Transit Rules

Transit - Strategic Movement

The Strategic Map covers the whole of The Oceanykan Federation, a continent nearly as wide as it is wild, a place that has swallowed countless armies and expeditions in its thousands of years of existence. Moving across it is a matter of days, money, and careful management of who knows you are travelling and where.

Unlike travel in the Operational Map, governed by the Travel Rules, the challenge here is not navigation. The routes exist, and are objectively much safer than marching into the bush with a rifle and a few days' worth of food. The challenge is logistics, expense, and the complicated politics of a country where every sovereignty, faction, corporation, syndicate and government body has an opinion about where you are going and why.

Strategic movements are managed by Transit, an abstraction of long-distance movement between significant locations. Unlike a Journey, a Transit assumes established infrastructure in the form of roads, railways, air routes and shipping lanes. The party does not navigate, they simply choose a method, acquire the means, and go.

Each Transit has two characteristics:

• Distance: Expressed in days at the chosen method's standard pace.

To get a sense of scale, it is recommended to read the Regions and Territories of the Oceanykan Federation map.

Transit is not limited to The Oceanykan Federation. Strategic movements to distant locations, such as The Republic of Mardasia (known by old-timers as New Zealand), Okinawa in The State of Japan, Taiwan (officially The Republic of China), The Republic of Indonesia, The Malaysian Federation, The Imperial Domain of Kaiser-Willhelmsland, etc. is perfectly doable. Anywhere in Earth is accessible. However, it should be noted that Oceanykans aren't welcome in much of the world, which sticks to a series of strange and byzantine concepts, such as "passports", "visas", "anti-smuggling operations" and a myriad other things. While it is perfectly normal for a wealthy Oceanykan entrepreneur to sail around in a leisure gun frigate with a jury-rigged anti-air missile system, a company-size armoury, multiple kilograms of narcotics and a security detail that looks more like a group of well-paid pirates, these activities are not welcome in the "civilised" world.

As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans. However, it is undeniable that the world market is a lucrative thing, since as abundant as Oceanyka is in cheap natural resources, manufactured goods are significantly expensive, and vice-versa. It might even be worth evading United States Navy or Kaiserliche Marine naval patrols to partake in less than moral international deals when millions of pounds are on the line. However, actually shooting back is not recommended.

International Transit Distance, its limitations and opportunities are set by the GM depending on where the player party wants to go and why.

• Route: The path available to get there.

NR&R Corridor: The highways and railroads of the National Rail & Road System, which cover most of the continent, and are practically mandatory for crossing the Outback or the Great Dividing Range.

Maritime Corridor: Following the coastline or river network by boat. In the case of International Transit, this usually involves entering the high seas.

Aerial Corridor: Point-to-point between major urban centres. In the mid-1960s, practically every major city has a working airport.

Off-Corridor Route: Transit between two Regions is still possible even if no infrastructure is available, but it is then governed by the Travel Rules. Expect a very long Journey.

Transit Events

Once per Transit, the GM rolls 1d6 privately at the outset, representing the overall complication level of the transit rather than an event at a specific moment.

Transit Complications (d12)

Transport Options

• Hitching a Ride
  Cost: Free | Speed: Unpredictable | Scrutiny: None | Route: NR&R Corridor

The oldest and least reliable form of long-distance travel. A raised thumb at the roadside, a conversation at a truck stop, a favour called in at the right moment. In Oceanyka, most people who stop are genuinely helpful. Most.

Hitching requires no papers and no money, but it is slow and unpredictable. A CHA skill check helps secure a ride when options are scarce. Visibly armed and heavily equipped parties impose a Hard DM on this skill check unless weapons are properly concealed or relatively non-threatening. Nobody wants to give a ride to a guy with a Light Machinegun ⚡ in the family ute. It is also good practice to help pay for tolls and fuel. Failure to attend to this custom may result in getting violently kicked out of the vehicle for being cheap.

Regardless of circumstances, you couldn't expect someone to give you a ride for more than 1 day, at most 2 days. They say guests start smelling at the third day! Especially when they're complete strangers. Additionally, the possibility of hitching a ride is based on the party size. Giving four blokes a ride is already a hard decision, but nobody is going to give four players and their six mercenary NPCs a ride anywhere for free.

The party has no control over speed, route, or company. The GM rolls 1d6 to determine who stops:

• Armoured Bus
  Cost: £10 per head per day | Speed: Moderate | Scrutiny: Moderate | Route: NR&R Corridor

Scheduled commercial passenger services running fixed routes along the National Rail & Road System highway network. The armoured bus is exactly what it sounds like: a reinforced coach with steel plating, mesh windows, and a private security detail aboard. It is neither elegant nor comfortable, but it gets there, usually in one piece.

Tickets are purchased at departure terminals. Neither identity nor baggage are rigorously checked, but the security personnel are observant and will notice anything obviously suspicious. The party cannot openly carry heavy weapons without attracting immediate attention, they must be stored in the baggage compartment. A small Handgun ⚡ or a short Melee 🪓 weapon can usually pass unremarked, if the bearer has any composure at all: force a CHA skill check if the security detail grows suspicious. Finally, an armoured bus is unable to carry heavy cargo. Hire a hauler for that.

Armed escorts deter most opportunistic threats. They do not deter enemies who know the party is aboard, or those with the connections and funds necessary to bribe said escorts.

Transit distance is approximately 1 day longer than the base estimate due to scheduled stops.

