Exploration is THE THING missing from 5e. Rangers and druids have their abilities totally shat on because of a lack of processes like these not being discussed in the dmg
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Totally - BTW I sent you an email - perhaps it went to junk? I’ll send another
@johnandrewbellner
2 жыл бұрын
Right on. I am an avid ranger fan, and by association, a fan of travel, time elapsed, exploration, and all things "in between the stuff". Ranger are complained about when a table doesn't use the ENTIRE PART OF THE GAME that they excel at.
@DungeonMasterpiece
2 жыл бұрын
@@BanditsKeep yeah I didn't get it and don't see it in spam 🤔
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Just tried again! I probably messed up the address
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
@@johnandrewbellner Indeed!
@alarin612
2 жыл бұрын
From what I've heard, "Point Crawl" sounds more like how navigation was for most people in medieval Europe. You stuck to the paths and stayed out of the woods. More by landmarks than distance and compass heading.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Good observation
@alarin612
2 жыл бұрын
@@BanditsKeep Thank you! Great video.
@kminrzymski
Жыл бұрын
You would usually keep to the natural lines in the landscape too. You could follow the edge of the forest, the river, edge of the mountain, etc. I use natural lines like this in my pointcrawl maps
@Ginga6
29 күн бұрын
It seems like you could use both. Point crawl for traveling linear terrain features like roads and rivers that connect nodes. Hexcrawl for anything else. Parties who follow linear terrain features may have an easier time of travel, but also depending on factions and their disposition toward the player characters, may want to avoid these areas for travel and hex crawl instead.
@hildissent
2 жыл бұрын
I love the hexcrawl for an exploration game. I like the pointcrawl because it better resembles how people actually travel. The pointcrawl conjures the LotR scene where they have to pick which path to take. Sometimes I'll put a finite hexcrawl on the map as a point in the pointcrawl. You pointcrawl to the Yawning Woods, then you hexcrawl the forest to find "the lost temple."
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Nice!
@toddweaver1390
Жыл бұрын
Watching this video I was almost inspired to do the opposite! Have the overworld as a hexcrawl and if the party decides to stop for a moment and explore the hex, then elaborate the hex as a Pointcrawl where they can find hunting or foraging opportunities, maybe a dungeon entrance if I have it prepared, or even a secret other entrance to a dungeon (and different dungeon exits link to different points within the hex) Based on the terrain, they can skip the direct links in the Pointcrawl but maybe at a cost of more time or resources. His example of dunes could easily be swamp too deep to wade in, or briar thicket slowing down travel
@alarin612
2 жыл бұрын
It's so cool to me that the older version just recommended incorporating a different game, right there in the text of the book. You can get a lot of great stuff like that. I've want for a while now to pay a game of Small World and use it as the basis for a region's history, then play DnD in that region. I especially enjoy games these days like, "Call to Adventure," that have built in mechanics to add stuff to your RPG.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Yes! I’ve been thinking about make a video on just this subject - I’ve had loads of fun incorporating other games into an ongoing campaign
@Xplora213
8 ай бұрын
D&D was originally just a supplement for Chainmail. It makes sense they’d accept other games were enough to plug and play. I like it that way. It’s one of the problems with the depth of ad&d. You can’t plug and play very easily.
@bobbycrosby9765
Жыл бұрын
Hex crawls sound fun. I've been on an "old school" D&D binge of late and I feel like there's so many gems in it.
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
For sure
@benjaminholcomb9478
2 жыл бұрын
Hex crawl: star trek Point crawl: starwars In more ways than one actually. Their narrative structures are like that, but also their faster than light travel is such too. Kind of nifty.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Indeed
@bronsongorham
2 жыл бұрын
I find that for West Marches campaigns mixing point crawls and hex crawls works best. The campaign map is first laid out in a hex grid, then roads/paths between locations are added to accommodate point crawls. The party is always free to go exploring hex by hex, but the risk of getting lost and running into random encounters makes it a bit risky.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
That makes sense!
