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Hexcrawl Design Checklist

Overview

A hexcrawl is wilderness exploration using a hex map where players have enough information to make meaningful choices about where to go next. The game only works when time pressure, variable movement, and risk interact. The map is not the game; the hexcrawl rules are.

The gold standard framework: every hex is keyed, regions have unique encounter tables, there are factions competing over the land, and a calendar makes time matter.

Component 1: Hexcrawl Rules

The hexcrawl procedure needs at minimum:

Element Purpose
Variable movement Road vs. swamp vs. mountain speed; makes route choice meaningful
Time & risk (turns) Each turn: move, then hazard check. No risk = no weight to choices
Travel actions Rest, scout, hunt, climb landmark — each costs a turn
Getting lost Three elements: how to avoid it, consequences (lose the map), how to recover (landmark or NPC)
Sleep & starvation Draconian rules work not because they trigger often but because their invisible weight shapes every inventory decision

Overloaded encounter die (Hazard System / Necropraxis) is the cleanest implementation: one die roll per turn resolves encounters, supply depletion, and environmental events simultaneously.

Component 2: Hexmap Terrain

Quick hex map construction:

  1. Mountains/hills + coastline — anchor features that determine everything else
  2. Rivers — flow from elevated hexes to coast/lakes; run along hex edges; serve as crossing obstacles
  3. Forests — patches near mountains and varied climate areas
  4. Badlands/wetlands — non-ocean side of mountains for deserts; coastal for wetlands
  5. Region names — two-word names for terrain clusters (Frog Marshes, Cradle Wood)
  6. Settlements — city near river/water; 1d6 towns within 1d6 hexes; 2d6 villages scattered
  7. Roads — connect settlements; major/minor/trail based on settlement weight

Standard hex size: 6 miles (a day of cautious overland travel covers ~4 hexes on roads). 3-mile hexes are a defensible alternative for pseudo-medieval density.

Do not subhexcrawl. Abstracted exploration turns cover within-hex movement cleanly. If the 6-mile hex is too large, switch scale globally; don't stack hex sizes.

Component 3: Hex Connections

Give players enough information to make non-random route choices. Tools: - Provide the map — but strip it when they're lost - Climb for scouting — spending a turn on high ground reveals adjacent landmarks - Rumors — foreshadow what's in unexplored hexes - Terrain inference — players who know the Frog Marshes know the Notch Fells are probably harder

Component 4: Key Hex Classification

Use the Landmark / Hidden / Secret framework (Anne Hunter, DIY & Dragons):

Tier Availability Cost
Landmark Automatic on entry — no asking needed Free
Hidden Automatic after spending a turn exploring Time + encounter risk
Secret Never guaranteed — requires roll, skill, or investigation Uncertain cost
  • Nearly every hex: landmark feature (or just the dominant terrain)
  • ~4-in-6 hexes: at least one hidden feature
  • Few hexes: secret feature

Landmark features are often what gives the hex its name. Dungeon entrances are typically hidden. Secondary entrances to the same dungeon may be secret.

Component 5: Subhexcrawls — Don't

Resist the urge to zoom into hexes with sub-hex procedures. Abstract exploration turns handle within-hex movement. Zoom in only for specific adventure sites (which get their own maps). If 6-mile hexes feel too coarse, resize everything rather than nesting scales.

Component 6: Random Encounter Tables

Each region needs its own encounter table — this is how you define what a region is. Per the West Marches model:

  • Region tables are the definition of each territory — building them forces design decisions about ecology, hazards, tone
  • Include cross-region spillover entries (e.g., roll on the adjacent region's table at weighted odds)
  • Combine two results for complex encounters (a bear trapped in quicksand)
  • Day/night split tables add ecological depth cheaply

Good encounters: broadcast clearly (information), offer multiple engagement modes (choice), have significant consequences (impact).

Context-sensitive tables: add modifiers to encounter rolls based on faction control (+1 on roads in hostile territory, etc.) to create genuine routing dilemmas.

Component 7: Calendars & Forecasts

Adventures occur in space and time. A calendar prevents temporal railroading (whatever day the players arrive, a festival happens — the "Quantum Birthday"). Give players:

  • A known calendar of festivals and events — players plan around them; referees place encounters at temporal nexuses
  • Seasonal mechanics — winter should meaningfully disincentivize travel; summer rewards it
  • Weather forecasts — players can make informed risk decisions

Tempus Fudge It (Prismatic Wasteland) provides a procedure that attaches seasonal/weather changes to the overloaded encounter die rather than requiring bookkeeping.

Component 8: Factions

Factions compete for the hexes. Faction territory: - Modifies encounter tables (patrols are more common on roads they control) - Gives players meaningful choices: allying with one faction pisses off their rivals - Creates dynamic encounters beyond random monster-vs-party fights

Five Factions Feuding / 5-Point Conflict Map — create five factions, map positive/negative relationships between all pairs. The process fleshes them out. Formula: some creature + some distinctive behavior = a faction.

Component 9: History & Rumors

History gives the referee internal consistency — knowing why the ruins are there helps stock them logically and generate coherent rumors.

Rumors tie all components together. Players hear about: - New locations (hex features not yet visited) - What lives where (encounter table flavor) - Upcoming events (calendar) - Faction activities (faction relations) - Setting history (why things are the way they are)

Don't over-prep history. Keep bullet-point notes. Let ruins ask the question: "Who built this and how did it fall?" The answer stocks the dungeon and generates rumors.

The Hexcrawl–Pointcrawl Combo

Long-distance travel (ocean, space, between continents) runs best as a pointcrawl. Individual islands or regions run as hexcrawls. Combine: macro-scale pointcrawl connecting hexcrawl-scale exploration zones.

Cairn Hexcrawl Procedure (Quick Reference)

A compact procedure from the Cairn adaptation: - Hexes are typically ~10 km (6 miles); unencumbered characters can cross ~4 per day on open terrain - Travel checks resolve getting lost by terrain type - Watch-based turns (usually 3 per day: morning, afternoon, night); each watch can have a travel action - Hazard die rolled each watch; multiple results can stack

See Also

Sources

  • https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/hexcrawl-checklist-part-one
  • https://www.prismaticwasteland.com/blog/hexcrawl-checklist-part-two
  • https://cairnrpg.com/hacks/third-party/hexcrawl-procedures/
  • https://psionicblastfromthepast.blogspot.com/2019/07/west-marches-original-dungeons-and_29.html