Walking speed?

[briansommers]

B17 gives the basic move as 5yds/second, then in second paragraph in middle column from the top it mentions that this is the speed for running.
What’s the move speed for walking? (I’m guessing about 2 yds/s?)

Also is there a chart that would show moment rates in yards/second for different animals? Horses, mule, oxen,etc?

I’m trying to create a very detailed and realistic wilderness travel setting. I’ll be doing this solitaire as a “hexcrawl”

[Varyon]

The way I generally look at it, Sprinting (full-out running) is 1.2xMove, Running is 1xMove, Jogging is 0.6xMove (half Sprint speed), Fast Walking is 0.3xMove (half Jogging speed), and Leisure Walking is 0.15xMove (half Walking). I think the improved Hiking rules from High Tech work out to somewhere around Fast Walking, but I'm away from my books at the moment.

A quick look online indicates average walking speed is somewhere around Move 1.5, which for an average (Move 5) person is right at that 0.3xMove for Fast Walking, which I guess means that number really just matches, well, Walking speed.

[DemiBenson]

Real humans without mobility impairment who are just walking (and not fast-walking or anything faster) walk in the range of 1-2 yds/sec.

So Varyon’s numbers look pretty good to me.

[Stormcrow]

See Kromm's summary.

The short version:

Move 1: slow walk.
Move 2: everyday walk.
Move 3: sustainable job for almost anyone.
Move 4: running.
Move 5: average top speed while still able to maneuver.
Move 6: average straight-line sprint speed.

However, these speeds don't consider the effects of fatigue over hours of travel. The rules for hiking are on page 351, which is summarized as Move minus Encumbrance, times 10, in miles per day, under ideal conditions.

Most people find an average of 50 miles per day to be too much and propose ways to cut down the number. As long as they are still just functions of Basic Move, they're not going to be any more "realistic" than the normal way of doing it, though they may yield more plausible numbers.

Either way, there are lots of modifiers to hiking, including terrain, weather, roads, and skill, and hiking will hold hikers to a reduced FP total, as per page 426.

[Rupert]

To compare with real life, 1 yard/turn is about 2 miles per hour. An easy stroll is about 2 mph, a nice walk about 3 mph, and a good fast walk (the sort that the unfit and those with lingering injuries probably can't keep up for long) is about 4 mph.

This translates to 1, 1.5, and 2 yards/turn.

[mburr0003]

Originally Posted by Rupert

To compare with real life, 1 yard/turn is about 2 miles per hour. An easy stroll is about 2 mph, a nice walk about 3 mph, and a good fast walk (the sort that the unfit and those with lingering injuries probably can't keep up for long) is about 4 mph.

This translates to 1, 1.5, and 2 yards/turn.

That matches my experiences back when I could, and did, walk everywhere. I did 75ish miles in two days once without really pushing myself (I walked from Orlando to Melbourne for an event, luckily I had a ride back because I needed to be home the day after the event).

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by mburr0003

That matches my experiences back when I could, and did, walk everywhere. I did 75ish miles in two days once without really pushing myself (I walked from Orlando to Melbourne for an event, luckily I had a ride back because I needed to be home the day after the event).

My experience is that if you haven't been doing it regularly there's a significant limit on how many hours you can manage; someone with moderate fitness and no hiking skill might manage 4 mph for an hour or 3 mph for several hours, but not for a full twelve hour day two days in a row.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by mburr0003

That matches my experiences back when I could, and did, walk everywhere. I did 75ish miles in two days once without really pushing myself (I walked from Orlando to Melbourne for an event, luckily I had a ride back because I needed to be home the day after the event).

Originally Posted by Anthony

My experience is that if you haven't been doing it regularly there's a significant limit on how many hours you can manage; someone with moderate fitness and no hiking skill might manage 4 mph for an hour or 3 mph for several hours, but not for a full twelve hour day two days in a row.

Originally Posted by Rupert

To compare with real life, 1 yard/turn is about 2 miles per hour. An easy stroll is about 2 mph, a nice walk about 3 mph, and a good fast walk (the sort that the unfit and those with lingering injuries probably can't keep up for long) is about 4 mph.

This translates to 1, 1.5, and 2 yards/turn.

Concur - 4mph, plus a minute per contour is Naismith's rule for hiking, and back in the day, was pretty effective at planning movement even with a full bergen and kit ... these days, not so much.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Concur - 4mph, plus a minute per contour is Naismith's rule for hiking, and back in the day, was pretty effective at planning movement even with a full bergen and kit ... these days, not so much.

Recent experience confirms this. IT turns out that 1) I no longer walk at 4 mph for more than short periods (minutes, not hours), and that 2) I don't walk at 3 mph for more than half an hour without a break. Age and lack of extended exercise takes its toll.

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Concur - 4mph, plus a minute per contour is Naismith's rule for hiking, and back in the day, was pretty effective at planning movement even with a full bergen and kit ... these days, not so much.

Terrain and elevation changes are certainly a prime variable in how much distance you can cover.

Another almost as big is 'What is the weather today?' 'What was it last week?'

You will move a lot slower if you are trying to walk through waist high snowdrifts. If it has been raining every other day for two weeks the mud could well be nearly as hindering. Hiking in an 'honest to God straight down Baptist rain' will also slow you up some.

If you are looking at a military unit on the march vs solo hiker then the weather is arguably more important.