@TaintedBalance
2 жыл бұрын
I've been using both in the system I've been building with fairly good results, and for most of the reasons you covered here. Whenever they are going out in the borderlands, explicitly exploring the unknown, or any limited/rarely traveled trails, its a hex crawl. Once they've established a trail or known path, its a point crawl. This keeps the sense of adventure and danger alive when going into the unknown, but once they've figured out a solid path to an exploration site or wherever, it removes a lot of the tedium.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Makes sense
@keno5118
4 ай бұрын
i have been planning on making a campaign with hex crawl but knowing my players they would get sick of it quickly, but i think your idea with combining the two gives a great opportunity and balance for exploration and convenience. it could even give them opportunities to try explore new paths to cut travel time, Thank you!
@jamesrizza2640
Ай бұрын
I have never heard of a point crawl system only a hexcrawl. I can see where both could be advantageous to a DM. Very good job Dan.
@derrickc.7036
2 жыл бұрын
You’ve inspired me to try old school ttrpgs to rekindle my love of these games. Can’t wait to GM again!
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Awesome!
@benjaminalexander7028
Жыл бұрын
My educational background is in GIS, so I like making topo maps of my settings and just toss in a few locations that I know about ahead of time (usually a starting town and a couple of dungeon entrances). The party will just tell me what direction they’re traveling in and for how long, and I roll for encounters and getting lost and all of that at that point. No hexes necessary really in that system, and it ends up being similar to a point crawl by the end once they’ve discovered a bunch of stuff.
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Cool
@chriscotgrove9674
2 жыл бұрын
Great video as always, Daniel! Another good reference for pointcrawls would be the map for the Fighting Fantasy adventure "Scorpion Swamp" published in 1984.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Cool, I’ll check it out
@BanjoSick
Жыл бұрын
Arn't point crawls just locations?? Don't get the fuss about "crawls".
@chriscotgrove9674
Жыл бұрын
@@BanjoSick It's just a way of organizing travel and exploration. Think of the difference between a hexcrawl and a pointcrawl. Within a hex you can have an area with no clear paths, or empty space. Within the structure of a pointcrawl, everything is a point of interest in a node map, connected by often literal paths. In a hexcrawl, you can choose whatever route you like to get from A-Z. Within a pointcrawl, you have a fixed number of choices in a certain order to get to a certain location on the map.
@BlackJar72
2 жыл бұрын
I've always thought of hex crawls as the way to do wilderness, having only heard of point crawls within the last year. I have to admit I completely misunderstood what a point crawl was, interpreting it as just jumping to any desired location as might be done in a town. Generally I use hexes of 1, 6, or 24 miles with paths and roads in more civilized areas layered over-top (providing faster movement and avoiding getting lost); basically what I remember from the expert set.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Nice, yeah I think point crawls are not discussed much so I can see possible confusion
@seanrea550
2 жыл бұрын
I managed a point crawl in my prior campaign with out understanding what I was doing, I have an underground region.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
@@seanrea550 nice!
@BlackJar72
2 жыл бұрын
@@seanrea550 I think the module "The Hall of Rock" may have been a simple point crawl, but the version included in the "In Search of Adventure" anthology left out all but one path (turning it into more of a railroad). I don't think people called it that back them, though, or at least I never saw it in print.
@seanrea550
2 жыл бұрын
@@BlackJar72 I was coming up with the campaign as I ran it,
@pickpocketpressrpgvideos6655
2 жыл бұрын
Great explanation, esp the bit about pointcrawl being like an outside dungeon - thank you!
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Thank You!
@disgruntledbob2812
Жыл бұрын
I didn’t even know about point-crawl before you talked about it, but admittedly I was already kinda comin’ up with it for my metroidvania-style big-ol’-dungeons I got planned. Speakin’ of, this video was perfect for helpin’ me plan em’. Thanks!
