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Exploration & Wilderness

Travel is a pressure game. Use this page for fast hexcrawl/pointcrawl turns, then drill down when you need custom procedures.

At-a-Glance

Play Mode Routes

Solo Route

  • Keep map reveal narrow: one route branch per travel decision.
  • Tie each travel leg to one personal objective clock.
  • Use hazards to force hard tradeoffs, not random dead-ends.

Duet Route

  • Present two route choices and one rumor at each node.
  • Keep support NPC load minimal and temporary.
  • Default to fast scene cadence: travel -> obstacle -> consequence.

Table Route (Party)

  • Offer three route lanes with different risk/reward profiles.
  • Rotate navigation, scouting, and supply spotlight across players.
  • Use faction or weather responses to keep shared consequences visible.

Choose Your Map Mode (Beginner)

  • Grid: pick this for strict distance counting and tactical precision.
  • Hexgrid: pick this for open-region exploration with easy growth.
  • Pointcrawl: pick this for fastest startup and route-first discovery.

If unsure, start hexgrid and add local pointcrawl overlays for cities or dense ruins.

Player Quick Rules (Field Use)

  • Before moving, pick pace: cautious, standard, forced.
  • Ask one navigation question per leg: safest, fastest, or richest route.
  • Mark one shared objective per day of travel.
  • Carry one contingency supply per explorer (light, water, charge cell, or rope equivalent).

Referee Procedure Loop (Exploration Turn)

  1. Establish route choice and travel pace.
  2. Resolve navigation and visibility.
  3. Advance time, supplies, and fatigue pressure.
  4. Trigger one environmental response (hazard, weather, encounter, or clue).
  5. Reveal at least one actionable landmark detail.
  6. Offer next route fork or camp/extract decision.

Use Wilderness Adventuring OSE SRD and Time, Weight, and Movement OSE SRD as baseline timing/math references.

Sci-Fantasy Wilderness Events (d12)

d12 Event
1 Broken orbital mirror ignites one hex at dusk.
2 Pilgrim convoy offers trade for route intel.
3 Bioelectric fog drains one power source unless grounded.
4 Rust-wyrm spoor leads to salvage-rich sinkhole.
5 Choir tower emits signals only old radios can parse.
6 Gravity pocket flips pack order and encumbrance assumptions.
7 Territorial drone mistakes party for trespass labor.
8 Fungal bloom marks safe water and hidden predators.
9 Relic bridge reboots for exactly one crossing turn.
10 Scavenger map fragment points to a false landmark first.
11 Sandglass storm obscures tracks but reveals buried structures.
12 Silent caravan asks for escort, then vanishes at dawn.

One-Click Deep Dives

Route Structures

Regional Generation and Infrastructure Play

See Also