In most cRPGs, the journey is trivial, but not Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny. That's why no one who's played it forgets it.
In The Lord of the Rings and other great fantasy novels, the journey gives substance to the work, space for character growth, and context for the "encounters," whether deadly battles, tests of wits, or forgotten ruins.
ROA understood that. Jokingly but aptly described as The Oregon Trail's spiritual successor, it uses hardship, logistics, beauty, and even emptiness to make every encounter more meaningful and the quest more real. The land's breadth is both an invitation and a challenge, something we tried to capture in Fallen Gods.
Assembling a map is key to finding the titular Blade of Destiny... but after all these years, it's not those scraps of parchment or the magic sword that I remember. It's the world between them.