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Awesome
@chrisg8989
5 ай бұрын
I use a combination of both. My campaign map is a hex crawl style. but there are adventure locations are pointed out depending on what story threads the party has pulled. I count each hex as a days travel on foot as a general rule, could be less or more depending on method of travel and the biome. Each day spent traveling requires 10 Supplies (Rations, Water etc.), each PC can carry 20 supplies without becoming encumbered. A pack animal or the like can carry 60 supplies. I find this focus's their traveling and exploration outside of any town or village, as running out of supplies will cause escalating levels of exhaustion. If a Ranger is in the party, or someone has the Wanderer background they can offset the supply cost a bit with successful survival checks as they travel. As far as random encounters and such, I have the party roll a 1D6 for each day of travel, 1 is always a complication, either an encounter or bad weather, etc. 2-5 will be a point of interest or a story moment relating to the PC who rolled the D6 that day. A 6 is always a Boon of some sort, a traveling merchant, an oasis, or they stumble upon a supply cache. This makes the in between of adventure locations fun and interesting, as well as keeps the party focused on their destinations without too many random decisions which makes for excessive improv on my part. Also it makes Towns and Villages feel like a true place of refuge and relative safety. Preping for this style of play is very light. So long as the party has a plan and location in mind I can ensure I have that locations content ready, and making a 1D6 table for each player allows me to weave in story beats and RP moments much more organically. It also limits how many random encounters i need to have ready, 1 or 2 is always enough, even if they roll poorly and there are many 1's on the luck checks, its easy to narrate a big storm, or a complication with their method of travel. Allowing the players to think / use their skills to solve these problems seems to be just as satisfying to them as slaying the Orc ambush, that laid in wait for them until nightfall. I Run a 5e game, but I am starting to see, after watching many of your videos, that I use a lot of Old school DnD methods at my table. The best of both worlds perhaps. At least from my POV. :)
@razorboy251
2 жыл бұрын
I've used a combination of both over the years. Some games are very explicitly set up for hexcrawls like Worlds Without Number or Forbidden Lands. Other times, when I'm running big epic campaign, I prefer the point crawl to focus the players on the story and the specific location-based adventures rather than free-form exploration. Like you said, both have their uses and both make for different-feeling games. Personally I prefer point crawls just a little bit more because they are easier to prepare for, but every now and again I like running a hexcrawl too.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Cool
@onetruetroy
3 ай бұрын
I’ve always preferred hex maps because they are more exotic and seem organic in many ways. To mix hex crawl with point crawl, I usually have portents or impact of the location in that hex. If the party is downwind then they may smell smoke or a stench, or the environment is different from other locations with the same type of terrain. Possibly, the party may see warnings carved in a tree, marks, or even a hunter who warns the party. A cabin in the woods, cottage in the glade, tower in the crags, etc. Each may have extended effects.
@Sageofthedustypage
2 жыл бұрын
Another interesting video.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Thank You!
@buckobucko3938
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this video! As a new DM there is SO much assumed knowledge in other videos (even “How to” videos) which is never explained.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Right! Sometimes we forget terms in TTRPGs are not common etc. thanks
@HouseDM
2 жыл бұрын
You make some great points here (pun not intended). I haven't actually tried laying out a point crawl but I really like the idea of it. I think I am also really attracted to the option of wandering anywhere like how the hex systems are designed in Hot Spring Island. I just feel like most hex generators are a bit burdensome to use.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
I think it’s important to do some prep ahead of time - making a few dozen hexes - that way you are covered for several sessions
@lawfulchaoticneutral2687
2 жыл бұрын
Hey Daniel, this comment is not about this video. I just wanted to tell you that I really like your calm style of making an argumenten. That's what makes me coming back to this channel.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Thank You! (Glad I took out the parts with me screaming at the camera 😂)
@Wilhuf1
10 ай бұрын
I wrote a Python program that creates randomized ‘encounter networks’ (point crawls) for Star Wars-themed RPG play. I use the generated graphs in Obsidian. I made a small adventure where the party has to commandeer an Imperial hyperspace interdictor cruiser and it’s pretty fun.
@BanditsKeep
10 ай бұрын
Awesome
@SamuraiMujuru
9 ай бұрын
A friend of mine shared this video after chatting about the topic. It's interesting, Forbidden Lands from Free League seems to strike a happy median between point and hex.
