Campaign Map and Landmark Filling

[dymondy2k]

I'm glad somebody else found hextml.. Its a pretty nifty for making hex maps on the fly.

[feveredmonk]

The only reason I don’t use it for screen sharing is because PCs should be able to get lost in the wilderness, which I’m not sure how to represent when they can see where they are on the map. Let me know if you come up with a solution to this!

Merry Xmas!

Would they get lost if they were mapping along the way? I recall doing something like this in the paper and pencil days of B/X D&D. Our DM let us map along the way, but we had to make checks to not get lost. If we got lost, which was rare as we were mapping, we had a to start a new map. Eventually, comparing the new map to the old one, we figured out where we were and went back to the original map.

I suppose that's possible with this, as the DM could start a new map after they're lost? Say a snowstorm or they flee an encounter?

Merry Christmas and I'll raise you a Happy New Year!

[Blorpy]

Would they get lost if they were mapping along the way? I recall doing something like this in the paper and pencil days of B/X D&D. Our DM let us map along the way, but we had to make checks to not get lost. If we got lost, which was rare as we were mapping, we had a to start a new map. Eventually, comparing the new map to the old one, we figured out where we were and went back to the original map.

I suppose that's possible with this, as the DM could start a new map after they're lost? Say a snowstorm or they flee an encounter?

Merry Christmas and I'll raise you a Happy New Year!

I spent a few days going back and forth on this, and ultimately changed my mind about not showing them the map. I think having to map it yourself would be fun for me as a player, but it wouldn't be fun for my group. So I created a simple set of procedures for hexcrawling in my game that allows players to see the map, choose which hex they're trying to move to, but still be able to get "lost". Being lost means more that they veer off course but still can understand where they are on the map in meta terms. It makes it a little more video-gamey, which is a trade-off, but I think they'd be very confused otherwise.

Also, pardon the metric. I'm Canadian, so we do some things like distances in metric, and other things like height/weight in imperial.

(EDIT: Looking this over again now, it occurs to me that moon cycles could be meaningful too if the PCs were to try to do any nighttime travelling. Doesn't have to be anything fancy. Could be as simple as 14 days/month the night is navigable with clear skies, and the other 14 days it's not).

hexcrawl-example.png (329.25 KiB) Viewed 2645 times

[Beowulf]

I spent a few days going back and forth on this, and ultimately changed my mind about not showing them the map. I think having to map it yourself would be fun for me as a player, but it wouldn't be fun for my group. So I created a simple set of procedures for hexcrawling in my game that allows players to see the map, choose which hex they're trying to move to, but still be able to get "lost". Being lost means more that they veer off course but still can understand where they are on the map in meta terms. It makes it a little more video-gamey, which is a trade-off, but I think they'd be very confused otherwise.

I think you hit it on the head. Online play has some advantages and disadvantages. I'd think to err on the side of showing more map since it's not quite as easy for players to coordinate when they're al over the country and not sitting at the same table. There's other ways to mess with 'em besides the map. Overall I really like playing online, and I expect that will be great software for the map elements.

[feveredmonk]

Being lost means more that they veer off course but still can understand where they are on the map in meta terms. It makes it a little more video-gamey, which is a trade-off, but I think they'd be very confused otherwise.

I'm still a map and compass user and it's possible to have an idea of where one is, generally, but not know precisely where one is. So I suppose, depending upon the scale of the hexes, the PCs would know generally where they are, but are otherwise lost "in the hex". That would allow for some skill checks, I suppose, or waiting a few hours to watch celestial objects move, so north can be determined.

Hell, I live in the mountains and never get lost but when I enter a shopping mall I'm immediately lost.

I like what you've come up with, as I'm hoping to use a wilderness component in my campaign soon. Thanks for the posts.

[Dimirag]

Moved to Workshop as material is being shared.

[Blorpy]

Moved to Workshop as material is being shared.

Are you hinting that I should make a supplement from my homebrew hexcrawl rules? I might!

I'm still a map and compass user and it's possible to have an idea of where one is, generally, but not know precisely where one is. So I suppose, depending upon the scale of the hexes, the PCs would know generally where they are, but are otherwise lost "in the hex". That would allow for some skill checks, I suppose, or waiting a few hours to watch celestial objects move, so north can be determined.

Hell, I live in the mountains and never get lost but when I enter a shopping mall I'm immediately lost.

I like what you've come up with, as I'm hoping to use a wilderness component in my campaign soon. Thanks for the posts.

I have had a similar experience as someone who grew up in rural environs. I've never really even used a compass, and although I never know exactly where I am in the wilderness, I always have a pretty good idea. The only thing I really misjudge is how far away something is, but the direction is easy to sense. Ditto to getting lost in malls! I also get lost when coming out of an underground subway

The "walking in circles" result I was a little unsure of adding, as I've never had that experience, but apparently it's been documented that a lot of people actually do this when they can't see the sun or moon. Not to mention "walking in circles" being a fixture in a lot of literature.

[Dimirag]

Are you hinting that I should make a supplement from my homebrew hexcrawl rules? I might!

Not at all, but you can if you wish to. GD is just for discussion, the Workshop is for any and all presented material, even if its not meant nor ends as a supplement.

[dymondy2k]

I think we need to gather all the different hexcrawl and outdoor adventures supplements and look to maybe combining them. There is good stuff in all of them. As for hiding hexes I 'thought' hextml had a 'fog of war function so you can hide what's in a hex?

[Blorpy]

I think we need to gather all the different hexcrawl and outdoor adventures supplements and look to maybe combining them. There is good stuff in all of them.

I agree. I wouldn't be the man to find and collate them all, but seeing as we have found ourselves in the Workshop, I will at least share my own procedures. These were meant as a quick reference for my own use, but something like this might be helpful for new or seasoned GMs looking for hexcrawl ideas.

I was initially pretty lost trying to find cohesive procedures, so I just ended up cobbling together my own. I prefer a very fluid/intuitive gaming style, and as such tend to dispense with any rules that are either a) hard to remember, b) slow the game down in any way, or c) break my suspension of disbelief too much. I hope this supplement reflects that design philosophy!

As for hiding hexes I 'thought' hextml had a 'fog of war function so you can hide what's in a hex?

Hextml does indeed! Though I actually use Owlbear Rodeo for my online games, which also has fog of war. It's such an easy tool that my players understood it immediately.