So, with our recent population explosion, a good time to ask about something I've been thinking about. In our two (maybe two and a half) campaigns, travel has been fairly limited. Our first group moved around in the Gal Hills fairly extensively before dying tragically and suddenly in a swamp. Our second group is in Brigands Bay and has pretty much stayed close to the base town I made up with forays to a large dungeon and other close-by areas.

My take on Hyperborea as a whole is that it is really underpopulated. The towns are small and isolated and most long-distance travel is by sea. The countryside is extremely dangerous and full of ruins and mystery. And even the population centers, outside of Khromarium, are small and inward-bent. Does this agree with others' take on the situation?

So how much overland travel do you have in your games? Is it mostly the province of higher-level types? Do you have contrivances like Vancian caravans through the dangerous areas to move people around? Do you have a lot of sea travel? Or are most games like mind and fairly geographically limited (keeping in mind that this group has just hit second level, too).

It just seems to me that the dice are against the players for extended overland travel. Random encounters will always be more danger than they seem worth unless you're traveling with enough numbers to scare most things off. Not to mention the Celestial Phenomena!

What do you think?