@BanditsKeep
9 ай бұрын
Cool, that still sits unopened on my shelf
@Vasious8128
2 жыл бұрын
I use hex crawls for the "open world" but when a specific outdoor location needs to be explored within a hex or sub hex I like to use point crawls. At the end of the day that is really just variation of rooms and corridors for a dungeon exploration. They are also good for a treauremap where it is assumed that you want to follow the directions and might not see the landmarks using fast transport
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Makes sense - a treasure map is a good example
@johnandrewbellner
2 жыл бұрын
Nice video. Thanks for creating and sharing.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching
@sentient_sword
Жыл бұрын
Been toying around with the idea of “flex crawling”. I’m sure it’s not totally revolutionary. But making a hex map and placing a point crawl over top of it for known routes. Having it be relatively branching and “jaquayed”. But you could always leave the beaten path and hex crawl at any point. Thinking there could be unexplored routes as sort of sub-points on the lines between major points. You could then branch off and hex crawl to add new connections on the point crawl layer, sort of like shortcuts and things. Maybe ranger type characters would be necessary to identify these points, or a hired NPC ranger henchman. Or just hearing some lore. Some points might be a dungeon that must be navigated to continue on that route, or you could hex crawl through the wilderness for days. A point could also be a nested “wilderness dungeon” like you mentioned. Really into the idea of “world as dungeon” lately. Just keeping that flow going all time… Something I’m going to be implementing in my next game. Running B/X raw for the first time.
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Very cool
@larsbangjensen5332
2 жыл бұрын
Good video and conversation! I agree both have their uses. Looking a bit more forward to my next hexcrawl campaign more than the point crawl one. But a mixture is golden.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
I agree, a mixture is my preference
@alexgreychuck7605
10 ай бұрын
Just added a hexcrawl for my players who wanted to go exploring. Been super fun for all of us so far. I used a combo of D100 and Forbidden lands to make it as the game had no mechanic for travel or exploration. Great video and advice. Thanks for posting.
@BanditsKeep
10 ай бұрын
Nice!
@johnschwartz1641
2 жыл бұрын
Great video. I feel like hexes have become an OSR trope, and you see them used even when they're not really appropriate. I think it's good to break out of that mold. Hexes work best for large areas where the terrain has few unique features and can be adequately represented by abstraction. Forests, grasslands, hills - these terrain types are generic and repeatable. A big empty world with occasional special sites works well with the wilderness exploration game type (think of the Fellowship travelling across Middle Earth). Hot Spring Island, Evils of Illmire, Neverland*, and other settings use hexes, but they're all filled in and special. Leave one unique hex and you're immediately in another. In these cases a point crawl makes more sense. You're never really out in the open wild, and exploration is much more focused. It might just be my particular GMing style, but I find the hex crawl mechanics artificial in these cases. If you're interested in point crawls, Electric Bastionland has a great guide for making them. Focus on routes first, whether it's a river, road, or some exotic form of travel. Then once you have the routes settled, you sprinkle points along them, especially at intersections and such. It gives you a quick skeleton of a point crawl, and it helps keep everything internally logical and consistent. *Not ripping on these - they're all awesome. I just think they're point crawls that have been shoehorned into hexes.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Oh yes! I totally forgot about Electric Bastionland what’s great book - into the Odd was one of my first super light RPGS
@KyleMaxwell
Жыл бұрын
I was JUST talking about point crawls vs hex crawls in Discord this morning, then this is at the top left of the start page. Expeditious!
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Excellent
@rossm7346
Жыл бұрын
One of the simplest and direct explanations of what a point crawl is. In my Herous Journey 2e campaign I was looking at some necessary wilderness travel/exploration and despite the romanticism of hexcrawls in the OSR, I knew it wasn’t a good fit. At the same time, I knew it needed impactful choices that would foreshadow the elements of the world to come. So I went with a closed matrix point crawl.
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Cool, I need to bust out that system again, good stuff
@brettjenkins1645
Жыл бұрын
Like your vibe man! Thanks for this video, I’ve been getting into the old school stuff lately and I wasn’t familiar with these terms-really useful design paradigms!
