After attacking a beloved institution last week, the only acceptable follow-up is to describe how it could be improved. It's a graceful and useful transition.
I'm sure that's what your mom said when you told her that her chicken was dry.
So anyway, here are my hexcrawl rules, along with 4 sample hexes.
Option 1: PDF
Option 2: Editable (make a copy, don't ask me for editing rights)
My design goals were
- Simplicity. No bookkeeping unless it leads to #2 or #3.
- Interesting, Meaningful Decisions.
- Interconnectedness. (The hexcrawl should connect to itself. "Random" encounters should still feel connection to the location and events that are happening.)
It's possible that I've missed the point. Maybe I'm focusing too much on treating hexcrawls like dungeoncrawls. Maybe I'm spending too much time on the mechanics and not enough on what makes hexcrawls special, which is the joy of discovery and the journey itself.
Maybe.
Please give me feedback in the comments, especially if you end up using any part of this.