Date: Fri, 27 Oct 1995 13:00:24 -0500 (CDT) From: Neil Young Subject: WFRP: Land Transportation Rules Although cross country travel is as important in my campaigns as river travel,it didn't receive much attention by the WFRP authors. The rules included with TEW & WFRP are somewhat incomplete and contradictary IMHO. I hope that these rules, along with sug gestions from the WFRP mailing group, can clear up a few of these problems. I wrote these rules awhile back and they are still pretty rough. I decided that I d post them as is, and I hope to improve them with ideas from the list. I have included thoughts, explanations, and ideas in {}s. These can easily be removed and still keep the rules complete. Send any idea, criticism, suggestion, hatred of the author, etc. to nyoung@krypton.mankato.msus.edu or just post them to the WFRP m ailing list. LAND TRANSPORTATION Version 1.1 by Neil Young In the Empire and in Brettonia boat traffic on the intricate web of rivers and canals makes moving goods and people easy and inexpensive (river travel rules are explained extensively in River Life of the Empire, a suppliment to DotR). Even with their ext ensive river systems, all of the countries of the Old World maintain roads connecting cities and towns. Villiages that do not have river access rely exclusively on these roads for transportation. In counties that do not have extensive river systems, suc h as Estalia, the Border Princes, and parts of Kislev, overland travel is their primary means of transportation. In most countries of the Old World, but especially in the Empire, shipping people by coach is a lucrative, cutthroat business. Descriptions A coach is a four-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage, used to carry passengers. The undercarriage of a coach has a pair of solid wooden axles, the front one able to swivel, connected rigidly with a wooden beam or iron bar. A wooden framed body hangs by leath er springs attached to upright posts fixed to the axles. The body design for a coach includes wooden or cloth side panels, side doors, front and rear seats inside, and a roof that forms part of the body. An elevated seat for the driver attaches to the front. The coach, by far the most expensive wheeled vehicle, incorporates advanced features into its design. Coaches use radial spoked wheels to reduce weight and increase wheel strength, and bearings to allow the wheels to spin smoothly around the fixed axle. Coaches are always produced by experienced cartwrights. (Note: the coach of the Old World would not have been nearly as smooth and durable as a stagecoach of the Old West. The 'modern' coach could not have been built until the 19th century when the development of the elliptic allowed the axles to move independently - the original form of independent suspension.) A wagon is a four-wheeled horse or ox drawn vehicle used for transporting heavy loads. Fundamental features of wagon design include a heavy frame, a high walled, long, rectangular body with a driver's seat connected to the top of the front edge. There a re two basic types of wagons: The first, the farm wagon, is built primarily for hauling produce from the farm to market. This type of wagon is rather cheap to procure, and has been modified in every conceivable way. Many have been built with wooden sidesand roofs on the wagon to st ore tools or as living quarters, with cages for prisoners, etc. They are usually built by the owner or a carpenter who is not trained as a cartwright. Without advanced design features, the viehicle becomes fragile and slow and is dangerous at faster s peeds. The second kind of wagon is the much more expensive freight wagon, produced by merchants for overland goods transportation. These are a necessity for Old World cities with poor river access, such as Middenheim. Cartwrights construct the freight wagon f or strength, speed, and, by lengthening the box, larger loads. The longer length of the freight wagon restricts its ability to travel on the narrow winding streets of Old World cities, thus, teamsters build their warehouses near the edge of a city by a g ate, or along a wide thoroughfare. Only a cartwright can produce a freight wagon and will always include advanced design features. A cart is a square box with tall sides balanced on top of two wheels, using the draft animal for support in the front. The cart is usually used to carry lightweight material with bulk such as hay or turnips. It is a "no frills" cost-effective goods haul er usually thrown together by unskilled carpenters, lacking bearings and spokes. {Another version of the cart is the chariot. I have seen references in White Dwarf to charriots being used by Orc chiefs, but I haven t really heard of them being used by much of anyone else. Any thoughts or suggestions?