The devil is in the details, to use a cliché.

The map of the world is coming right along one hex at a time. Luckily it’s easy to catch up if I miss a day of hex map creation because it’s a series of die rolls and notes. Nobody’s perfect, right? Sometimes we miss a day.

I find that a location, terrain type, possible encounter, and a landmark feature is a good start for any hex, but there’s so much more we can do. Random tables are good inspiration, but when the group wanders into that area, we’re going to need more details. A living, breathing game setting has so much more to it than just a few elements scattered over 15km.

I recently rolled a grasslands hex with a dragon and ruins in it. Throw in some loot and we’ve hit the trifecta for a dungeon crawl. I’m going to flesh that dungeon out and make it a full on adventure someday. But I want the group who enters the dungeon to have a safe place to rest if they survive.

A group should not have to trek 15, 30, or 45km before they find a settlement. I’m going to be generous and say a small village popped up next to the dungeon, maybe just two or three kilometers away. It’s a mixed settlement of mostly humans, Ophidslakt, and a few Beast Kin. At least the group has a place to rest, heal, sell some goods, and barter for supplies.

There are no magic item shops or anything outrageous. The village has a blacksmith who mostly makes household items, horseshoes, and the occasional farming implement. The village is agrarian in nature due to being in the grasslands. Most of the villagers tend their plots of land and live in harmony with one another and the land as we’ve seen before.

The Village Elders can provide some insight into the ruins if the group visits the settlement before they venture into the dungeon. At least the group has the option to learn a few things. I want to create as many roleplaying opportunities as possible with this little settlement. I want to avoid an hour long shopping session. There should be some chances to build relationships and maybe some adventure seeds in there.

I don’t have to set up something elaborate for every hex yet, but I am keeping something in mind for when the group starts moving through. There are plenty of books chock full of worldbuilding prompts I can use or I can add something based on the random rolls for the hex. There’s also the countdown clock of major events that we will be checking against on every new hex. More on that next time.  

Thank you for being here with me today. I appreciate you. Keep it real, but please strive for positivity, too. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy in your life.