The road between cities isn't a loading screen. It's where the story breathes. Travel in Halcyon Aces is built to feel like the best episodes of an adventure anime: you set out from one place heading toward another, and the journey itself becomes the episode. You'll get ambushed by bandits in a canyon, stumble into a hidden village that isn't on any map, ride an airship through a thunderstorm, make camp under impossible stars, and meet the rival who'll haunt you for the rest of the campaign. The road is not logistics. It's adventure.
This chapter doesn't ask you to count rations, track water, or measure miles. Survival bookkeeping has its place in other games, but Halcyon Aces cares about what happens to your characters, not what's in their bags. Assume the party carries enough supplies to travel between settlements unless the fiction demands otherwise (crossing a desert, fleeing without preparation, traveling through magically dead wasteland). When scarcity matters, the GM will make it a story beat, not a spreadsheet.
Travel Methods
How the party travels determines the pace, the danger, and the kinds of encounters they'll face on the road. Each method has a feel: walking is intimate and grounded; mounts are swift and cinematic; airships are grand and perilous.
On Foot
The default. The party walks, rides carts, follows roads, cuts through forests. Travel on foot is measured in legs, abstract units representing roughly half a day of travel. Most journeys between nearby settlements take 2 to 6 legs. A leg isn't about distance—it's about pacing. Each leg is one beat of the journey, one chance for something to happen.
On foot, the party covers 2 legs per day at a comfortable pace. They can push to 3 legs with a Forced March: every character draws 1 card to fatigue at day's end (no check, just the cost). They can slow to 1 leg per day for a Cautious Pace, gaining +2 EV on all Perception and awareness checks for that leg. These are not checks, penalties, or survival rolls—just choices about how fast you want to go and what you're willing to spend.
Mounted
Horses, war-beasts, giant lizards, enchanted stags. Mounts increase overland speed to 3 legs per day at a comfortable pace (4 with a Forced March). Mounts also grant +2 EV on Body checks to escape pursuit or chase down fleeing enemies during road encounters. Mounted characters can't easily navigate dungeons, dense forests, or interiors. Mounts are for the open road.
If the party owns mounts, assume feed and care happen off-screen unless the fiction makes it interesting. A dramatic moment where the party's horses bolt during a monster attack is a story beat. Tracking daily hay consumption is not.
Airship
The skies of the world are traversed by airships: enchanted vessels, wind-driven galleons, rune-powered craft, or whatever fits your setting. Airship travel is fast (covering in hours what takes days on foot), expensive (passage costs 1 to 3 Gems per person depending on distance and luxury), and dramatic (the sky has its own dangers).
Airship travel doesn't use legs. Instead, the GM determines the journey length in watches: roughly 4-hour shifts during the voyage. Most airship journeys take 2 to 8 watches. The party can freely interact, explore the ship, and roleplay during watches. At the end of each watch, the GM makes a Sky Draw (identical to a Road Draw, but the encounter table shifts to reflect aerial travel).
Finding airships is part of the adventure. Not every town has a skyport. Searching for airship passage in a city is a Mind or Heart check at DC 8: success locates a vessel accepting passengers. In smaller towns, the DC rises to 10 or 12, and the vessel found might be a smuggler's skiff rather than a luxury liner. Failing the check doesn't mean there are no ships—it means the party hasn't found one yet. They can try again after spending time in town (a Downtime action), ask around using social Talents, or find alternative transport.
The Journey Draw
At the end of each leg (on foot) or watch (by airship), the GM draws a single card from the GM deck. This is the Journey Draw—it's the heartbeat of the travel system, the moment where the road decides what kind of story it wants to tell. The card's value determines the encounter type. The suit adds flavor and guides the GM's improvisation.