} Vehicle Encumbrance A land vehicle s encumbrance capacity is determined by a number of factors: what type of animal is pulling the vehicle, how many animals are pulling the vehicle, what type of terrain the vehicle is crossing, and how much the actual vehicle can hold. How m uch the vehicle can carry is determind thusly: Total Vehicle Enc = Animal Strength x # of Animals x Terrain Modifier - Weight of Vehicle A vehicle can only be loaded to its capacity despite how much the team can pull. For every 100 points times the number of animals in the team, or parts thereof, which the load is above the team's maximum encumbrance, it loses one from its movement allowance. For example, a team of 4 animals can pull up to 400 enc. above their limit and still only have their movement allowance reduced by 1. By these rules a coach with four draft horses can carry about twelve 'typical' lightly encumbered humans (I used the standard human from the bestiary with S2 & T2). A coach carrying a load of experienced adventures with armor can carry considerably fewe r. Of course figuring out the total encumbrance for all the passengers in a coach or the cargo on a wagon is unnecessary unless outrageous is attempted. Vehicle Movement Although coaches and freight wagons have M6 and carts and farm wagons have M4, the vehicle cannot go faster than the Running Rate of the slowest animal on team Vehicles moving faster than Standard Rate are subject to subject to breakdown. First, the team is subject to the speed reduction described in Run Rate under the Moving section of WFRP pg. 73. {I have no clue how long it takes someone to recover before t hey can run again . . . The rule doesn't really say.} The vehicle also has a chance of breakdown as listed below. Every minute that a coach or a freight wagon moves above its normal move rate there is a 2% chance the vehicle will become damaged by the condition of the road. If a vehicle is damaged, consult the Vehicle Breakdown Chart to determine what has gone wrong. Farm wagons and carts traveling above standard movement are at greater risk of being damaged. There is a 5% cumulative chance of breakdown every minute traveled at speeds greater than Standard Rate. So in the first minute there is a 5% chance, the seco nd a 10% chance, and so on. For every minute a character with carpentry skill spends doing preventive maintenance (i.e., pounding in nails, tightening straps, etc.) on the vehicle, the chance of breakdown is reduced by 1%. A cartwright doing the same ta sk reduces the chane of breakdown by 5% every minute. If a vehicle is damaged, consult the Vehicle Breakdown Chart to determine what has gone wrong. Vehicles can travel on roads, tracks, or reasonably smooth unobstructed ground (i.e., plains and rolling hills). Vehicles cannot under any circumstances go through thick forest, mountains, or marshland, although man made trails and roads through any of t hese are traversable. During the winter months, when there is snow on the ground or during wet weather when the ground becomes a muddy bog, traveling overland and on tracks becomes much more difficult. When the ground is soggy, such as during heavy rain, the day after a rainy day, or during the spring thaw there is a 10% chance that a vehicle will get stuck in the mud every hour. This chance is modified by the following: RAIN MODIFIERS +20 if the vehicle is traveling on a dirt track or overland on loose ground (i.e., a plowed field) +10 if the vehicle is traveling on an unpaved road or overland on grass +10 for every consecutive day of rain +5 for every 1,000 enc. above 8,000 -5 for every 300 enc. of load that the team is pulling beyond the wagons encumberance -10 if the vehicle is traveling on a paved road in poor condition -30 if the vehicle is traveling on a paved road in good condition SNOW MODIFIERS +10 to +50 for every consecutive day of snow, depending on the amount of snow received +5 for every 1,000 enc. above 8000 -5 for every 300 enc. of load the team is pulling beyond the wagons encumberance -20 if the vehicle is traveling on a well used stretch of road To get a vehicle out of a bog or snow