Getting Around Seattle, Abstract Commuter Times Options

[BluSponge]

Hey all,

Ok, so I'm nearly done with one of the projects I've been prepping for when I actually start running this game. Pretty simple really – a beefed up location index of Seattle with useful information. As part of this, I'm hoping to record the security rating of the surrounding area of each location, which has taken me down the very weedy rabbit hole I'm hoping to avoid in the future: using maps of Seattle in play. Yes, it's nice to know that Bob's Chop Shop is located in the International District of Seattle. Even better to know what sort of Security the players are looking at when the bullets start flying. There's plenty of game information on that score.

But this led to another small twist that I'm hoping some other folks have long since solved: travel times within and between districts in Seattle. Yes, I realize I can just hand wave such things. But you know, sometimes it would be handy to know how long it takes to get from point A to B. Is it worth taking the freeway and risk running into a go-gang? Can the driver get the crew to the Barrens before Knight Errant or Lone Star block off the access points? Is there any value in knowing a short cut?

God knows, I'm not looking for anything hard core here. I don't want to spend any more time on this than maybe count some squares on a grid and throw some dice against a character's drive skill. I want HOW they get from point A to point B to matter.

So is there anything out there that has already done the work for me?

Tom

[Trillinon]

I've done the work, in that I've lived in Seattle my whole life, but I've never written it down.

That said, I've always run on the theory (in real life) that it takes half an hour to get anywhere by car, and an hour by public transit.

The truth is a little more granular, of course, so here are some rough guidelines:

It takes about 45 minutes to drive from Seattle to either Tacoma or Everett (barring traffic). Double times for public transit.

Assume 15 to 20 minutes to drive between nearby cities, such as Renton to Bellevue.

Walking between districts downtown is about ten minutes per district traveled.

There is a transit tunnel under downtown that runs from the International district, stops at Pioneer Square (The Renraku Archology), University Street (business district, Art Museum, and waterfront), Westlake (shopping district and Pike Place Market), and the Convention Center. It takes about ten minutes to travel the whole thing by bus, and there is always a bus. It takes closer to 30 minutes to walk that far on the streets.

I hope this helps some. If you have questions, let me know.

[hermit]

Here is one of the best maps of Shadowrun Seattle (it also includes the Outremer islands, which is quite rare). For travel times, I personally usually use GoogleMaps, which has a pretty nifty tool for calculating them. Just use a rough area, put start and finish into each's middle and go by that number.

The Seattle Sprawl is larger than you might think. Also, there is no subway system. The Monorail is a lot larger than now and effectively the city's L-train equivalent. Personally, I ruled it follows most major Highways and arterial roads, since that's the only way to feasibly pit a monorail system into an existing city. Fortunatly, it's an American city and the streets should be wide enough.

[Trillinon]

Yeah. The monorail never got expanded in reality (it's a bit of a sore spot with some locals), but we're slowly expanding our elevated light rail, so that would make a good model. Essentially, there should be regular train service running the whole length of I-5 and I-405, and across both floating bridges (I-90, and SR 520). There is also going to be train that runs along SR 167 from Downtown, through Tukwila, Kent, and Auburn, and ending in Tacoma.

[CanRay]

Add 20% to times due to strange things moving along, eating cars, and then moving on creating detours.

[Shaidar]

The major shift though is in population and traffic congestion. I like to think that Seattle 2050 is at least as populous as Manhattan 2011.

Seattle Sourcebook from SR2 gives a population for Downtown as 545,000 within 468 square km, that's 1,164 people per square km. The Seattle 'Plex has a population of 3,089,000 within 3,993 square km, giving a density of 773 per square km overall. These numbers only include SINners even in the Barrens of Redmond and Puyallup.

Manhattan 2011 on the other hand, had a population of 1,619,090 people within 59 square km giving a density of 27,442 people per square km.

[hermit]

Add 20% to times due to strange things moving along, eating cars, and then moving on creating detours.

It's helpful to have NewsNet running when driving!

[BluSponge]

Trillinon,

This is very much the sort of approximation I'm looking for. It sounds like it will convert very easily into a loose framework of dice rolls. I'll play with it more next week and try to post something up when I have it.

Thanks!

As for the google maps solution, I can also see that working. But that's far mor "simulation" than I want in any of my games. Thanks though.

Tom

[Iduno]

Maybe add some sort of roll that gives a percent increase in travel times for congestion/go-gangs/CanRay's "strange things" and a roll for reducing the percentage based on an applicable local knowledge check?

Probably make just add 50% to the travel time for being in the barrens or other places roads aren't in good shape.

[BluSponge]

Maybe add some sort of roll that gives a percent increase in travel times for congestion/go-gangs/CanRay's "strange things" and a roll for reducing the percentage based on an applicable local knowledge check?

Probably make just add 50% to the travel time for being in the barrens or other places roads aren't in good shape.

Yeah, I was thinking about something along the lines of a hazard die. A single (or multiple) d6 that you roll in addition that indicates if you run into a complication. Then roll on a random chart depending on the neighborhood. You might run into traffic or construction, or worse go-gangs or wrecked infrastructure. Most of the time it just adds to your travel time, but sometimes it might lead to an encounter. Haven't given it much thought yet, but it is on my mind.

What is this "CanRay's 'strange things' you mention?

Tom

[CanRay]

"Officer Errant, that tree literally jumped out to hit me!" "You know, normally I hear this from drunks, but the damned thing is actually rooted in the middle of the road. So I'm going to call this one in as well as get a, LOOK OUT, MORE TREES ARE ATTACKING!!!"

[BluSponge]

"Officer Errant, that tree literally jumped out to hit me!" "You know, normally I hear this from drunks, but the damned thing is actually rooted in the middle of the road. So I'm going to call this one in as well as get a, LOOK OUT, MORE TREES ARE ATTACKING!!!"

Just making this up as you go along, or do you have a list? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

TOM

[CanRay]

Just making this up as you go along, or do you have a list? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

TOM

... ... ... Yes.

I *HAD* a list at one time, along with a list of lines for Ghoul Cab, but both got lost with my courier satchel and primary dice bag years ago. I'm going off of what I remember.

"Oh thank Ghost you're here, he just fell right down into the street!" "And you called Animal Control instead of DocWagon or the Hospital... Why?" "It's an animal." "IT'S A FRAGGING DRAGON!!!"

[Blade]

"Officer Errant, that tree literally jumped out to hit me!" "You know, normally I hear this from drunks, but the damned thing is actually rooted in the middle of the road. So I'm going to call this one in as well as get a, LOOK OUT, MORE TREES ARE ATTACKING!!!"

Amazonia: "Let's declare War!"