Here I am, 2 years later and I'm still coming back to this absolute gem. Me and a friend are preparing a West Marches styled game, and this way of structuring encounters are amazing!
I really like the idea of having location tables with details that you modify after a session uses an entry. Too often I design my tables as though I were making a published product that other people are going to look at, when really I should be designing stuff for myself to make it as easy to use as possible.
I love your videos!! I read that book when i was 14 years old and it fascinated me. And here's a curiosity: Some of those monster´s names were engraved in my mind. I saw some of them in the Final Fantasys. Including the "Bahamut", "Carbuncle",and some more. The interesting thing is Borges was a troll. All the monsters and creatures in the book are based on real myths. Except for the "Peryton". An invention of Borges himself and Margarita Guerrero.
@@BanditsKeep I am planning one. I have run then before with varying degrees of success. I'm trying to hone the craft, because it really can enhance exploration if done correctly.
Wow, just found this video. Chock FULL of potential content sources; mechanisms; and How To advice. Great job! I play a combo of 2nd Ed and 5e now but these techniques and sources are all applicable to pretty much ANY RPG. Thank you!
Been hunting around for some Hex Crawl info and this video, by far, was probably the most helpful and adds a lot of value to the subject. Appreciate the resources and really hope your channel keeps growing! Deserves way more attention!💯🍻
Wow, I've been doing a lot of research on hexcrawling recently (to bring it into my OSE campaign) and this is by far the best resource I've come across so far...Thanks so much and keep up the great work!
The name Vecna was an anagram of Vance, the surname of Jack Vance, the fantasy author whose "fire-and-forget" magic system is used in Dungeons & Dragons.
Roger Zealanzy (sp) novel Jack of Shadows . Jack was named after Jack Vance . Chuck Miller from Underwood and Miller that published a lot of deluxe Jack Vance books also had a comic bookstore called Big Planet .Which was named after the Jack Vance novel(s) of the same name
I have played isle of dread several times with different groups over the years and if you follow hexcrawl rules and morale checks, and some reaction checks here and there it will play out very differently with different groups
Great video! Just watching it now and it really helps. Is it possible to get a copy of your document to look at and modify? I’d love to scroll through it at leisure. Thanks!
Thanks. That's a lot of great resources. We played 2e in highschool and I never really understood hexcrawls. It was a necessary part of traveling but more of a hassle than fun. After watching all your solo plays I see how it could be the basis of a 1e adventure - how to make the players make maps and figure out what is happening in world they live in.
Great advice. I'm launching my first hexcrawl campaign next month. It is based on Dolmenwood, so there are a lot of pre-existing hexes, but as it is still only ~half completed, this will help me fill out some of those blank spots. Keep it up
@@BanditsKeep Totally! It started out with me wanting to run "The Incandescent Grottoes", which is an absolutely beautiful little module. Then I thought back to your Winters Daughter series and thought: 'why not have a little wilderness adventure to the dungeon for some flavor' So I started looking into the dolmenwood stuff and now I somehow ended up with a hexcrawl. I'm way out of my depth, but it will be a great learning experience.
I love this channel, man! I just found it this morning and you've got me getting out my old B/X stuff. So far i have really enjoyed the class-related episodes on elves, thieves and magic-users. I hope you make more.
I love everything about this, would love a list of some of the things you're talking about. I've found The D30 from New Big Dragon, as well as Borges book of Imaginary Beings and Donjon. But I would love if you wanted to share the document you're writing in, it would be really helpful to see it while you talk through it. And then I cannot (for the life of me) find "The Fantasy Gamer's Compendium by Gamescience". Which is a little annoying. :( Anywho, thank you for all this help, I'll be running my first hexcrawl tomorrow!
Great stuff. Might I suggest, for making random encounter tables, getting ahold of the AD&D 1E Monster Manual II. It has a great section in the back on how to make encounter tables. Yes, it's the Old School way (1D12/1D8) but it's still a great resource.