bank, either the load must be lightened, or more pulling/pushing power must be added. When the change due to reduction in weight or addition of extra pushing power is equal to the amount the test originally failed by , the vehicle is unstuck. Immediately, when the vehicle is unstuck, make another test. If this test is failed, start the whole process all over. Success means that the vehicle can travel another hour before being tested again. Notice that a reduction o f 1,000 enc. of weight will not only remove +5 from a heavy vehicle's modifier, but will also give +15 points because of the excess pulling power. Coaches are easy to free from bogs, as the main load, the passengers, can be removed easily and can even be used to push in a pinch (although they usually aren't very happy about it). Although a vehicle traveling overland has less of a chance of getting stuck as those traveling on a dirt track, they have an even greater problem. Vehicles traveling overland are prone to hitting objects, such as rocks, logs, and holes, which can be hidd en even in short grass from someone in the driver's seat. Every half-hour of overland travel, the vehicle must make a risk test to determine if it has collided with such an object. If a someone walks out ahead of the vehicle, spotting for obstacles the test is avoided if he makes a successful observe test, but the vehicle can move no faster than the cautious movement of the observer. If the risk test is failed, the vehicle has had a collision. Whether the vehicle is damaged or not depends on it's spee d. If the vehicle was moving at cautions speed, there is a 5% chance it has had a collision. Roll on the vehicle damage chart, modifying your roll by -60. If the vehicle was moving at normal speed, there is a 10% chance it has had a collision. Roll on the vehicle damage chart, modifying your roll by -40. If the vehicle was moving at running speed, there is a 20% chance it has had a collision and roll on the vehicle damage chart, modifying your roll by -10. Team Size A farm wagon has a team of two or four oxen or draft horses. Freight wagons, on the other hand, are designed for a team of six draft horses. One or two draft horses or oxen pull carts. A coach usually has a team of four draft horses. For heavier wheel ed loads, such as catapults, cannons, or other siege machines, or for dragging large objects, harnesses designed for more animals can be produced. Horses and oxen cannot, under any circumstances, be used together on the same team. {I assume there would also have been sleds and sleighs around, although I don't think the Empire, or most of the Old World, for that matter, gets enough snow to make the expense of buying the extra equipment necessary, but, sleds and sleighs would have be en an important means of travel in Norsca and Kislev in the winter. Right off the top of my head I think that a horse drawn sleigh could carry about as much as a cart, all rules apply except wheel damage would affect the runners instead, and their would be no limit on the speed due to inferior design. Dogs on a dog sled team could pull about 300? x their strength each, and I have no idea of the capacity or the weight of the dog sled.} Beasts of Burden {The movements shown for the horses on this table is taken directly from the Movement Allowance for Other Transport chart on pg. 74 of the WFRP rulebook with the exception of the pony. I have enhanced the pony in both strength and movement in the interes t of giving Dwarves a reasonable alternative to a horse which sould be very difficult for them to mount and use without assistance. WFRP defines a character s body encumbrance as his S + T x 100 making the average Dwarf PC slightly heavier than the aver age Human PC. Thus I thought it unfair to give them a mount of inferior strength. The pony listed here is sort of the Dwarf of the horse world.