| Card Value | Encounter Type |
|---|---|
| 2 to 4 | Quiet Road. Nothing dangerous. The scenery is beautiful, the weather is kind, and the party has time to breathe. Use this space for roleplay, campfire conversations, character moments, and establishing shots. Describe something memorable about the landscape. Let the players talk. |
| 5 to 7 | Obstacle. Something blocks or complicates the path: a collapsed bridge, a flooded river, a territorial animal that won't move, a fork in the road with no signs, a magical barrier, or a steep cliff. Resolve with a group check or creative problem-solving. No combat required. |
| 8 to 10 | Encounter. A meaningful event that could go many ways: a wandering merchant with strange wares, a patrol from a hostile nation, a stranded traveler who might be a trap, a rival party heading the same direction, or a village celebrating a festival the party stumbles into. The party's choices shape the outcome. |
| Jack, Queen, King | Threat. A dangerous encounter appropriate to the region: a monster, an organized ambush, a cursed stretch of road, a magical storm, or a territorial beast guarding its domain. This is likely combat, but clever players may find alternatives. |
| Ace | Discovery. Something wondrous: a hidden hot spring that restores 5 Vitality to everyone who rests there, a forgotten shrine that grants a temporary boon, an NPC with a sidequest, a skywhale flying overhead close enough to touch, a field of flowers that only bloom at night, or a shortcut that saves an entire leg of travel. Discoveries should feel magical. |
Suit Flavor
The suit of the Journey Draw adds texture. The GM should let the suit guide their improvisation:
| Suit | Flavor |
|---|---|
| Hearts ♥ | Social, emotional, bonds. Encounters involve people, relationships, acts of compassion or cruelty. A Hearts obstacle might be a grieving NPC blocking a bridge. A Hearts discovery might be reuniting with a long-lost friend. |
| Clubs ♣ | Physical, environmental, endurance. Encounters involve terrain, weather, and brute physicality. A Clubs threat might be an avalanche. A Clubs discovery might be a natural hot spring with restorative properties. |
| Diamonds ◆ | Intellectual, strategic, discovery. Encounters involve puzzles, lore, trade, and tactical decisions. A Diamonds encounter might be a merchant offering a rare map. A Diamonds threat might be a trapped ruin that tempts the party inside. |
| Spades ♠ | Mystical, ominous, wondrous. Encounters involve spirits, magic, cursed places, and the supernatural. A Spades quiet road might feature the Northern Lights dancing in impossible colors. A Spades discovery might be a speaking stone that offers a cryptic prophecy. |
The party is traveling from Ashwick to the Ember Vault through the Duskwood. Three legs at Standard pace.
Leg 1: The GM draws 3 of Hearts. Quiet Road (Hearts). The GM describes a sun-dappled clearing with an old stone bench carved with initials, the kind of place where lovers once met in secret. The party rests, Kael tells Mira about his hometown. Character development, no dice.
Leg 2: The GM draws 9 of Spades. Encounter (Spades). A masked figure steps out of the treeline, wreathed in faint blue light. They offer the party a trade: a secret for a secret. If the party shares something true about themselves, the figure reveals that the Ember Vault's guardian has a weakness to cold. Roleplay encounter, possible lore gain.
Leg 3: The GM draws Queen of Clubs. Threat (Clubs). A territorial pack of direwolves blocks a narrow ravine. Combat, or a Heart check to calm them and pass. The party has arrived at the Vault's entrance, three story beats richer.
Sky Encounters
When traveling by airship, the Journey Draw table works the same way, but the GM should flavor encounters for the sky. Some examples of sky-specific encounters by type:
- Quiet Sky (2 to 4): Breathtaking cloud formations, a sunset that paints the deck gold, a flock of luminous birds riding the thermals alongside the ship. Perfect for shipboard roleplay.
- Obstacle (5 to 7): A crosswind that forces the ship to reroute, a dense fog bank that obscures navigation, engine trouble that requires a Mind check to repair, or a no-fly zone enforced by a military patrol that demands the ship land for inspection.
- Encounter (8 to 10): Another airship hails the party for trade or news, a stowaway is discovered belowdecks, a floating island appears that isn't on any chart, or the ship passes over a battle far below and the party must decide whether to intervene.
- Threat (J, Q, K): Sky pirates, a roc or dragon, a magical storm that threatens to tear the ship apart, or an enemy vessel that recognizes the party and opens fire. Airship combat uses the same rules as regular combat but with the added dimension of altitude, wind, and the risk of falling.
- Discovery (Ace): A sky island with ancient ruins, a cloud formation that conceals a hidden skyport, a pod of skywhales whose song temporarily grants +2 EV on Spirit checks, or a rift in the sky that offers a glimpse of another world.
Campfire Scenes
When the party camps for the night in the wilderness, they don't need to assign watches, count hours, or track rations. Instead, camping triggers a Campfire Scene: an unstructured roleplay moment where the party rests, bonds, and prepares for what's ahead. The Campfire Scene is one of the most important narrative tools in the game. It's where characters become people.
During a Campfire Scene, any character can do one of the following:
| Activity | Effect |
|---|---|
| Train | Practice a skill, sharpen a weapon, study a spell. Make a check using any stat at DC 8. On success, gain +1 EV on the first check using that stat the following day. A small edge earned through diligence. |
| Keep Watch | One character stays alert. No check required unless the GM has established a specific threat in the area. If a threat exists, the watchful character makes a Mind DC 8 check. Success means the party wakes before any ambush. Failure means enemies get a surprise round. If no one keeps watch and a threat exists, the GM may trigger a night ambush automatically. |
| Stargaze | Spend time in quiet contemplation. Draw 1 card from your deck. If it's a face card or Ace, return it to your deck and obtain a piece of information about the next stretch of your travels from the GM (it was a good omen, and you feel centered). If it's a number card, it goes to fatigue as normal. A small gamble for deck management. |
The key principle: camping is a scene, not a procedure. The GM can add flavor, NPCs, events, or complications to campfire scenes as they see fit. Maybe a merchant caravan camps nearby and offers to trade. Maybe the stars spell out a warning. Maybe an NPC traveling companion finally opens up about why they're really here. The campfire is your theater.
