Hexcrawl Checklist: Part One

Created: 2023-08-02T22:01:34-05:00

Time and risk are important during travel, or else the whole concept of "crawling" hexes becomes trivial.

Hex traversal is a turn-based strategic game.

Hidden information: something you don't know but can get by asking, looking hard, spending time.

Secret information: something that is appreciably hard to obtain. Requires good rolls, dungeon runs, spending time on the strategic map making checks.

Subhex: breaking hexes in to smaller hexes. Article recommends avoiding this unless you have a good reason.

Come up with roll tables for weather systems and encounters.

Come up with regional rumors and local history.

Creating a hex map

• Draw out a coast line and add mountains/hills
• Draw rivers. Remember they flow down hill.
• Add forests and vegetation.
• Add other biomes; deserts, swamps, marshes, plains, etc.
• Draw map borders and name the territories.
• Place the settlements.
• Add roads between settlements.
• Describe a landmark at each hex.
• Add hidden landmarks to many hexes.
• Add secret landmarks to some hexes.