The Caravan idea...

[Sun Wukong]

My thought is

BG to Beregost. BG to Nashkel actually.

and Bergorst to BG. Nashkel to BG.

Nashkel already has mines for a reason. Thus you could just have some random DM event where someone finds a large enough silver veins for example to set up a mine. Then you could have few adventurers solve some trouble, and then you could have a silver caravan running from Nashkel to Baldur's Gate to be shipped from the docks to further down to Amn.

After all, you could spend months slowly moving it through the Cloudpeaks and risk it being claimed by Giants, or delayed further by a sudden avalanche cutting the only path through. Thus, it could make a lot more financial sense to only spend weeks moving the silver northwards to Baldur's Gate where it would shipped to south to Amn.

Waterways have always been the lifeblood of trade. You can travel as fast as the winds carry you, and most importantly you do not have to feed working animals or worry about a wheel or axle breaking - and you just have to look at modern maps to see how almost all of our old cities were formed by either shore or riverbanks, if not both. Heck, I am currently living in some old port city at the mouth of a river.

Oh and, it could give some 'impromptu' events for the less honorable or noble adventurers. They could rob a silver caravan. The dwarves could perhaps lend their hand and turn piles of rocks into bars of silver for some fee given to their guild. The elves might want to get some of that silver to craft some elven trinkets and rings.

You know... If you want to promote RP, just have a silver caravan running up and down, and let people hitch a ride on it. Every one benefits. (And you do not even need to have these silver mines as a visitable map, just use some DM areas for the events and add the caravans with few workers and barrels/crates.)

[Akroma666]

To add to my idea.. why not make a thieves guild NPC in BG and a couple other locations that allows for PCs to set up an ambush? This can allow a few PCs to catch similar level PCs who are using the system with couple bonus NPCs and attempt to rob the caravan. Look, i just combined the PvP thread and the caravan thread in once beautiful RP interaction.

Obviously don't allow this for low levels and the two teams must be within a certain level difference. I've always wanted caravan robing and thievery.. man this would be fun!

[Sun Wukong]

Oh and, back in the day when I had a character with the Druidic spell list, I did actually use the more expensive "Travel by Plant" spell just to cut short my return trip from Nashkel/Beregost. It was well worth the gold, which I got back by turning in the quests, which in turn were only done for their experience rewards.

Thus, no, being able to 'fast travel' to towns/cities by caravans and boats is not going to make the 'teleport' spells useless, it didn't do that in the first place, and those are very handy to reach the distant areas. For example Troll Claw Fjord, from Eastern Farmlands, you have to go to Northern Farmlands, from there to Fields of the Dead, until you finally reach the Troll Claw Fjord. Someone able to cast 'teleport' spell can be there in just one area transition.

And speaking of teleport... Now I kind of want to make a Spirit Shaman again... Maybe a Spirit Shaman 12/Hospitaler 10/Warpriest 4/Hierophant 4 for 26 BAB and caster level of 30, a strength based build?

[Steve]

No, Monty, no!! Bad monkey!

But seriously, the Trade Way running through the Server and no direct North-South caravan rides along its entirety (as available to actual IG areas)?

Heck, Caravans going north of Baldur's Gate supposedly actually go through the FoD!! Well, at least one caravan didn't make it....

[flipside43]

Luke's Crazy Caravans, a Wholly Owned Subsidiary of the Darius Trading Family.

Done. IC RP manifestation forced Valefort to create it!! Check & Mate!!

*waits patiently for his finders fee...or the volley of tomatoes and cabbage*

hahaha

As for Hera's routes, while I like the idea, caravans would stop along the way and it would be possible to hop and go as you go along.

As for Akroma's Thieves Guild idea, perhaps using NPCs not associated with a PC guild is more advisable?

[Marathados]

Voted no.

But I think a few would help, like BG-Beregost.

On the other hand the quest for Maltz would not even be a risk anymore...

[Stonebar]

Caravan stops imply "stopping", not click, then click again. For a caravan stop to build any RP...you have to be there long enough to have it. Apply a 10 minute cool down before taking another wagon and you have something maybe. Go from BG to FAI, wait, then pop on to Nahkel. As I don't see this happening then, or the cost making it equal to teleport, I vote no.

As for walking, saying if don't like idea of caravans don't use them, is like saying if you don't like FS then don't play one...
If given the option to clicking the easy button to teleport using a caravan then I will. It's far to tempting. But I would have missed so so many encounters both good and bad along the way if I did. Sometimes what feels right or is easier is not necessarily better for the server.

RP is not just about clique rp or guild hall, that's closed RP which teleport has increased massively. I'd love more open RP where I where might meet new people, or have discussions I would never of had or planed to have. I had an interesting conversation with a Red Wizard, I'd have never planed on such or even looked for it... but do to not being able to pop around the server to grind/loot, i stuck in a place long enough to have it. RP like you find at the FAI and such feels far more natural, random, and not controlled by restrictions. It would be non existent if you remove foot traffic.

Teleport has done enough damage to things like that, adding more types of teleport will only shrink RP opportunities. If I wanted staged, or to only RP with people I liked, then I'd have joined a social server. You never turn a pure grinder into an RPer if they never run into RP. Give me the good, the bad, and the ugly, make me expand my views and characters limits not just seek the comfortable.

Viva La Randomness! the good and bad!

[Sun Wukong]

RP like you find at the FAI and such feels far more natural, random, and not controlled by restrictions. It would be non existent if you remove foot traffic.