Don't ambush the party every time they camp. Night attacks are dramatic, but if they happen every session, players stop engaging with the Campfire Scene because they expect punishment for resting. Use night encounters sparingly (once every 3 to 4 sessions at most) and only when the narrative demands it. The campfire should feel like a safe space for character development most of the time. When you do break that safety, it should feel like a genuine violation, a moment that raises the stakes because the party thought they were safe.
Waypoints & Discoveries
The world between cities is alive with hidden places. Waypoints are locations the party can find during travel that offer benefits, story hooks, or both. When the Journey Draw produces an Ace (Discovery) or when the party actively searches for something interesting (a Mind or Spirit check at DC 9 that costs 1 leg of travel time), they may find a Waypoint.
| Suit | Waypoint Type |
|---|---|
| Hearts ♥ | Haven. A friendly place: a hidden village, a hermit's cottage, a traveler's inn in the middle of nowhere. The party can rest here as if in a settlement (Full Rest, possible shopping, possible rumors). Havens often come with NPCs who have stories to tell. |
| Clubs ♣ | Landmark. A place of physical significance: a natural hot spring (+5 Vitality to all who bathe), a cliffside with a panoramic view that reveals a shortcut (save 1 leg), a cave system that offers shelter during storms, or an ancient training ground where martial characters can practice (+1 EV on Body checks for the next day). |
| Diamonds ◆ | Trove. A place of value: an abandoned merchant's cache (1d4 consumables), a library ruin with salvageable books (worth 1 Gem), a mineral deposit, or a map fragment that reveals the location of a future dungeon or quest. |
| Spades ♠ | Nexus. A place of magical significance: a ley line crossing that empowers Techniques (+1 bonus damage on Spirit-affinity Techniques for the next day), a spirit's domain where bargains can be struck, a prophetic pool that shows visions of the party's future, or a portal to somewhere unexpected. |
Waypoints discovered during travel should be noted on the party's map (or a shared document). Once found, a Waypoint can be revisited on future journeys without a check. Over time, the party builds a personal atlas of the world's hidden places, a growing record of everywhere they've been and everything they've found. This is one of the most rewarding parts of long-term play: the world becomes yours.
Weather & the Sky
Weather sets the mood. The GM can declare weather conditions for each day of travel or draw a card at the start of each day to determine it:
| Card Value | Weather |
|---|---|
| 2 to 5 | Clear. Beautiful traveling weather. No mechanical effect. Describe the sky, the breeze, the warmth. Let players enjoy it. |
| 6 to 8 | Overcast or Light Rain. Atmospheric but harmless. Ranged attacks at Far range suffer −1 EV during heavy showers. Sets a moody tone. |
| 9 to 10 | Rain and Wind. Unpleasant conditions. Ranged attacks at Far range suffer −2 EV. Campfire Scenes require finding or building shelter first (a quick Body or Mind DC 7 check). |
| Jack, Queen | Storm. Dangerous. All outdoor checks suffer −1 EV. Travel pace reduced by 1 leg maximum. Camping without shelter is miserable (no Campfire Scene benefits). |
| King | Severe Storm. Torrential rain, blizzard, sandstorm, or magical tempest. Travel is impossible. The party must shelter in place. This is a story beat, not a punishment: describe the storm as terrifying and beautiful, and let the party roleplay being stuck together. |
| Ace | Perfect Day. Impossibly beautiful weather. +1 EV on all Heart checks for the day. The world is kind today. Describe something magical about the light or the sky. |
Travel Summary
| Activity | Rules |
|---|---|
| On Foot | 2 legs/day standard. 3 with Forced March (1 card to fatigue per character). 1 for Cautious Pace (+2 EV on awareness). |
| Mounted | 3 legs/day standard. 4 with Forced March. +2 EV on pursuit/chase Body checks. |
| Airship | Measured in watches (4-hour shifts). Sky Draw per watch. Costs 1 to 3 Gems per person. |
| Journey Draw | GM draws 1 card per leg or watch. Value sets encounter type, suit adds flavor. |
| Campfire Scene | One activity per character: Train, Keep Watch, or Stargaze. |
| Waypoints | Found via Ace draws or active searching (Mind/Spirit DC 9, costs 1 leg). Recorded for future use. |
| Weather | GM sets or draws daily. Affects mood, ranged combat, and camping. |
The goal of this travel system is to make every journey feel like an episode of an adventure anime. The party sets out, encounters something unexpected, grows a little bit, and arrives changed. The key tools are the Journey Draw (which guarantees something happens every leg), the Campfire Scene (which guarantees character development), and Waypoints (which guarantee discovery). Don't rush travel. Don't skip it. A three-leg journey is three scenes, three chances to reveal something about the world or the characters. The road is not the space between adventures. The road IS the adventure.