} The horses described here use the horse description and rules included in the WFRP Bestiary with the addition of the following special rules: Animals harnessed in a team are unable to use their attacks. Mules and donkeys {and I suppose llamas if you are in Lustria} are able to cross all terrain except that which requires ropes and other climbing gear to cross. BEASTS OF BURDEN M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel Warhorse (Destrier) 8 33 - 5 3 11 30 1 - 10 14 30 30 - Light Warhorse 8 33 - 4 3 8 30 1 - 10 12 20 20 - Riding Horse 8 33 - 3 3 5 30 0 - 10 10 10 10 - Draft Horse 6 33 - 4 3 6 30 0 - 10 8 8 8 - Mule/Donkey 6 33 - 2 3 5 30 0 - 10 8 10 10 - Pony 7 33 - 3 3 4 30 0 - 10 10 10 10 - Ox 5 33 - 5 4 10 30 1* - 6 6 6 6 - *An ox has a horn attack that it uses to defend itself when attacked. VEHICLE CHART Name M T W Capacity Encum Cart 4 4 10 5,000 1,000 Farm Wagon 4 4 20 9,000 2,000 Freight Wagon 6 5 20 13,000 1,800 Coach 6 5 30 10,000 2,500 UPDATED TRANSPORTATION PRICES Name Price (GCs) Avail Coach 1000 Rare Freight Wagon 750 Rare Farm Wagon (1d8 x 10) + 60 Common Cart (1d6 x 10) + 40 Common Destrier 960-4750 Rare Light Warhorse 575-1150 Scarce Riding Horse 40-480 Common Draft Horse (1d6 x 10) + 30 Plentiful Pony 5d8 x 10 Common Mule/Donkey (1d8 x 10) + 20 Plentiful Ox (1d4 x 10) + 30 Plentiful VEHICLE BREAKDOWNS Give coaches and freight wagons rolling for a breakdown a -10 modifier due to their superior construction. Any roll less than zero indicates that the vehicle was jarred, but can continue to travel with no appreciable damage. Speed Damage Rough Damage Wagon/Coach Cart 01-35 01-50 Wheel Wheel 36-60 Brake Wheel 61-75 60-75 Axle Axle 76-00 76-00 Harness Harness Wheel - indicates the one of the vehicle's wheel has come loose and rolled off , randomly determine which wheel, with an equal chance of each. When a cart wheel or the front wheel on a coach or wagon is thrown there is a 5% chance the vehicle will overtur n. There is a 10% chance that any thrown wheel will be broken beyond repair because of snapped spokes, a broken hub, or it just literally fell apart. If the wheel is not destroyed it can be put back on by anyone in 20 minutes, if they make an Int test. The test can be retried if failed, but it will take another 20 minutes. If multiple people are working on getting the wheel on (maximum 4), they can all roll to see if they accomplish it, but only one of them will have to make a successful Int test to a ccomplish the task. Cartwrights or apprentice cartwrights can put a wheel back on in 10 minutes with no chance of failure. Brake - indicates the hand brake has broken. On level ground the brake only goes out while it is being used, such as around corners at high speed, or when it needs to stop quickly. The vehicle can continue on level ground at normal speed with a broken b rake without little danger involved. On mountain trails vehicle has a 75% chance of overpowering the horses and overturning when the break is broken. A vehicle cannot travel on these trails without haveing the brake fixed. It will take a character wit h carpentry skill and the proper tools 10 minutes to replace the brake. Coaches traveling mountain routes {I don't even know if they exist} will always have spare breaks onboard. Axle - indicates the axle of the vehicle has snapped in half, randomly determine which axle, with an equal chance of each. A broken cart axle or a broken front axle will cause a vehicle to overturn 20% of the time. A broken axle can only be repaired by a cartwright with a full set of tools and replacement parts available. Harness - indicates that something in the connection between the animals harness and the vehicle has broken. The team runs off, and the vehicle goes careening off out of control with an 80% chance of overturning. When this happens the character holding t he reigns has to make an Initiative test + 20 to let go or be pulled off the vehicle and drug by the animals a short ways (1xS3 hits). Finding a runaway team will probably take some time. The harness can only be fixed by a leather worker {who does leath er work in the Old World? I couldn't find any applicable skills to manufacturing or repairing leather goods}, or be replaced, but, it can be temporarily patched with rope and basic tools in 15 minutes. A vehicle with a patched harness can move no faster than cautions speed without causing the harness to break again. Even at slow speeds there is a 20% chance the harness will break again every hour it is driven. Rolling Over When a coach overturns, any character inside takes 1 x S3 hit. Characters on top of a coach, in the bed of a wagon, or in a driver's seat while they roll, must make an Initiative test to leap off, otherwise they also take 1 x S2 hit. It takes a total St rength of 12 to right a coach, a total Strength of 10 to right a wagon, and a total Strength of 6 to right a cart. There is a 50% chance that any vehicle that rolls will be damaged beyond repair by anyone but a cartwright with the proper tools. Neil Young (nyoung@krypton.mankato.msus.edu)