GM advice: Ways to add to uneventful travel?

[draken50]

This is for an Earthdawn game, which is basically high fantasy. Though I don't think it's to setting specific of a question.

Due to poor planning on my part my last session started in a major city the players were about to leave. I ended the session there as well for players to spend their silver for whatever supplies they wanted before they left, to avoid a long period of "shopping" mid session.

The problem was, they were then to meet a scout in a nearby village and venture into the depths of a jungle, searching for a scholar living with some primitive natives.

My planning time had become more limited, and I was able to develop ideas for what I wanted to occur, once the players were trudging through the jungle, but I had too long of a setup to get them there. I may have been best off shortening my narration, but I feel like I could have been better served by having a short encounter, like with a pickpocket or the like.

Could any of you help with ideas for what kind of things could help liven up what is basically a stopping point along the way? Really I'm looking for short preferably non-combat encounters to liven up the towns and cities the players pass through along the way to their grander, and more prepared (From a GM standpoint), adventures.

[Kalmageddon]

- A travelling merchant tries to sell some goods to the PCs, maybe he even unknowingly has some magical equipment available and if the PCs manage to notice they could buy it extra cheap.

- Some random NPC laments something related to the quest the characters are on. For example, if they are going to clear out a dragon's lair maybe an NPC laments how the dragon burned down his cattle. Gives an idea of things happening organically in the world.

- Some random event unrelated to the characters happens. A brawl. A cockfight. A bard singing on the streetside. A beggar asks for money. That sort of things.

[TheCountAlucard]

If it's even slightly warmer than "temperate," the combination of heat and humidity of the jungle is likely to result in the clothes literally rotting off their bodies. Likewise dangerous diseases are more likely, and every animal bite is likely to become infected, even the ones that aren't venomous. Storing food and water for any reasonable amount of time will prove challenging. Forget wearing armor.

[Brookshw]

There's lots you can do if you want to liven up down periods, I once had players spend two hours chasing a womp rat in the vents of their ship, building droids to go after it, setting various traps. Great times we still fondly recall. Suggestions for in a town, npc fanboys of the party, lost kid, pick pockets, soapbox preachers (also good to build world depth if they're spouting background info), random guards, snooty nobles. Use the periods as ways to introduce npcs, set atmosphere, and so on.

[draken50]

Thanks for the ideas you guys are giving me.

I suppose I was trying to give players interactions with more "meaning." Really though I guess I need to really just make sure there's a feeling of choice for the players. I guess the big thing I avoid is when there's an interaction... but that there's not much to do with it. Beign able to develop npcs a bit more in terms of personality would be good too I'd bet. I mean, a soap box preacher could be a fun interaction if I can play that character well enough even if it doesn't really become important to the plot or the like.

Definite food for thought though.

If anyone has any other ideas I'm still open to them.

[sktarq]

Really though I guess I need to really just make sure there's a feeling of choice for the players.

give them a choice for what ships they take up river to the jungle village. What kind of jungle wear to they pick out-local< colonist khaki, flowing? Give a few of the options a secondary mini interaction that pops up late. The ship for well off people has a pickpocket, another has a bar wench that hears everything and thinks one of the PC's is cute-maybe not even the classically high charisma one. Wearing outfit style X will help you with villagers with intimidation and another with persuasion (say +1's)-don't tell the PC's this...or they start different NPC's in said village at different starting attitudes-and that changes the tone of gather info checks.....in addition to picking up above said merchants and the like. Heck going for some choices-like an old invading army uniform or a piss poor boat with low sides could pull angry natives or lizardfolk combats on the way....for example.

[nedz]

Some "Random" encounters with local (jungle I guess) fauna (or flora). These don't have to end with combat but some should have some tension. This adds flavour and interest. Local inhabitants are good flavour encounters too. The trouble with things like pick-pockets is that you may want to use such an incident as a plot token and they get old if you use them too often — unless the party enter a thieves den of course.