Hope the setting gurus can offer some advice towards a couple of questions:

1. What is the river traffic like on the Reik not far downstream from Altdorf? Say between Carroburg and Barenfahre? My players are floating downstream on a dingy rowboat with no paddles and I need to know how soon will they meet a barge or a ship that can pick them up. Would they be likely to meet someone within a couple of hours or would they need to survive days in the wilderness?

2. Also - this always stood up as a point of interest to me - how do ships/barges travel upstream to Altdorf from places like Marienburg? Would they have rowing teams or travel against the current on sail alone?

3. Finally - is there any type of entry fee that is collected from visitors to Altdorf? How about ships - is there a lump sum per ship that is expected to be paid by the owner? One of the characters is wanted for murder and I wonder whether he'd have any trouble getting into the city.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

The Reik is a "highway" full of ships. Ocean-going vessels can actually travel as far up it as Altdorf (where the Reiksport downriver of wall is their uppermost stopping point). It's the main trade artery and around each settlement there are also smaller fishing craft out on it constantly, as well as "gypsy boats", bandits and River Warden patrols.

Spires of Altdorf (think you can buy it as download) as the tolls for entering Altdorf in it in earlier edition, or just make up tolls and docking fees to suit your campaign. The main thing to build in from the source material is that there are numerous special duties and exemptions to finagle through - a priest of Sigmar, duly-appointed Witch Hunter or a nobleman for example may be exempt from tolls, a hafling might be subject to special tolls due to prejudices of last ordinance-maker etc. Tolls and taxes are more a chance to show the flavour of world and attitudes more than a coin-counting exercise.

Oh man… You should ask this again about a year from now…

doc_cthulhu said:

We can take this to mean three different things; 1.you're working on a Rivers of the Empire fan supplement on your own 2.you're working on a Rivers of the Empire supplement for the next Liber Fanatica 3. You've got the inside scoop on an official Rivers supplement.

Thanks a lot, valvorik.

doc, I definitely look forward to whatever you come up with in a year, a big fan of your work.