Glen & Daniel - see also the 1e DMG Appendices pages 216-241. Lots of tables for random NPCs, Encounters, Magic Effects, Dungeon Rooms, etc… it’ll at least help round out any random tables you need to develop. I do love me some random tables. They’re great for firing the imagination
Great tips; thanks for this. *Isle of the Unknown* is a great resource, and it integrated seemlessly with your *Eyes of the Overworld* scenario. I didn't remember that the encounters were not from Vance's book; the lady mage with the crabs in particular felt very Vancian. (It's been a while since I read Vance, so I figured I had just forgotten something! She reminded me of the clam lady callously killed by Cugel.) *Isle* lacks a story, central theme, coherent factions, or compelling hooks. Perhaps that's why people dislike it so much. However, it seems like *Isle* would make a great setting in which to place another adventure, a background in which to place a campaign. The author Geoffrey McKinney seems to suggest as much in his Introduction. Perhaps he should have spelled it out more clearly. In any event, it worked well in your Lamentations / Eyes of the Overworld campaign.
Yes, I do think the module needs a “story” to be a proper adventure, but if the DM is willing to do the leg work, it is an excellent background - the crab lady was from the module 😊
Great video! Hex charts really juice things up! I'm interested about the book Daniel read the Fairie description from. The other books look/sound interesting too. I may pick a few up.
Lots of great ideas in this vid. Thanks for teaching us how to do this for ourselves. There are so many ways to play. How does one find the time to try them all? 🤔
Damn that court of aristocats. Lounging around all the time while controlling the distribution of milk and tuna... You're making a good case here for the companions. Ease of gameplay is a big thing for me. Really unfortunate that they don't have PDFs for the compendium on drivethrough... I expatrated to Vietnam and they have crazy shipping restrictions (and really corrupt postmen). Donjon is great.... but it kind of takes away from the specific fiction of the setting --feels like it leans into the gonzo a bit too much sometimes
Hi Daniel, I keep returning to this video every week or so, and I keep wanting to run a hexcrawl. This video is amazing, I got the D30 book and I've been building my own tables. But I still feel I have so many questions about hexcrawls, do you think you'll ever make another video discussing hexcrawling? Maybe how you beging to build your map? Love the work you're doing, hands down best videos about ttrpgs
Thanks! As far as a map, I’m not sure I’ll make a video on that - though the adventure design video escaping from enemies has a hex map and I show how I made it randomly there. I do have more to say on hexcrawls so I may create another video though.
I signed up for the adventure writing course that you spoke about on another video (when you wrote your adventure with the hag) so July I'm going to be busy writing, as soon as I'm done I want to get back into DMing and a hex crawl with emergent stroytelling is exactly what I want to try. I'll go watch the video on escaping enemies. thanks!
@@BanditsKeep I agree wholeheartedly. I had to switch to a different system because the "tests" mechanic system irked me. I also didn't like that weapon choice had no bearing on damage dealt. I think that it would be a really good way to introduce new players to a DnD style game, or for younger players. I do like the "usage die" mechanic however. It's a clever to do inventory management since a lot of players don't like to track it. All in all I love the art and the layout, as well as the silliness of it all, even though I prefer a more serious game. Great video by the way!
I create it in session for this type of thing, with the exception of the special encounter which was in the module, but if I were doing the entire hex crawl from scratch I would prepare those “special” ones ahead of time.
You are by far the most generous bandit I’ve ever come across!
Thank You!
He's given us his whole system!!!
After years of playing and running 3x, 4th, and 5e I’m finally getting into running a B/X (OSE) game. Very helpful vid!
Awesome! Let me know how it goes.
Here I am, 2 years later and I'm still coming back to this absolute gem. Me and a friend are preparing a West Marches styled game, and this way of structuring encounters are amazing!
Awesome, let me know how they campaign goes!