• Train Ride
  Cost: £20 per head per day + cargo fees | Speed: Fast | Scrutiny: High | Route: NR&R Corridor

The fastest ground option in Oceanyka, and the most comfortable by a significant margin. Passenger carriages, a dining car and the continent's scenery passing outside the window like a movie. The National Rail Workers Syndicate runs a tight ship and is intensely proud of it. Syndicate inspectors patrol the trains and are not easily fooled. They are also deeply suspicious of government agents, military personnel, visibly armed individuals of dubious affiliation and anyone who looks as though they might not be paying their full fare.

Rail fees are levied at origin stations. One advantage of train rides is that they can carry cargo, for a substantially greater fee, of course, as this requires freight carriages, and usually results in more questions.

Jumping the rattler, or riding without paying, is possible but ill-advised. The phrase refers to jumping a rattlesnake: technically survivable, certain to bite eventually. Every party member must choose a method to get through:

• Planning ahead: Hard DM INT skill check before departure to identify unmanned boarding points or gaps in inspector schedules.
• Bluffing through: Hard DM CHA skill check when confronted, with a plausible story prepared.
• Physical evasion: Hard DM DEX skill check to avoid inspection entirely.

Failure at any stage means detention at the next station, a significant fine, and a record in the Syndicate's files. Repeat offenders are blacklisted from rail travel altogether, or if they pulled the wrong nerve, their head gains a bounty.

Transit distance is approximately 1 day shorter than the base estimate due to the fact trains move day and night in a straight line.

• Highway Trip
  Cost: Vehicle-dependent | Speed: Vehicle-dependent | Scrutiny: Low | Route: NR&R Corridor

The highway runs alongside the railroad, maintained by the Public Works Service, a bitter rival of the Syndicate of "trainwrecks", and equally proud of their asphalt. Highway travel requires the party's own vehicles. Tolls are collected at booths spaced along major routes and calculated by vehicle unit and class as follows:

Note that tolls increase at a very rapid rate for heavy armoured vehicles, which are notorious for tearing up asphalt. While the Public Works Service is perfectly capable of fixing the damage, they don't appreciate the time, resources and labour it takes to maintain a highway just because someone decided a cross-continental road trip on their surplus heavy tank was a great idea for a weekend.

Travelling large distances in a Mecha 🦿 is very impractical. If the party possesses one, they should find another way to transport it, such as in the back of a semi-truck.

The highway offers what the train cannot: flexibility. The party can divert onto Operational Map roads at any point, stop wherever they choose, and travel at their own pace. They are also entirely responsible for their own FUEL, SUPPLY, and security.

Toll evasion is easier than jumping the rattler, since Public Works Service booths are less vigilantly staffed, but still carries consequences if caught: fines, vehicle impoundment, and possibly, if their buttons are pushed, a conveniently placed remotely detonated IED.

• Commercial Flight
  Cost: £100 per head per Region | Speed: Extreme | Scrutiny: Very High | Route: Aerial Corridor

Commercial airlines connect the major urban centres of Oceanyka. A journey that takes six days by train takes six hours by air. For parties with money and clean identities, it is by far the most efficient option for serious distances.

Security is tight both at the airport and in the skies. Aircraft travel with Fighter ⚡ escorts where possible, airports have armed security, and the private air marshals are a standard fixture of Oceanykan commercial aviation. This is not paranoia, it is pragmatism in a country where hijacking and aerial piracy are real risks.

The scrutiny that comes with this safety is considerable. Passengers are registered by name. Baggage is inspected. The party cannot bring heavy weapons, explosives, or dangerous equipment aboard without either bribing the right people (Hard DM CHA skill check, significant cost) or arranging freight documentation in advance (Hard DM INTcheck, paperwork, additional time). False identities require a Very Hard DM CHA skill check if questioned, especially due to the advent of electronic databases.

Air routes do not reach rural or remote locations. The party will need to transition to Operational Map travel for any final leg not served by an airstrip.

Aerial transit always lasts 1 Day at most, possibly less. This also applies for International Transit.

• Commercial Boat or Ferry
  Cost: £10 per head per day + cargo fees | Speed: Slow | Scrutiny: Moderate | Route: Maritime Corridor

Coastal shipping and river ferry services connect ports, coastal settlements, and river towns that the National Rail & Road System cannot easily reach. They are the slowest option on this list, but they move cargo that other methods cannot: vehicles, heavy equipment, large quantities of supplies, and anything too awkward for a freight car, at a lower cargo fee than trains. They are the most efficient cargo transport, and by far, the most efficient way to transport bulk quantities of goods not only across Oceanyka, but across the world. The players must negotiate said cargo fees with the ship's captain, resolved at the GM's discretion.

Security is present but thinly spread. Pirates in Oceanykan coastal waters are a permanent concern, and many captains are quietly open to an arrangement: discounted or free passage in exchange for security duties. A party with visible combat experience will find this conversation easy to have.

Customs at port is less rigorous than at an airport but more thorough than a highway toll booth. A CHA or INT skill check smooths through awkward cargo. Failing that, a convincing manifest and the appropriate payment to the appropriate person. Oceanykan port inspectors are notoriously corrupt, which is a feat considering the level of corruption across the country.

River ferry services are cheap, frequent, and almost entirely unescorted. They are short-range by nature, useful for crossing an obstacle rather than covering serious distance, but they ask almost no questions. River ferries are especially useful in the large riverine systems of the Murray-Darling Basin. A complete map of navigable or semi-navigable rivers can be found here: Auxiliary - Hydrological Map of Oceanyka.