Expedition Types

Day Trip (Default — One Session)

The standard expedition. Depart, reach quest site, run five beats, return. Travel is typically montaged. Debrief happens at session end or asynchronously.

Overnight Expedition (Two Sessions)

For quests too far, complex, or significant to resolve in one sitting.

Session One: Journey and first 2-3 beats. Ends with the party making camp.

The Camp Scene: Characters pair off for watch. Quiet conversations. The GM describes the night — stars, sounds, weather. Each pair gets 2-5 minutes of in-character conversation. Brief but atmospheric: seasoning, not the main course. Good moments to drop subtle omens, let characters process what’s happened, or deliver a seeded discovery.

Session Two: Remaining beats and conclusion. Party is committed — resources partially spent, no easy retreat.

Tier Boundary Expeditions

Tier boundary quests should almost always be overnight expeditions. These aren’t just the hardest quests — they’re the one thing left undone. The loose end that’s been nagging.

When a player looks at their mostly-full personal hex map and says “Before I move on, I need to…” — that’s a tier boundary expedition.

A character’s transition from one tier to the next is the end of a chapter. Compressing it into a single session undersells it. The overnight format gives the moment room to breathe — for atmosphere, reflection, and the sense that this quest cost something.

Tier Reference

Tier	Level Range	Settlement Type
1	1-4	Village
2	5-10	Town
3	11-16	City
4	17+	Capital / Metropolis