I really like the idea of having location tables with details that you modify after a session uses an entry. Too often I design my tables as though I were making a published product that other people are going to look at, when really I should be designing stuff for myself to make it as easy to use as possible.
I agree - make it easy 😊
I love your videos!!
I read that book when i was 14 years old and it fascinated me. And here's a curiosity: Some of those monster´s names were engraved in my mind. I saw some of them in the Final Fantasys. Including the "Bahamut", "Carbuncle",and some more. The interesting thing is Borges was a troll. All the monsters and creatures in the book are based on real myths. Except for the "Peryton". An invention of Borges himself and Margarita Guerrero.
Awesome
Glad to see someone finally talk about d30 sandbox companion. I love their products.
Yes, great stuff
Couldn't agree more!
I love hex crawls. I’ve seen all the hex crawl videos. This might be the most helpful to me at of the lot!
Wow, thank you 🙏🏻 are you running a hexcrawl currently or planning one?
@@BanditsKeep I am planning one. I have run then before with varying degrees of success. I'm trying to hone the craft, because it really can enhance exploration if done correctly.
Wow, just found this video. Chock FULL of potential content sources; mechanisms; and How To advice. Great job!
I play a combo of 2nd Ed and 5e now but these techniques and sources are all applicable to pretty much ANY RPG. Thank you!
Glad you found it useful!
This is a lot ofbhelp. I have used Worlds Without numbers in the past, but this helps it make more sense.
Awesome!
Been hunting around for some Hex Crawl info and this video, by far, was probably the most helpful and adds a lot of value to the subject. Appreciate the resources and really hope your channel keeps growing! Deserves way more attention!💯🍻
Excellent! Thanks so much
Great conversation full of helpful tips! Wish I had that when I ran Isle of Dread back in 1987 :)
Thank You!
Few years late to the party, but love the content! Very helpful!
Was diving into advice on hex-crawls, and low and behold, one of my favorite and most helpful youtube photographers!
Hey! Welcome to the gaming side of Daniel 😊
Wow, I've been doing a lot of research on hexcrawling recently (to bring it into my OSE campaign) and this is by far the best resource I've come across so far...Thanks so much and keep up the great work!
Thank You! Let me k is how your hexcrawk goes!
The name Vecna was an anagram of Vance, the surname of Jack Vance, the fantasy author whose "fire-and-forget" magic system is used in Dungeons & Dragons.
Cool!
I'VE BEEN PLAYING FOR 21+ UEARS AND I DISN'T KNOW THIS.
@@Aaron-mj9ie I been collecting for that long, been on hiatus since my 20s, but ya just found that out looking Liches, and of course Vecna.
I knmow this was posted a year ago, but I'm only seeing it NOW. I've been playing since 1984 and didn't know this.
Roger Zealanzy (sp) novel Jack of Shadows . Jack was named after Jack Vance . Chuck Miller from Underwood and Miller that published a lot of deluxe Jack Vance books also had a comic bookstore called Big Planet .Which was named after the Jack Vance novel(s) of the same name
I have played isle of dread several times with different groups over the years and if you follow hexcrawl rules and morale checks, and some reaction checks here and there it will play out very differently with different groups
For sure
This video is a goldmine. Thanks man
Thank You!
Yes Jack Vance! Ah Cugel the Clever, what a character!
Yes!
Great video! Just watching it now and it really helps. Is it possible to get a copy of your document to look at and modify? I’d love to scroll through it at leisure. Thanks!
Great encounter tables. Love the keep it vague ethos!!
Thank You!
Thanks. That's a lot of great resources. We played 2e in highschool and I never really understood hexcrawls. It was a necessary part of traveling but more of a hassle than fun. After watching all your solo plays I see how it could be the basis of a 1e adventure - how to make the players make maps and figure out what is happening in world they live in.
For sure
This is great information, thanks man.
Thank You!
