Hex Map
The hex map is the shared coordinate system for the campaign — the physical substrate that makes discoveries referenceable across parties and sessions.
Three-Mile Hexes
Each hex is three miles wide (one league):
- Visibility: Roughly the distance to the horizon at ground level. You can see terrain and major features of adjacent hexes from open ground.
- Time: A road hex takes about an hour to cross. Wilderness hexes take about four hours.
- Contents: A single hex can hold multiple discoveries, settlements, and landmarks — the hex is the address, not the container.
| Terrain | Hours/Hex | Hexes/Day | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road | 1 | 8 | Maintained routes, easy travel |
| Plains, Grassland | 2 | 4 | Open ground, good visibility |
| Woods, Hills | 4 | 2 | Moderate difficulty |
| Swamp, Dense Forest | 4 | 2 | Slow going, poor visibility |
| Mountains, Badlands | 6 | 1 | Treacherous |
Players Declare Destinations, Not Directions
The hex map matters because players declare where they’re going — “the ruins in hex 14” — not how they’re getting there. The GM generates content for the destination. Travel through the intervening hexes is the delivery mechanism for seeded discoveries.
Zooming In vs. Montage
Montage (“Three days pass uneventfully…”) when: the destination is the focus, time is tight, players are eager to get there.
Zoom in (play out travel scenes) when: you want to build tension, need to deliver discoveries, a seeded encounter fits, or players are low on resources.
Vista Points
Lookouts, hilltops, and watchtowers let characters see 2-3 hexes out. This seeds more discoveries without requiring physical entry into those hexes — characters can report “there’s a collapsed tower in hex 9” back to the Guild, seeding future intent without an expedition.
The Shared Tavern Map
The persistent hex map — typically posted in the Guild’s common room or Discord channel — is what makes the world feel real across parties. Party A marks the herb garden in hex 7. Party B, weeks later, has a reason to go to hex 7. The map is the accumulated canon of every expedition, legible to all guild members.
For full hexcrawl procedures, see Hexmancer. For what to put in the hexes, see Lore and the Seeded Discovery Pool.