D&D 5E 5E Hexcrawl? Can it work?

[Werebat]

Will it be possible to run a hexcrawl in a game system that expects 8 or 9 encounters a day?

 

[kbrakke]

I have never run a hexcrawl style game, but 8-9 encounters a day seems like too many based on their suggestions for Adventuring Day xp.
I made a quick spreadsheet using the values in the dmg

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-v9SuXzaKBwun4Fla_BjMTdsgKzVDCaKI2SWtwZus9k/pubhtml

It looks like if you have only easy and medium encounters you will get to 8-9, but if you add hard or deadly encounters you'll stick under that, going as low as 3 if you only have deadly encounters, and 4-5 if you only have hard encounters

I don't know if that helps, I assume you ask this because you want fewer encounters per day. Based on their numbers, you should have fewer than that unless you run only mediums and easy encounters.

 

[Ahrimon]

You also have the option of changing the resting mechanic so that the adventure "day" is actually longer. So you could have PC's clearing out one hex per day but they are only able to take a short rest once every week or 4 hexes or however you choose to set it up.

 

[Imaro]

I'm running one with 5e right now in a modified version of the LotFP's Weird New World and I haven't run into an issue around numbers of encounters yet... Now that said I do make use of wandering monsters in my hexcrawl, which helps to increase the number of combats (I've been using a modified version of the one in the Starter Set adventure).

The other thing is that I have populated many of the hexes with ruins from an earlier civilization that once ruled the "Far North" so a single site can, and usually does, have multiple combatants, traps, hazards, etc. when it is being explored. Now admittedly I use the encounter builder/adventure day xp guidelines as just that... guidelines. In other words I've taken areas in the Weird New World and designated an XP range for them then populated within the area with an eye to making sure they fall within that particular range... though again it's not a hard and fast rule. the PC's are of course free to explore wherever they desire.

Finally, at least as far as I am concerned, the number of encounters per day hasn't really been the most important thing for my hexcrawl. I think keeping the tension up and forefront as well as a sense of the unknown and dangerous just beyond where they have explored is what, at least IMO, makes a hexcrawl fun.

 

[aramis erak]

Will it be possible to run a hexcrawl in a game system that expects 8 or 9 encounters a day?

One can easily use the encounter rules from HotDQ chapter 4... but with different events. Or even use a one 5 mile hex chance (1 in 6 will average 1 per day of travel) and 1 per 4 hours if not moving...

 

[Authweight]

The way to do it IMO is to make a short rest a night's sleep and make a long rest a week's downtime at a friendly town.

 

[Zak S]

I'm running one now, though I am not running 5e Rules As Written and am custom-building most of the monsters and I'm using old school rest rules so nobody gets anything back until 8 hours sleep.

 

[Lord Rasputin]

Eight or nine encounters is a ton for a day. I use the One-Page Wilderness System for mine, and I don't even think my players could hit eight encounter rolls, much less eight encounters.