Great advice. I'm launching my first hexcrawl campaign next month. It is based on Dolmenwood, so there are a lot of pre-existing hexes, but as it is still only ~half completed, this will help me fill out some of those blank spots.
Keep it up
Excellent! Dolmenwood is a great fun setting!
@@BanditsKeep
Totally!
It started out with me wanting to run "The Incandescent Grottoes", which is an absolutely beautiful little module.
Then I thought back to your Winters Daughter series and thought: 'why not have a little wilderness adventure to the dungeon for some flavor'
So I started looking into the dolmenwood stuff and now I somehow ended up with a hexcrawl.
I'm way out of my depth, but it will be a great learning experience.
@@JaconSamsta best way to do a hex crawl is to do a hex crawl 😊
I love this channel, man! I just found it this morning and you've got me getting out my old B/X stuff. So far i have really enjoyed the class-related episodes on elves, thieves and magic-users. I hope you make more.
Thanks 🙏🏻 I do plan to go through all the classes eventually- I keep getting side tracked 😂
Awesome video, thanks for sharing!
Thank You!
I love everything about this, would love a list of some of the things you're talking about.
I've found The D30 from New Big Dragon, as well as Borges book of Imaginary Beings and Donjon.
But I would love if you wanted to share the document you're writing in, it would be really helpful to see it while you talk through it.
And then I cannot (for the life of me) find "The Fantasy Gamer's Compendium by Gamescience". Which is a little annoying. :(
Anywho, thank you for all this help, I'll be running my first hexcrawl tomorrow!
I’ll see if I can find the document and share it
Great resources and ideas! Thanks!
Thanks
Great stuff. Might I suggest, for making random encounter tables, getting ahold of the AD&D 1E Monster Manual II. It has a great section in the back on how to make encounter tables. Yes, it's the Old School way (1D12/1D8) but it's still a great resource.
Oh nice! I have MM2 but totally forgot about those tables
Glen & Daniel - see also the 1e DMG Appendices pages 216-241. Lots of tables for random NPCs, Encounters, Magic Effects, Dungeon Rooms, etc… it’ll at least help round out any random tables you need to develop. I do love me some random tables. They’re great for firing the imagination
@@danielrowan4716 for sure
Neat resource mentions. 👍
~ Adam
Thanks
Nice. Been wanting to run a hexcrawl for a while now but have been having writers block.
Cool! Let me know how it turns out
Great tips; thanks for this.
*Isle of the Unknown* is a great resource, and it integrated seemlessly with your *Eyes of the Overworld* scenario. I didn't remember that the encounters were not from Vance's book; the lady mage with the crabs in particular felt very Vancian. (It's been a while since I read Vance, so I figured I had just forgotten something! She reminded me of the clam lady callously killed by Cugel.)
*Isle* lacks a story, central theme, coherent factions, or compelling hooks. Perhaps that's why people dislike it so much. However, it seems like *Isle* would make a great setting in which to place another adventure, a background in which to place a campaign. The author Geoffrey McKinney seems to suggest as much in his Introduction. Perhaps he should have spelled it out more clearly. In any event, it worked well in your Lamentations / Eyes of the Overworld campaign.
Yes, I do think the module needs a “story” to be a proper adventure, but if the DM is willing to do the leg work, it is an excellent background - the crab lady was from the module 😊
Great video! Hex charts really juice things up! I'm interested about the book Daniel read the Fairie description from. The other books look/sound interesting too. I may pick a few up.
For sure!
Great video! the weather made me think of blood rain from dwarf fortress raising the dead lol
Thanks! Dwarf fortress?
It's a procedural ASCII management computer game with a fantasy setting and steep learning curve
Oh cool!
Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for watching 😊
I love Cugel! and Rhialto :)
Yes!
Lots of great ideas in this vid. Thanks for teaching us how to do this for ourselves.