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Thanks 😊
@ChaseHendersonWV
11 ай бұрын
If our latest campaign they literally are on rails for the point crawl portions of the map since they have a train. The first maps they are working this is a combo Hex and point. The points are where the rails are and the hex for traveling on foot. They have reasons to get off the train. The main one is they are hunting a giant monster. It’s lair is not on the rail, but the weapons they need to defeat are mounted on the rail. So they need to explore to find the monster, and then lure it back to the rail.
@BanditsKeep
11 ай бұрын
I love the idea of the PCs having a train - is this a fantasy, western, or modern game?
@ChaseHendersonWV
11 ай бұрын
@@BanditsKeep A bit of a mix of all three. The setting is fantasy with magic and uses the excess magic radiating from the ethereal and astral plane as an alternative to electricity. So they have something close to 1920’s technology and aesthetics. But a little bit better because of magic. Guns are stunted to medieval era however. The party’s adventures take them from a hub city where they load up and get jobs. Then travel out into an unexplored frontier with their tasks. Building connections to the frontier and back. The players are having a lot of fun customizing their train even with stuff that has no mechanical value. Like a Triton player that just had sensory deprivation tank installed to sleep in. Also a tank of lobsters he liberated from the market.
@Whogozther
8 ай бұрын
I do both. I use point when traveling on the beaten path and hex crawl exploration when I'm feeling adventurous.
@BanditsKeep
8 ай бұрын
Same
@ARKavli
Жыл бұрын
Ancient Odysseys:Treasure Awaits by Precis Intermedia uses a pointcrawl system in book one to generate random dungeons and reskins it in book two (More Treasure) for generating wilderness maps. Using pointcrawl fits random generation very well. I've used it for years, but only heard the term recently. Good vid, thanks.
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Cool
@Xararion
Жыл бұрын
I'm currently planning a point crawl campaign based around players owning a caravan and travelling to a far off location somewhat inspired after ultraviolet grasslands, because the idea of a long travelogue campaign sounded fun to me but I prefer predefined locations to random generation for my campaigns.
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Cool, I backed UVG - gotta get that to the table at some point!
@MrRourk
2 жыл бұрын
It makes a very interesting Post Apocalypse gaming world if you use the Outdoor Survival Map.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
True - I’ve been using it in my OD&D campaign.
@RedDiceDiaries
2 жыл бұрын
Very cool video, I like no both hex crawls and point crawls, although I tend to stick with hexes since I find them less labour intensive in the initial setup phase for my online games. That said, ive just got a supplement which is about using a deck of playing cards to create a point crawl so I'll definitely be looking to try that out soon 🙂👍
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
That sounds really interesting! Using cards for prep is a great idea
@87392v
2 жыл бұрын
This is easily the clearest explanation of the difference between the two methods. I was almost going to use hex crawl for my fast paced narrative story, when obviously point crawl was the best of all worlds
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
For sure, point crawl seems good for that
@markfelps2269
2 жыл бұрын
Point crawls are also good for spaces that are difficult to map. I used one recently for the interior of a crashed ship, where most of the space was too damaged to access, and there was a lot of crawling through a maze of crawlspaces. Challenges/encounters in between points, some predetermined, some random, with the big spaces functioning as the points.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Yes! Great example
@solar4planeta923
Жыл бұрын
In the early '80s there was a Polyhedron-published module called the Great Bugbear Hunt, it was a fantastic hex crawl.
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
That sounds cool, was it a hunt for bugbears or did the PCs play bugbears?
@solar4planeta923
Жыл бұрын
@@BanditsKeep The bugbears had stolen the wizard's spell book. Then they disappeared into the wilderness which was a large hax map area, hilly and filled with valleys and groves where you encountered various and sundry critters. The goal was simply to get the spell book back.
