Last-Minute Hexcrawl: Travel and Exploration

As the PCs travel through new lands, more details will be revealed. There won't be many new details added to the local map: that's established. On the barony map, though, you will need to fill in details along routes or trackless wilderness, and you occasionally need to fill in new barony or kingdom maps, if the adventurers travel very far.

Following a Route in a Barony: The technique is similar to determining the details of rumors: roll the following dice together to determine the next stage of your journey.

d4 and d8
1d6
1d10
1d12

The d6 determines distance and the d12 determines direction for the next stretch of road. The d4 and d8 are added together and used as a reaction roll to set the mood of that stretch of road. If the d12 indicates that route doubles back, the road ends here and there is a landmark on the other side of the settlement (use the d10 result to determine which one.) If the d12 direction isn't a complete 180, but nearly so, the route continues straight, but another route merges with it, coming from the direction indicated.

Off-Road Travel: If traveling at max speed through a mapped barony hex, don't roll for new features except in clear hexes; the travelers don't notice anything special. If the hex is clear (no obstacles blocking vision,) the travelers will notice any hamlet, if there is one; on a 6 (d6), there is. In other hexes, hamlets will only be noticed if the travelers take their time, halving their speed. In either case, create a locale map using the local map technique, place the hamlet in the middle of the map, then roll 2d12 to determine which direction the roads out of town lead to.

By traveling at quarter speed and rolling an extra d6 for searching, travelers may find a landmark. Roll as described above to find the type of landmark, direction and distance from the center, and general mood.

Entering a new Barony: When travelers reach the border of a barony and are about to enter a new barony (or barony-sized territory,) or if they ask for information in a settlement close to the border, you can just use the method already described for rumors about bordering territories: roll 2d6 for population density, then roll up the terrain using the appropriate procedure. Don't roll up settlements at all if merely traveling through the territory, instead of asking for information. Alternatively, you can skip the density roll and instead roll a d6: on a 6, there is a keep in the new territory (roll d4 + d12 for distance and direction from center of barony, then roll for settlements, but use the "Road" column, to reflect the fact that the territory might not be fully settled yet.) This method will ensure that the home territory and any specially-placed kingdoms will be the only fully-settled areas.