There are so many ways to play. How does one find the time to try them all? 🤔
That is the real question! 😂
You sir are a sage! Thank you for these videos (^:
You are very kind.
there is some video about making/rolling locations and there types? you know if it's a keep, a castle, a mine or whatever
Damn that court of aristocats. Lounging around all the time while controlling the distribution of milk and tuna...
You're making a good case here for the companions. Ease of gameplay is a big thing for me. Really unfortunate that they don't have PDFs for the compendium on drivethrough... I expatrated to Vietnam and they have crazy shipping restrictions (and really corrupt postmen).
Donjon is great.... but it kind of takes away from the specific fiction of the setting --feels like it leans into the gonzo a bit too much sometimes
Yeah, I tend to pick and choose from donjon vs just take what I get - sometimes I’ll create my own random lists from what I pick and roll on that
Thanks!
Thank you!!!
Great video, man!
Thanks
@@BanditsKeep Bought the D30 Companion and love it, fyi.
Quick question, could you share your file for your lists and tables?
These are not really organized in a way I’d share them right now, maybe at some point
@@BanditsKeep Totally understandable. No worries.
20:42 maybe The Alexandrian website’s “Factions in the Dungeon” for Keep on the Borderlands? Either way, worth a read!
Maybe - haven’t read that one.
Hi Daniel, I keep returning to this video every week or so, and I keep wanting to run a hexcrawl. This video is amazing, I got the D30 book and I've been building my own tables. But I still feel I have so many questions about hexcrawls, do you think you'll ever make another video discussing hexcrawling? Maybe how you beging to build your map? Love the work you're doing, hands down best videos about ttrpgs
Thanks! As far as a map, I’m not sure I’ll make a video on that - though the adventure design video escaping from enemies has a hex map and I show how I made it randomly there. I do have more to say on hexcrawls so I may create another video though.
I signed up for the adventure writing course that you spoke about on another video (when you wrote your adventure with the hag) so July I'm going to be busy writing, as soon as I'm done I want to get back into DMing and a hex crawl with emergent stroytelling is exactly what I want to try. I'll go watch the video on escaping enemies. thanks!
Sandbox generator is quite awesome
For sure
The Black Hack has some cool hexmap generator stuff in it. It's all pretty goofy like the rest of the game though lol.
Oh cool! I’ll have to check it out I have that game I just haven’t really run it much as I’m not in love with the mechanic
@@BanditsKeep I agree wholeheartedly. I had to switch to a different system because the "tests" mechanic system irked me. I also didn't like that weapon choice had no bearing on damage dealt.
I think that it would be a really good way to introduce new players to a DnD style game, or for younger players. I do like the "usage die" mechanic however. It's a clever to do inventory management since a lot of players don't like to track it. All in all I love the art and the layout, as well as the silliness of it all, even though I prefer a more serious game.
Great video by the way!
Do you have a link to that document you used for Hex Crawl Encounters?
Unfortunately no
Does anyone know where the signs of destruction thing came from?
Did you say in the video you would be attaching links? I can't see any links at all.
Do you make up the encounter on the way, in session, or beforehand, like to write and adventure?
I create it in session for this type of thing, with the exception of the special encounter which was in the module, but if I were doing the entire hex crawl from scratch I would prepare those “special” ones ahead of time.
@@BanditsKeep Could you elaborate on what you refer to as the special ones? Are those the "main thing" they can find in the current hex they visit?
@@RoaringPhilosopher yes, the main encounter from the adventure module for that hex
+1,000 XP for using Souvenir in your personal notes!
😊
I just want to know what font that is on his document.
Soutane
@@BanditsKeep my man.
Biggest problem with hex crawls is that you need a consistent table :(
Or at least consistent PCs
solo rpg capable?
I don’t see why not.
Can you share your table with us?
I plan on releasing all these things when I can
@@BanditsKeep oh nice! By the way your channel have a lot of potential!
Thanks for the video. Your game visionis just amazing. I hope the book of imaginary things has God, in it XD
Thanks