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<blockquote data-quote="Wik" data-source="post: 4649740" data-attributes="member: 40177">I love hexploration.&nbsp; While I hate to disagree with Glyfair, I think it remained a factor in 2nd edition - DARK SUN had a hex-based map on the back of the colour map, and the 2e Forgotten Realms had a transparent plastic page filled with hexes, to turn your hexless maps into a hex-based map if necessary.&nbsp; Even the World Builder's Guidebook encouraged the use of hexes in creating an outdoor environment... and I know there were a few 2e adventures that were all about hexes.Anyways...I, too, have fond memories of using the hexes in Isle of Dread to explore.&nbsp; And I have occasional thoughts to create an entirely hex-based setting to explore in a Sandbox style.&nbsp; The big problem with hexploration is keeping it interesting.&nbsp; Too often, the random encounter tables are just monster lists (and often, small monster lists, which just compounds the problem), and there are no significant challenges.&nbsp; Moving through a mountain range is simply a &quot;reduce movement by 90%&quot; penalty, or somesuch... and that's just a way to slow a game down with no real gain.To really get a good hexploration environ, I think you need to create encounter lists that provide both combat and non-combat encounters, and write in things like weather effects into the tables (to minimize the consultation of tables during play).&nbsp; I also throw in flavour elements onto the tables, so that the group can witness some of the grandeur of exploring... things like the Aurora Borealis, butterfly migrations, and suicideal lemmings can all be great RP moments, even though there's very little interaction involved.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Wik, post: 4649740, member: 40177"] I love hexploration. While I hate to disagree with Glyfair, I think it remained a factor in 2nd edition - DARK SUN had a hex-based map on the back of the colour map, and the 2e Forgotten Realms had a transparent plastic page filled with hexes, to turn your hexless maps into a hex-based map if necessary. Even the World Builder's Guidebook encouraged the use of hexes in creating an outdoor environment... and I know there were a few 2e adventures that were all about hexes. Anyways... I, too, have fond memories of using the hexes in Isle of Dread to explore. And I have occasional thoughts to create an entirely hex-based setting to explore in a Sandbox style. The big problem with hexploration is keeping it interesting. Too often, the random encounter tables are just monster lists (and often, [i]small[/i] monster lists, which just compounds the problem), and there are no significant challenges. Moving through a mountain range is simply a "reduce movement by 90%" penalty, or somesuch... and that's just a way to slow a game down with no real gain. To really get a good hexploration environ, I think you need to create encounter lists that provide both combat and non-combat encounters, and write in things like weather effects into the tables (to minimize the consultation of tables during play). I also throw in flavour elements onto the tables, so that the group can witness some of the grandeur of exploring... things like the Aurora Borealis, butterfly migrations, and suicideal lemmings can all be great RP moments, even though there's very little interaction involved. [/QUOTE]

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