@EricVulgaris
2 жыл бұрын
I have a lot to say on this having run both. Ultimately I think point crawls make more sense when you abstract out a point of interest as not merely a hex or single interest point, but a set of hexes (or a region to then explore). It's described by the capstone element (the interest in the point of interest) but more exists! Example: PoI labeled: the manse of lord dunsamere. That isn't just the manor -- it's the hunting grounds, the boathouse on the lake, the family burial mounds, and more! A point crawl campaign could easily be like the region to region point crawls. Imagine going from the area around salt marsh into the next point: fever swamp, or further inland is the tower of the silveraxe area (and adjacent to that region are the hills around B2). Transitions across these points of interest could easily be hexcrawls in these regions (or also point crawls within the regions). They're recursive like that. It comes down to preference and whether the journey or the destination is what's satisfying. My experience is mostly west marches games so, sadly, journeying gets more abstacted in favor of getting in that session's adventure "content" or whatever.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Nice breakdown
@mathewstoker2131
2 жыл бұрын
Technically, I use neither. Blank paper flows better for my area maps; no straight lines in nature and I find it creatively restricting. I don't use scale on the maps, that I show my players. They can plan, rough travel times, follow roads or go cross-country. They don't feel confined, until they breach into a dungeon. For those. I want the restrictions and confinements; so I use Graph paper.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Cool! How do they plan supplies for overland journeys?
@mathewstoker2131
2 жыл бұрын
@@BanditsKeep They may want to ask locals, about distance and keep around 5 days of dry stores (rations) on them. Hire a guide, (expert class) if they have no foraging or forestry skills. Oh for those that do, knowledge herbology. Leaves of 3, leave it be. Leaves of 4, eat some more.🤣
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
@@mathewstoker2131 do you find having no way to plan prevents people from risking exploration?
@mathewstoker2131
2 жыл бұрын
@@BanditsKeep Most of the games I'm running at the moment, have at least one off-road Explorer in the group (Ranger, Fringer, Gypsy, Guide). I plan from the settlements and have at least 2-3 local area quest options. Also the domain they are running around in; is around 150 by 150 miles, a single county with settlements dotted around a handful of days apart at most. Roads are patrolled and fairly well travelled. All of the characters were raised within the area and are at least, roughly familiar with the geography. They are fairly confident about going out bush.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
@@mathewstoker2131 cool
@lucasmarquesdecamargos4298
2 жыл бұрын
I recently pulled up a Point Crawl in an OSE campaign I'm GMing. The characters went to a forest that I had totally not prepared yet, so I came up with some nodes of localities I've already been thinking about. It wasn't as you described, a path already trodden, becase the players didn't have access to my map, so they were making decisions on where to go inside the forest, eventually reaching a road. Then it was a little bit more linear. Anyway, I tend to find very difficult to run a hexcrawl smoothly, and without turning it into a mindless roll-fest. So I think point crawls can be interesting to organize the space of your campaign if you happen to have the same difficulties as me, and being flexible to player ideas that might circumvent the pre-established route between nodes.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
For sure, point crawls tend to have the advantage as far as organization goes IMO
@EruditeDM
3 ай бұрын
My frustration with hex crawls is the lack of the overused ‘verisimilitude’. Wandering across the wilderness hoping to find something? C’mon. There should be road networks between cities and towns and minor pathways. Urban developments depend on markets and farmlands. Why wouldn’t adventurers use the reliability and security afforded by roadways. Now certainly there are more remote, uncharted regions. Dicey thing wandering off the road. That’s where the side-quests come in based on rumors and plot hooks. But just aimlessly wandering around the wilderness like Lewis & Clark is bizarre even in a fantasy game. I like the way you tie the point crawl to a narrative motivation, @Daniel. There’s got to be a good reason to take those kinds of risks. Random sandbox hex crawls? Ehhh not my thing. Thanks!
@BanditsKeep
3 ай бұрын
If you are running a frontier game there would be no roads.
@EruditeDM
3 ай бұрын
Absolutely. Somewhere on the edge of “civilization”. Thx Daniel. 👍🏼
@DiscoBarbarian
2 жыл бұрын
I bought Outdoor Survival Years ago. it's a cool old school game... brutal though.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
For sure!
