What the HEX!? Hexploration explained

[@TheTalentedMrWulf]

Hey guys, great video as usual. You bring up a ton of good points, particularly about the troubles with hexcrawls for certain groups. Like a lot of facets of the game that are only just now being shaved off by the Remaster, PF2E's hexploration rules originate from back when wilderness survival was an entirely separate bolt on game to D&D. There are a ton of great tools / advice that comes from ye early days of gaming. A big thing that gets forgotten or bypassed from some of the best old hex crawls are nested tables so that you don't just have a random encounter - you have context. You don't just run across 2d6 bandits, you run across 2d6 bandits -deserting their boss -returning from a raid -escorting prisoners -licking their wounds from a fight with (other encounter) -brokering peace with (Another encounter). The first time you roll a dragon, the dragon doesn't appear - you see it off in the distance or find one of its kills. You modify encounter tables based on proximity to static points of interest. This hex of woods is the sentient ghost spider lair, so spider encounters happen more here OR my players keep rolling goddamn spiders on the table, time to make a big bespoke spider den nearby. Tomb of Annihilation is a fun and flavorful adventure, it is a butt cheeks hexcrawl, and Kingmaker gets its praise from interesting hex crawls with kingdom building, not from the strength of its crawl alone. For an idea of what I'm talking about, look up Wilderlands of High Fantasy. Hexception and rollable tables all the way down, in ways that promote emergent gameplay, and so much that can be automated now. Also, hex crawl setting tax - the real world blew up and the Faewild/First World/Wyld has taken as many refugees as it can, and is rapidly expanding, having also absorbed some tech with it. Players ride the new ever growing railroad, stopping where new stations grow and exploring/mapping the new world at each station. Let players explore as little or as long as they want at each one and never run the same game twice.

[@Rashagar]

Absolutely not boring me with the pre-topic chats and catch up

[@matthijsbouma]

most of the preparation is indeed done for me with the foundry module. futhermore, I got an entire library of random encounter maps. I also plan on running kingmaker as an open sandbox game with the AP as a structure and all the other things, maybe some homebrew quests, small adventures in the meantime, or copy/paste oneshot modules into the world

[@antoniogutierrez7491]

Talking about the Notion folder with all the AP information made me think "yes! Exactly!" I spend too much time just transferring information from the PDF to Obsidian, then I end up breaking it down into bullet points. That time could be better spent on other prep activities.

[@IM-Silviu]

Osmosis Jones, just remembered it because of Chris Rock

[@shaunventura6043]

IMO hexcrawls are the best tool to give an area in the setting a sense of place. They tend to struggle with heavy handed narratives and do better with the emergent story of a loose metaplot.

[@biocode4478]

a favorite pen makes it difficult but notes taken at a common platform could help with everyone being able to take a peek as needed

[@callejunkkari2076]

Dayumn, my absolute fav boardgame on the table!

[@matthijsbouma]

hexcrawl in absolom!! :D

[@bl00dywelld0ne]

We need to get the view count uuuuuuup

[@ArrestingWriter]

just in time for my kingmaker campaign. session 0 is in 3 days

[@matthijsbouma]

here in about 2 weeks session 1 :D

[@leonelegender]

Watch dolmenwood campaign from the 3d6 down the line channel to see what a real hex crawler feels like, it's eye opener

[@duncbot9000]

A big problem I have right now with homebrew campaign hexcrawl / free exploration is the scale. I made a map and just kinda put a hex grid on it, without knowing how far apart things should be.

[@duncbot9000]

Okay, end of the video discussion of scale doesn't matter, hex crawl inside a giant creature. Amazing stuff, makes me feel better. Just use the scale as a way to make distinct encounter regions, okay.

[@duncbot9000]

37:22 grown man begs

[@RexfelisLXIX]

Cells at work.

[@valvadis2360]

I only skip the "what we played" section because i'm playing one of the same APs now. Very entertaining otherwise.