Solo Hexcrawl Meta Thread!

Roleplaying Games Solo Play
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02210-2404381471.0-(masterpiece) (photograph) (ultra detailed) (highly detailed) lora_hexedpressman_v1-5_1.1 lora_add_detail_0.5 (HexedPressma
02210-2404381471.0-(masterpiece) (photograph) (ultra detailed) (highly detailed) lora_hexedpressman_v1-5_1.1 lora_add_detail_0.5 (HexedPressma1024×683 50.4 KB

Let’s use this thread to discuss mechanics, tools, worldbuilding, etc. for our solo hexcrawl campaign.

Here’s the initial versions of what we’ve come up with so far (beta, work-in-progress, not final, yadda, yadda, yadda):

Terms

An Adventure is one foray from a safe location (encampment, town, etc.) to a dangerous location and back again.

Procedures

General Game Loop

Determine available adventure locations (if necessary)

  • rumor table entry generator
  • purchasing of map fragments

Gather the team

  • look over the roster and select the characters who are available and able to adventure.
  • buy supplies, engage hirelings, etc.

Transit to adventure site

  • using some combination of OE, Outdoor Survival, some other house-rules

Delve adventure site

  • classic dungeon crawling
  • random dungeon layout, populations, and loot

Transit back to safety

  • using some combination of OE, Outdoor Survival, some other house-rules

Settle up loot, etc.

  • assuming there are survivors

Tools

Map Fragment Generator

  1. the starting location is where is sold (found might be a different matter)
  2. ending location is a Secret in a hex 1d8 hexes away
  3. for each hex that the map travels through, establish a landmark for that hex.

Hex Feature Generators

Landmarks

  1. geological formation
  2. a (un)natural phenomenon (a particular grove of trees, etc.)
  3. a settlement
  4. cultural monuments

Geological formations

  1. Hills/cliffs
  2. valleys, crevasses
  3. badlands
  4. water body
  5. moving water
  6. unusual

Settlements

  1. outpost
  2. hamlet/village
  3. town
  4. city
  5. stronghold
  6. unusual

Water Bodies

  1. wetlands (swamp, bog, etc.)
  2. pond
  3. lake
  4. waterfall
  5. unusual

Outposts

  1. watchtower
  2. hermit
  3. hunter/gatherer
  4. isolated farmstead
  5. outcast
  6. unusual

Cultural monuments

  1. border markers
  2. burial grounds
  3. settlement ruins
  4. stronghold ruins
  5. religious ruins
  6. unusual

Natural phenomena

  1. breeding grounds
  2. feeding grounds
  3. migratory game-trails
  4. unusual
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Here’s the initial map for our adventuring area:

solo hexmap v1
solo hexmap v11901×1755 368 KB

We’ll be tweaking, changing, and updating this but I think it’s a good start! We used this hexmap generator to create the map.

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Here’s what we gathered from this week’s stream:

Generating Adventures

Adventure Locations

  1. ruin
  2. lair
  3. stronghold
  4. religious location (shrine, church/temple, etc.)
  5. settlement
  6. faerie

Religious Locations

  1. Shrine
  2. Graveyard/burial site/necropolis
  3. Church/Temple/Cathedral
  4. Oracle

Settlement Adventures

  1. Market/Trade
  2. Deliver something
  3. Steal something

Stronghold Adventures

  1. Deliver something
  2. Attend a feast
  3. Attend a tournament
  4. Attend a war council
  5. Steal something
  6. Learn a Secret
  7. Rescue/free someone

Faerie Adventures

  1. deliver something
  2. visit a faerie lord
  3. attend a faerie festival
  4. steal something
  5. rescue/free someone
  6. learn a Secret

Wilderness Adventures

  1. Escort a caravan
  2. Hijack a caravan
  3. Find a location
  4. Map an expanse

War Adventures

  1. Joining a military expedition
  2. Rescue someone from a war zone
  3. Retrieve something from a war zone

Whom?

  1. a commoner
  2. a criminal
  3. a merchant/tradesperson
  4. a noble
  5. a cultist/cleric
  6. faerie

What?

  1. an heirloom
  2. a document
  3. a magic item
  4. symbol of office
  5. livestock

Secret

  1. an element of an ongoing Plot
  2. identity of an enemy
  3. identity of an ally
  4. a hidden location
  5. a hidden event

Politics

War Zones

A hex is considered a war zone:

  • when a hex is occupied by two or more opposing factions with military forces

Occupied Zone

A hex is considered occupied:

  • when a single faction with military forces occupies a hex that they don’t control.

Controlled Zone

A hex is considered controlled:

  • when a faction occupies a hex with the explicit or implicit support of the local population.

Claimed Lands

Claimed lands are any lands that have been claimed by a kingdom politically, regardless of whether there are any populations loyal to the kingdom in residence.

Settled Lands

Settled lands are any Claimed lands that contain active settlements loyal to the kingdom who claims said lands.

(N)PC Backgrounds

Born into…

  1. indentured servitude
  2. commoners
  3. trade
  4. petty nobility

Inciting incident

  1. change of fortunes
  2. war
  3. natural disaster

Friend/Patron/Ally/Mentor

  1. a petty noble
  2. a noble retainer
  3. a tradesperson
  4. a commoner
  5. a criminal
  6. an indentured servant
  7. a cleric/cultist

Enemy/Rival

  1. a petty noble
  2. a noble retainer
  3. a tradesperson
  4. a commoner
  5. a criminal
  6. an indentured servant
  7. a cleric/cultist
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Here is a Oracle table I created by pulling words from the Rules Encyclopedia, I’m a few eps behind so not sure you are using anything else beyond Mythic tables.

Sparks of Adventure
Sparks of Adventure791×945 76.4 KB

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Thanks for sharing! I will dissect this over the weekend! :grin:

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I can’t remember which video or podcast I heard the idea on, but it’s basically build a oracle table from the book/movie/game that you want to minic. I heard you mention Pendragon in one of the earlier solo videos, I bet there some good Arthurian type words you could pull out to flavor oracle with. Have fun with it!

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That’s a really interesting idea!

I have indeed! I’ll have to do some reading and word pulling!