@crafti.louisecreates6824
2 жыл бұрын
Just ran into your channel. Love this idea. Thanks for sharing.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Thank You!
@TheIoPC
2 жыл бұрын
I usually use a point crawl type setup myself, but I do want to try a hex crawl at some point. ~ Adam
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Cool
@zzarchovkowolski4356
2 жыл бұрын
I figured I could help feed the engagement algorithm with a comment and suggest you have the strengths of Hexcrawl and Pointcrawl reversed. A Hexcrawl is far more managed and less random, each hex being in essence a node in a pointcrawl that always has 6 adjacent equidistant nodes. It also makes it quite hard to get lost as players quickly note misalignment of nodes (if they expect a mountain to the south-east and its the south the jig is up). Pointcrawls, especially going back to AD&D (or at least 2e) allowed for an infinite number of points from each node that could be any distance. Being abstracted from the view of the players getting lost (there were tables based on the type of terrain, presence of landmarks, and the type of trail (a road was nearly impossible while a game trail or foot path was easy). Players might not realize they are lost until they are two games days past their destination in a forest. This allowed them chances to stumble upon other potential locations in the general area (and if they get unlost, unlock this as a new point).
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
I’ve never heard of that type of point crawl - also to say it’s hard to get lost in a hex crawl tells me you must not hike in the wood much 😉 - it’s tricky to go in a straight line and judge distance. I don’t really understand this 2e point crawl but you’ve got me interested - I’ll have to break out those books! Thanks
@zzarchovkowolski4356
2 жыл бұрын
@@BanditsKeep I apologize, I meant its hard in a metagame sense for players to get lost in a hex. That you can walk 20 feet to the left of an overgrown building and see no trace of it in a real forest is why I tend to use hex-crawls for "easier" wilderness travel where I want to hide the fact that at how much time it would really take to meaningfully explore a 6-mile forest, or god forbid a swamp, hex. I use pointcrawls when I want to stress that if you don't know where you are going you are stumbling about blind.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
@@zzarchovkowolski4356 ah, that makes sense, but what about when there are clear paths like Ursine Dunes, what would you call that?
@zzarchovkowolski4356
2 жыл бұрын
@@BanditsKeep I would still consider S.U.D a pointcrawl, merely a simple one. Much as a five room dungeon is still a dungeon, it just doesn't take advantage of the medium to the same extent as a megadungeon.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
@@zzarchovkowolski4356 That makes sense. You’ve really got me thinking about this! BTW I’m a big fan of your work!
@georgethompson913
Жыл бұрын
Point crawls make the most sense for cities.
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
True
@stevekirkby6570
2 жыл бұрын
very informative, thanks!
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Thank You!
@richardextall2002
Жыл бұрын
Point Crawl = Guided Exploration. Hex Crawl = Free Exploration.
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Indeed
@jaredsmith6565
2 жыл бұрын
Great video as always! If you’re taking topic requests I’d love to see one on downtime and procedures for things that can occur on that like rumor gathering and carousing. Do you use tables, is it mainly RP? I know you have mentioned in the past that you’re a fan of mini games, do you just zoom out and tell players when entering a town that they can roll on the rumor chart x number of times?
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
I tend to have tables for down time rumors (and zoom out) and have RP rumors during adventures - ideally (if I’m on track) any one session of my open world campaign could lead the party in several directions do to interaction with NPCs
@jaredsmith6565
2 жыл бұрын
@@BanditsKeep thank you so much for this. You've been an absolute godsend for me learning B/X
@Xplora213
Жыл бұрын
I have done point crawl to hand wave a huge bulk of the map burden for my kids playing my game. If there is a road, or a river, between a populated area and another, let’s not grind the game to a halt. It’s too frustrating and I really don’t think there is much to be gained from minutiae unless that is the actual adventure that session. Which is ok!
