Hello! Trying to put together a grand, floating island-hopping, home-brew airship campaign. The players will likely be taking the role of noble outlaws. The tech widely available will be primarily high-medieval, with some exceptions.
While I want players to be able to enjoy their airship as they travel from place to place, I want most islands to be explored on foot. I think this will allow for more exciting encounters, and more engagement with the world. That said, what are some elegant in-world solutions to encourage this behavior, without making players feel like they're being railroaded too much?
Put them on regular boats instead of airships, maybe. If the airships are only to get them from one island to the next, why make them airships at all? Make the regular boat as fancy as you like, and they won’t complain when they can’t use it to explore the island. Don’t get me wrong, airships are cool, but giving them one and basically telling them they can only use it for one, specific purpose (basically a fast travel between islands) really undercuts the point of having them.
Maybe the islands are only accessible by airship, and airship travel is difficult. Maybe the party needs to stop on one island for emergency repairs and they need to search the island for something they need for the repairs. Then maybe on another island they think they see stranded people that run and hide when they see the ship, so they need to look for them on foot, and on another island they need to uncover an ancient secret in a ruin, etc.
Basically if you want them to investigate the islands, they need a hook that's oriented around the island itself. Give them something they'll either need to or want to do that needs to be done on the surface.
So they're going to have their own airship, but you want them to explore on foot? Doctor Who probably has about 30 scenarios for this. Stopping for repairs is the classic, but once in a while, maybe they get transported somewhere else by magic and have to find their way back to their ship? Someone kidnaps them, takes them onto a different ship and transports them somewhere? Someone steals the ship and flies it across the island, the ship drifts away on its own and they have to go find it. They leave the ship to explore and are taken away at sword point by enemies, etc etc,
To be honest, I don't think it's as big an issue as you make out—if they're flying an airship at a safe altitude, all they'll be able to make out is general terrain features. If they want to meet people, find treasures, etc, they'll have to get off. Maybe make sure you set most fights indoors so the airship can't usually be used in them.
I think this is a problem that will resolve itself.
airships are fun but they can’t complete the quests inside the airship. They have to park and leave the airship to go to the location.
some have suggested repairs.
maybe you need a certain sized open field to land. Maybe the islands aren’t safe so there’s a person who drops the players off and will pick them back up.
there will probably be a lot of times when the airship will drop them off at the desired location. I imagine hex based travel will be rare. That’s okay. When it comes up it gives you a chance to make it super special.
It’s not easy to see what’s on the ground from an air ship, especially when there is normal terrain including trees. That by itself will get them to leave the air ships and walk.
While I want players to be able to enjoy their airship as they travel from place to place, I want most islands to be explored on foot.
I've frequently included PC owned airships while running (published) campaigns. It wasn't an issue: most encounters in published campaigns were indoor (mainly dungeons). If you're creating your own encounters though, and you want them to be outdoor, then maybe have them in a forest (i.e. tree canopy).
I would make it even more difficult than needing a large open space to dock a ship: make it so that they can only dock at airship moorings. Or make it so they can weigh anchors (not land) anywhere, but then they need to take special crafts to get to the ground-- and leave a number of crew behind to make sure no one steals the ship (they don't have ignition keys, remember).
Or if they are sky pirates, then be mindful of the sky navy. They are hunted outlaws and the airways are patrolled. Or storms and air currents and air shoals.
I would make it even more difficult than needing a large open space to dock a ship: make it so that they can only dock at airship moorings.
the atmosphere could produce an insane amount of static electricity so even approaching the ground anywhere other than a constructed docking station results in a catastrophic electric discharge (damage other than lightning)....so much that normal grounding rods don't even work.
so they could just jump out of it wherever they want, but the thing just can't get close to the ground.
Hello! Trying to put together a grand, floating island-hopping, home-brew airship campaign. The players will likely be taking the role of noble outlaws. The tech widely available will be primarily high-medieval, with some exceptions.
While I want players to be able to enjoy their airship as they travel from place to place, I want most islands to be explored on foot. I think this will allow for more exciting encounters, and more engagement with the world. That said, what are some elegant in-world solutions to encourage this behavior, without making players feel like they're being railroaded too much?
Put them on regular boats instead of airships, maybe. If the airships are only to get them from one island to the next, why make them airships at all? Make the regular boat as fancy as you like, and they won’t complain when they can’t use it to explore the island.
Don’t get me wrong, airships are cool, but giving them one and basically telling them they can only use it for one, specific purpose (basically a fast travel between islands) really undercuts the point of having them.
Maybe the islands are only accessible by airship, and airship travel is difficult. Maybe the party needs to stop on one island for emergency repairs and they need to search the island for something they need for the repairs. Then maybe on another island they think they see stranded people that run and hide when they see the ship, so they need to look for them on foot, and on another island they need to uncover an ancient secret in a ruin, etc.
Basically if you want them to investigate the islands, they need a hook that's oriented around the island itself. Give them something they'll either need to or want to do that needs to be done on the surface.
the airships are crazy expensive and controlled by the local factions/guilds/franchises/governments/whatever...and only fly very specific routes.
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
Deck of Decks
So they're going to have their own airship, but you want them to explore on foot? Doctor Who probably has about 30 scenarios for this. Stopping for repairs is the classic, but once in a while, maybe they get transported somewhere else by magic and have to find their way back to their ship? Someone kidnaps them, takes them onto a different ship and transports them somewhere? Someone steals the ship and flies it across the island, the ship drifts away on its own and they have to go find it. They leave the ship to explore and are taken away at sword point by enemies, etc etc,
the atmosphere is generally super windy/turbulent and there's only defined flying lanes that are stable enough to allow the airships to travel
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
Deck of Decks
To be honest, I don't think it's as big an issue as you make out—if they're flying an airship at a safe altitude, all they'll be able to make out is general terrain features. If they want to meet people, find treasures, etc, they'll have to get off. Maybe make sure you set most fights indoors so the airship can't usually be used in them.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
I think this is a problem that will resolve itself.
airships are fun but they can’t complete the quests inside the airship. They have to park and leave the airship to go to the location.
some have suggested repairs.
maybe you need a certain sized open field to land. Maybe the islands aren’t safe so there’s a person who drops the players off and will pick them back up.
there will probably be a lot of times when the airship will drop them off at the desired location. I imagine hex based travel will be rare. That’s okay. When it comes up it gives you a chance to make it super special.
It’s not easy to see what’s on the ground from an air ship, especially when there is normal terrain including trees. That by itself will get them to leave the air ships and walk.
Professional computer geek
I've frequently included PC owned airships while running (published) campaigns. It wasn't an issue: most encounters in published campaigns were indoor (mainly dungeons). If you're creating your own encounters though, and you want them to be outdoor, then maybe have them in a forest (i.e. tree canopy).
I would make it even more difficult than needing a large open space to dock a ship: make it so that they can only dock at airship moorings. Or make it so they can weigh anchors (not land) anywhere, but then they need to take special crafts to get to the ground-- and leave a number of crew behind to make sure no one steals the ship (they don't have ignition keys, remember).
Or if they are sky pirates, then be mindful of the sky navy. They are hunted outlaws and the airways are patrolled. Or storms and air currents and air shoals.
the atmosphere could produce an insane amount of static electricity so even approaching the ground anywhere other than a constructed docking station results in a catastrophic electric discharge (damage other than lightning)....so much that normal grounding rods don't even work.
so they could just jump out of it wherever they want, but the thing just can't get close to the ground.
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
Deck of Decks