of heroes, but probably more than two), I'd say that it doesn't need to be a one-to-one correspondence.

I'm not sure if there should be a hard-and-fast rule, but it would seem to me that a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio might be okay. I doubt that the Fellowship of the Ring was reducing Fatigue gains because they had Bill, however.

[beckett]

Thanks. I was thinking along those lines as well. So maybe a company of six would need three ponies (if we're assuming a 2:1 ratio)?

And if one of those ponies is lost then two players would no longer receive the fatigue benefit. Or would it affect the company as a whole? If not, how would you handle deciding who those two players should be? Would you let the group decide?

[Rich H]

Remember that Baldor and Belgo's ponies were also four ponies carrying iron tools and toys from Dale so may have reduced their capabilities in supporting the PCs so that example may not be the best barometer.

I go with one pony/beast of burden for every four characters. There's absolutely no particularly in depth reasoning to this other than you need four PCs to cover the four travel roles and one pony for that feels aesthetically right. Which in game terms means that up to four PCs get the benefit of reducing their fatigue penalties when a fatigue test is failed.

Not sure about it carrying extra encumbrance. Something up to 50 points, around three coats of mail, maybe? Not sure. I'm pretty sure they can carry more but I feel limiting to that seems okay for gaming reasons allowing players to use it when required but not take the piss.

[zedturtle]

Thanks. I was thinking along those lines as well. So maybe a company of six would need three ponies (if we're assuming a 2:1 ratio)?

And if one of those ponies is lost then two players would no longer receive the fatigue benefit. Or would it affect the company as a whole? If not, how would you handle deciding who those two players should be? Would you let the group decide?

I think I'd have it affect the company as a whole. Everyone would have had something on that pony that they wish they had, and its gone now. Prevents less infighting or discussion that drags the game out.

[beckett]

Thanks. I was thinking along those lines as well. So maybe a company of six would need three ponies (if we're assuming a 2:1 ratio)?

And if one of those ponies is lost then two players would no longer receive the fatigue benefit. Or would it affect the company as a whole? If not, how would you handle deciding who those two players should be? Would you let the group decide?

I think I'd have it affect the company as a whole. Everyone would have had something on that pony that they wish they had, and its gone now. Prevents less infighting or discussion that drags the game out.

Good call. My group does love to deliberate endlessly sometimes. No need to give them something more to go on and on about.

[beckett]

Remember that Baldor and Belgo's ponies were also four ponies carrying iron tools and toys from Dale so may have reduced their capabilities in supporting the PCs so that example may not be the best barometer.

I go with one pony/beast of burden for every four characters. There's absolutely no particularly in depth reasoning to this other than you need four PCs to cover the four travel roles and one pony for that feels aesthetically right. Which in game terms means that up to four PCs get the benefit of reducing their fatigue penalties when a fatigue test is failed.

Not sure about it carrying extra encumbrance. Something up to 50 points, around three coats of mail, maybe? Not sure. I'm pretty sure they can carry more but I feel limiting to that seems okay for gaming reasons allowing players to use it when required but not take the piss.

Our Dwarf will certainly want one of these animals to haul his gold around!

[beckett]

This discussion just brought up another question... Thank you by the way for the helpful discussion.

For Hazards, I've always assumed that the role targeted (Guide, Look-out, Hunstman, or Scout) faces the consequences of the Hazard episode if that hero failed the test unless the Hazard was meant for All Companions.

The Core Rules do state that if the roll fails, the hero faces the consequences of the Hazard episode.

However, this does not seem to be the case in the revised Tales from Wilderland. Take the Spooked Pony hazard on page 13 for instance. The role targeted is the Look-out:

Spooked Pony (Look-Out - Misery)

But if the Look-out fails the test, the "company becomes Miserable."

Is that an oversight in the revision or is the rule a little looser than I assumed, depending on the nature of the Hazard? How do others handle these?

[zedturtle]

Unfortuately, the example in the core book is All Companions - Misery, so we can't automatically assume that a Misery result in the tale always affects everyone. Apparently, it does however... In "The World looked Wild and Wide" in J&M though it's identified as a Lookout Misery result, it has everyone in the company making Wisdom tests. So Misery seems to be special.