A question of Hexcrawling/Exploration

[Rechan]

Just a question for those that do Hexcrawling, played the Kingmaker AP, or generally do large area exploration:

Do you show the overland map to the players before they've begun exploring?

If you Do, what is on the map? Just geographical things (mountain, forests, river)? Structures? What?

I had thought that not showing a map (or having a covered map and slowly uncovering as they go) was the way to go, but that seemed to upset one group I tried it with.

SO MY DECISION:

I'd be drawing a big poster map of a large area beforehand. That would be the sole overland map.

As far as I'm concerned, my options are either::

1) Draw the overland geography and big huge physical features (I.e. floating landmass etc).

2) Draw the map with all the details. Large structures, etc, but simply provide no explanation of what those things to the players until their characters explore that area.

3) Draw the map with all the details, but cover it with paper and only expose one hex at a time as players traverse. This is harder than it sounds though, especially when you have features that they should be able to see if they climb a tree (like say, the hovering landmass etc).

I'm just trying to gauge which is more advisable based on responses.

 

[Nagol]

To start, I provide as much map as the characters are able to see or otherwise procure.

So in an Isle of Dread situation, the character can see a few miles of land in from the coast and get a map of the coastline they scout with as much deatil as they can see from the ship. If they sail around from their startying location, I fill in the map. When they set foot on land and begin to penetrate inland, the details get fill in as they find them.

If the PCs manage to buy a map for the area I use it as a base (and correct imperfections as they note them).

 

[S'mon]

When I ran a 4e Wilderlands game like this, I just showed the players the GM's version of the local hexmap area, with a lot of stuff marked on it. It was plausible they'd know a fair bit about the area and it gave them useful info & options.

 

[Rechan]

To start, I provide as much map as the characters are able to see or otherwise procure.

So in an Isle of Dread situation, the character can see a few miles of land in from the coast and get a map of the coastline they scout with as much deatil as they can see from the ship. If they sail around from their startying location, I fill in the map. When they set foot on land and begin to penetrate inland, the details get fill in as they find them.

If the PCs manage to buy a map for the area I use it as a base (and correct imperfections as they note them).

Problem is in what I'm looking to do, I'd be drawing a big poster map of a large area beforehand. That would be the sole overland map.

So as far as I'm concerned, my options are either::

1) Draw the overland geography and big huge physical features (I.e. floating landmass etc).

2) Draw the map with all the details. Large structures, etc, but simply provide no explanation of what those things to the players until their characters explore that area.

3) Draw the map with all the details, but cover it with paper and only expose one hex at a time as players traverse. This is harder than it sounds though, especially when you have features that they should be able to see if they climb a tree (like say, the hovering landmass etc).

I'm just trying to gauge which is more advisable based on responses.

 

[Bluenose]

It depends how much effort the players/PCs have made to find out about the area beforehand. If they've researched tales from other travellers, acquainted themselves with previous expeditions, paid natives to act as guides; then they can have a look at a good map of the area beforehane. If they've just turned up and are basing their exploration on what they've seen, then they get to make the map.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

The hexcrawl that I ran was a homebrew, so often even I did not know what would be on the map until the week before the PCs. When I did know, I would draw on stuff like rivers and major cities that they had heard about, but would leave of secret stuff like lost temples.

 

[Crothian]

I show them as much as they would be aware of.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Problem is in what I'm looking to do, I'd be drawing a big poster map of a large area beforehand. That would be the sole overland map.

So as far as I'm concerned, my options are either::

1) Draw the overland geography and big huge physical features (I.e. floating landmass etc).

2) Draw the map with all the details. Large structures, etc, but simply provide no explanation of what those things to the players until their characters explore that area.

3) Draw the map with all the details, but cover it with paper and only expose one hex at a time as players traverse. This is harder than it sounds though, especially when you have features that they should be able to see if they climb a tree (like say, the hovering landmass etc).

I'm just trying to gauge which is more advisable based on responses.

I'd go with #2. That gives the players something to decide, and its a heck of a lot less work for you! (Once you get it done, anyway.)

 

[Agamon]

I had thought that not showing a map (or having a covered map and slowly uncovering as they go) was the way to go, but that seemed to upset one group I tried it with.

Can I ask what the other group was upset with? I'm doing this currently with my hexcrawl, using Hexographer and keeping unexplored hexes tagged as GM-only. No complaints, so I'm curious what your players were telling you.

 

[Rechan]

For the record, the map is of a place they have never been, and can find no loer of. I.e. Lost/New continent, so it's all new. So no research, no heard of anything, nothing.

Can I ask what the other group was upset with? I'm doing this currently with my hexcrawl, using Hexographer and keeping unexplored hexes tagged as GM-only. No complaints, so I'm curious what your players were telling you.

It was a group i only had one session with. They were upset I wasn't drawing a map, and that it seemed like "I didn't have any idea where anything was".

I was just planning to draw the map after the fact, so that they would see where they had explored.

It, and other things, just showed that my DMing style and that group's preferred playing style did not mesh at all.