"The traditional departure date of the Salt Route caravan to Tashal is the fifteenth of Peonu. Mercantylers from Golotha and Shiran join the caravan at Coranan before this date. Many Aleathian mercantylers join the caravan at Moleryn."
Mercantyler article in CGI's Harnmaster rules, 1986 (HM1)
"The bulk of each caravan consists of pack horses and wagons carrying salt. In most years there are between seventy five and one hundred and fifty animals, twenty to thirty merchants, and a similar number of guards and animal handlers. The number of guards hired each year depends on how restless the Gozyda and Tulwyn are. The trail from Moleryn to Tashal is about 155 leagues long and it takes the caravan about twenty days to complete the journey."
Moleryn article in CGI's Tharda module, 1987
Caravans are as varied as ships, with no two being exactly alike. Some prefer to travel in the security of the great semi-annual caravans; others will hire their own mercenaries and set their own schedule. On the Silver Way, pack horses and mules are the norm, and some smaller-scale merchants still use them on the other major routes. Some merchants, usually those dealing in bulky cargos carried over better roads within civilized areas, rely on oxen to draw the larger capacity wagons. But most merchants have turned to using the reliable and sturdy two-wheeled carts, and have found that pulling them with horses is more economical than using oxen.
But before we can go on to develop some worthwhile generalizations about the cost of transport and its effect on economics and trade, we have to establish some relatively fixed assumptions from which to work. To that end, I've worked out a cost estimate for a set of typical caravans. Because they are the most economical means, I have used horse-drawn carts in these comparisons.
The examples given for each caravan illustrate the estimated transport costs for a horse-cart caravan operating between the indicated towns. Note that these costs include such things as wages and provisions, prorated cost of repairs, road-use tolls on the vehicles, animals and drivers, and so on, but do not include the costs of taxes and tariffs on the cargo. As a general rule, because a land-based caravan may travel through several kingdoms on its way to market, it will pay more in taxes and tariffs than seaborne trade.
Genin's Trail - Thay to Tashal | |
The Salt Route - Coranan to Tashal | |
An Alternative Route - Coranan to Aleath |
The Pack Horse - A Costly Alternative |
Oxen - Slower and More Expensive | |
Mixed Caravan - Horses & Oxen |
The rate of travel and other factors used in these comparisons are derived from information presented in CGI's H�rnMaster rules system.
Flat | Hilly | Mountains | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transport | Load* | Paved | Unpaved | Trail | Paved | Unpaved | Trail | Paved | Unpaved | Trail |
*Where two numbers are given, the first is the nominal load of the draft animals. Any load in excess of this amount induces a penalty against the chances of foundering the draft animal(s) and decreases their rate of travel. In my games, I impose a 10% movement penalty for each 5% increment in excess of the draft animal's nominal load capacity. [e.g. a pair of oxen pulling a wagon loaded with 8,400 pounds of cargo move at 3.6 leagues per watch over unpaved roads in flat terrain; a single horse attempting to pull a cart loaded with 2,900 pounds of cargo moves at 0.75 leagues per watch over unpaved roads in flat terrain.]
I also impose an additional 1% chance of foundering for each 10% increment in excess of the draft animal's nominal load capacity. [e.g. a pair of oxen pulling a wagon loaded with 8,400 pounds of cargo have a 1% chance of one of the animals foundering; a single horse attempting to pull a cart loaded with 2,900 pounds of cargo has a 9% chance of foundering.] Force marching further increases the chance of foundering [see HM rules].
The second number is the nominal load of the vehicle. Any load in excess of this amount induces a penalty against chances of the mechanical breakdown of the vehicle.
I impose an additional 1% increase in chance of the vehicle's mechanical breakdown for each 10% increment in excess of the vehicle's nominal load capacity. [e.g. a cart loaded with the nominal load of 2,500 pounds of cargo has a 5% chance of breakdown (see HM rules). One loaded with 2,750 pounds has a 6% chance of breakdown, and so on.]
**pack animals move at the "foot" rate. HM3 gives a rate in hilly terrain of 4 rather than the 4.5 given in HM1 and HM2. Take your pick.