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Indeed
@Demonskunk
9 ай бұрын
I feel like the assumption that a point crawl is through well-known locations is false. The way Point Crawls were sold to me is that it’s a good way to have an open ended campaign structure without needing to map out the countryside in detail. You have a few areas connected by pathways and your players can choose which pathways to take. If you add in ‘wilderness’ points that aren’t really points of interest, but exist to demonstrate the vastness of the wilderness and allow points to connect and loop on each other more naturally. They don’t necessarily need to know where the pathways go, or which pathways are connected where. You could do an entirely unexplored land point-crawl style. If the players ‘get lost’ while travelling between points, maybe they end up at a hidden point, a nearby point that’s not connected, or they just get turned around and end up back where they came from. You could also have the players able to discover hidden points by deliberately exploring between points. I agree that they’re not as freeform. You’re definitely losing ‘freedom’, but a point crawl need not be well known or well explored to be a point crawl.
@BanditsKeep
9 ай бұрын
Well known to those who use the paths, not necessarily the players
@uwtartarus
Жыл бұрын
Meant to run a hexcrawl but characters built a party better suited for trade routes so my hexmap has gotten very Pointcrawly.
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Nice, gotta love when players have a plan
@account2871
3 ай бұрын
Hex crawl is good for wide swaths of "nobody knows what's going on here" (wilderness) Point crawl is good for wide swaths of "everybody knows what's going on here" (civilization)
@BanditsKeep
3 ай бұрын
True
@TKFKU
2 жыл бұрын
It seems lately people have it that hex crawls are hard? Pick a direction, roll the randoms, pick another direction. Maybe the newer systems don't cover travel? 3e kinda did but I stopped there. Coming up BECMI dungeon and hex crawling came naturally to our groups.
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
I don’t think it is covered as much in the later editions, true, but I also think the wilderness being random and dangerous makes some DMs nervous they will have a TPK 🤔
@JamesFirth-v
2 жыл бұрын
Do you recall what podcast you were listening to? Don’t have many RPG podcasts in my feed!
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
Oh boy, not sure - but I mostly listen to 3. Down in a Heap, The Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast and Clerics Wear Ringmail.
@joebranch4536
6 ай бұрын
Hey Daniel! I’m trying to run an exploration based campaign set in the Warhammer Fantasy world and am having a tough time. While the entire world isn’t necessarily discovered, most of the civilized areas have been heavily colonized. Aside from putting my players in a literal wasteland, how would you tackle an exploration campaign in a world that’s mostly been explored?
@BanditsKeep
6 ай бұрын
I’d likely focus on smaller, harder to explore areas - mountains, deep forest etc. places that most people would not go.
@joebranch4536
6 ай бұрын
@@BanditsKeep appreciate the feedback!
@simonblanjean6538
2 жыл бұрын
Lol what's an inch. I never realized how much respect I had for the translators who had to convert everything into metric. Here we move 3m per round, AS GOD INTENDED
@BanditsKeep
2 жыл бұрын
I believe for war-games it would be 3cm 🤷🏻♂️ - the idea is that it is not a fixed number - the map scale and time scale changes the way it is used.
@playerextremebr1.027
Ай бұрын
I play like a Point Crawl but more "Open".
@playerextremebr1.027
Ай бұрын
And use mundane challenges, for example, rain, snakes, terrain, etc. My sobrenatural this is really rare and my players like that.
@BanditsKeep
Ай бұрын
Nice
@BanjoSick
Жыл бұрын
What about normal travel rules. Never got the point of hexcrawl. We use maps that have scales and an encounter table. Simple, no need for hex or point crawl. Never heard of them in the 90's or 2000's. When I came back to rpgs, suddenly everybody talks about hexcrawls.
@BanditsKeep
Жыл бұрын
Hexcrawls are from the Original game, a way of exploring the unknown world where there is no map. From a player point of view (and a character for that matter) the hexes themselves don’t exist - they would just have a map/scale. I was not playing in the 90s so I cannot speak on those techniques
@BanjoSick
Жыл бұрын
@@BanditsKeep I havn't played a lot (A)D&D, but we played Merp and Rolemaster and I never heard of hexcrawls. I understand how they work. I just don't get why people would do that. What is the benefit?
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