I’ve seen the unlimited vacation days work out well at some places but I think the big thing is that you can never really be sure it’s going to be approved. I’ve seen folks take sabbaticals but I also know they did a lot of work to make sure they had coverage in their jobs, and they had to plan...
I think there are definitely moments of exposition - it’s pretty difficult when you are DMing in this case not to let some creep in - but I think the key is he doesn’t dwell on it for long. Right now, I’m enjoying the setup. We’ve got a dead political firebrand, a sabotaged escape attempt, and...
@Staffan - All true, but my point remains.
We don’t “vote” for the next game system. It’s designed.
And each edition had its pros and cons, fans and haters, and each one ended up living on in other games, either directly or as strong inspiration.
Nobody "voted" for them. They were design changes made by the game designers. Each edition continues to be played to this day. Pathfinder was created because there were enough people who wanted to continue playing 3.5e instead of moving on to 4e. Games like 13th Age, Draw Steel, and Lancer...
None of those are really hex crawls.
Check out Odyssey of the Dragonlords for an example of a good 5e hexcrawl IMO (by Modiphius).
I agree that exploration gets short shrift in the core 5e books, despite claims that it's a pillar.
But, I'm still at a total loss for what your original post...
Okay, but good by what standard? Good by the standards of 2e or 3e? Or good by the standards of 5e?
The time limit in Tomb of Annihilation is just a story device. It's not a requirement for other 5e hex crawls.
Okay, they're different systems. You have to adjust your expectations to each system. It's not that you can't do a hex crawl in 5e, it's that a hex crawl in 5e works differently there than it does in earlier editions. Is that your point?
Another move away from early D&D editions where picking locks was the thing that thieves did as part of their class to it being more of a background obstacle that the rules allow you to skirt past?