RP like you find at the FAI and such feels far less natural, it has no inkling or spark of anything originial, you are pretty much restricted to follow a mold where you are only allowed to stare at the campfire with soulles eyes and chant: 'one of us' - or be considered nothing more than a nuisance. This type of role-play did not go extinct when you could take that boat south of Candlekeep, it did not go extinct when teleportation spells were added, and it will not do that in the future.

As for walking, saying if don't like idea of caravans don't use them, is like saying if you don't like FS then don't play one...

Here is the thing, if you do not like to play a Favored Soul, you are not forced to so. You just play whatever else. Now if one does not like the 'FAI RP experience' - in the past you could avoid the 'FAI RP experience' but not anymore.

Viva La Randomness! the good and bad!

So you are on board with the caravans after all? Great.

[V'rass]

Forcing rp on others is a bad idea as many others have said before me. If the server starts going down that road it will only be a matter of time before it ends up like all the other servers which opted for that system... dead and forgotten. Let everyone rp when and where they wish, forcing them to everywhere and everytime will just cause frustration.

[Stonebar]

RP like you find at the FAI and such feels far less natural, it has no inkling or spark of anything originial, you are pretty much restricted to follow a mold where you are only allowed to stare at the campfire with soulles eyes and chant: 'one of us' - or be considered nothing more than a nuisance. This type of role-play did not go extinct when you could take that boat south of Candlekeep, it did not go extinct when teleportation spells were added, and it will not do that in the future.

That might be your experience, and that's fine. My point is that it's free, it's not a city with restrictions, or a place with certain types of RP almost required. Plus it's an example, not a complete list of cool places to RP.

...and yes, Teleport cut FAI numbers by a large amount. Because honestly people paid good coin for a guild hall and want to use it as much as possible, so why not teleport to talk in. So there are less impromptu meetings or conversation at the FAI then there use to be, which is possibly why you might feel it's soulless now, the lack of blood. Adding a new type of teleport will add to that.

So you are on board with the caravans after all? Great.

no, nothing random about teleporting with no risk.

Here is the thing, if you do not like to play a Favored Soul, you are not forced to so. You just play whatever else. Now if one does not like the 'FAI RP experience' - in the past you could avoid the 'FAI RP experience' but not anymore.

I'm not opposed to something replacing the boat that was there before.

Forcing rp on others is a bad idea as many others have said before me. If the server starts going down that road it will only be a matter of time before it ends up like all the other servers which opted for that system... dead and forgotten. Let everyone rp when and where they wish, forcing them to everywhere and everytime will just cause frustration.

If no new caravans are added then we are exactly in the same place as now. So you honestly, right now, feel forced to RP on this server??

[Planehopper]

– Roleplay
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Unless there is a mechanical OOC distraction such as a server crash, a bug, mistakenly spawning into the wrong location in game, being otherwise AFK, or another OOC rules exception, your character is to always be considered IC while in the game world outside of the Nexus unless a DM says otherwise.

I'd say we should all be RPing, all of the time. That is what the rules have clearly stated for years.

I'd vote no to additional caravans because they eliminate risk and create dead zones of space on roads.

That said, as long as everyone is IC all the time like the rules state, it isn't a hill to die on. I just won't use them much, that's all.

[V'rass]

So you honestly, right now, feel forced to RP on this server??

No... right now things are fine, but if changes occur that make alot people feel that way things could get tricky.

[Velaris]

I'd say we should all be RPing, all of the time. That is what the rules have clearly stated for years.

I'd vote no to additional caravans because they eliminate risk and create dead zones of space on roads.

I enjoy using my wizard, and believe it or not, walk most places when I can. I will occasionally teleport when I'm rping with someone I meet on the road, but I enjoy running into people who are out for a walk or are learning the areas. It makes for good storytelling, because I contribute to that story.

Using transitions to skip over areas where you're likely to run into people only limits your ability to contribute to the story. I run into low level players in many areas I could easily teleport past. One of my favourite short rps was with an orc disguised as a monk, who tried to extort money from my wizard. It ended in a humorous exchange, a fire spell and the orc crawled away promising to change his ways.
Now I doubt the orc became a paragon of virtue, but as a low level toon, he certainly learned that not everyone in a low level zone can be intimidated. Maybe he's more careful of his targets now, or has a better pitch. Point is, none of that would have happened if I skipped over it. Fewer lessons, fewer stories, and a lessening of the story content of the server.

Mystra makes Elminster walk around for a reason. He'd miss everything going on otherwise.

[Steve]

What about this:

Create a Caravan System where it's a dice-roll-for-success, once per reset, per NPC caravaner.

Thus, if at BG, your toon hopes to "catch a ride" to Nashkel, she'll have a 50% chance to succeed in finding that leaving Caravan, and, should the PC have some social Skills, they may be able to influence that percentage for a greater success. But still, one time per Reset.

Additionally, if your Toon would fail the BG to X attempt, after having walked or teleported to X, there would be a Caravan NPC there at X, one that they would have another once-per-reset chance to get a return lift.

Risk v. reward!!

[Face]

What about this:

Create a Caravan System where it's a dice-roll-for-success, once per reset, per NPC caravaner.

Thus, if at BG, your toon hopes to "catch a ride" to Nashkel, she'll have a 50% chance to succeed in finding that leaving Caravan, and, should the PC have some social Skills, they may be able to influence that percentage for a greater success. But still, one time per Reset.

Additionally, if your Toon would fail the BG to X attempt, after having walked or teleported to X, there would be a Caravan NPC there at X, one that they would have another once-per-reset chance to get a return lift.

Risk v. reward!!

Where is the risk in this?