Region Crawling, or, Elegant Montage-Traveling
If hex-crawling is more complex than point-crawling, then point-crawling is more complex than region-crawling.
If you want to get to the dungeon, or the distant city, or a particular island, but don't want to deal with hexagons or points, yet still want something a little meatier than "you get there." try a Region Crawl!
Largely inspired by (read: stolen from) a recent game I played with Phlox, and a conversation over on the GLoG server about how D&D 6e is still getting things wrong.
Let's Crawl!
The Procedure
A travel turn is about a week. During the week, the party must choose how they survive in the wilds.
- Eat Rations: A travel ration costs 50 silver, is bulky, and feeds an entire party for a week.
- Subsist: The party moves at 1/2 speed, surviving off the land as they are able. Each member makes a save, and takes fatigue on a failure.
On a travel turn, the party can also choose an action:
- Travel: Move to a distant point within the region, or into an adjacent region. Regions are usually no more than 50 miles across.
- Rest: Recover all lost HP or remove all fatigue.
Encounters: For each travel turn, the Referee considers where the party is, then rolls a d6.
| d6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | A monster appears. What does it want? What does it say about the areas history? |
| 2 | Locals appear. What do they want? What can they tell the party about the area? |
| 3 | A wanderer appears. |
| 4 | A point of interest reveals a bit of interesting lore, preferably about a nearby dungeon, city, or NPC. |
| 5 | The weather takes a turn for the worse. How does the party deal with it? They gain fatigue if they can't handle it well. |
| 6 | A minor dungeon promises a small risk & reward. |
| d6 | Desires |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hunger, starvation, they may steal your food. |
| 2 | Boredom, loneliness, they may make sport of you. |
| 3 | Escape, pursued, they may make you the target. |
| 4 | Greed, envy, they may steal your treasures. |
| 5 | Love, friendship, they may offer help. |
| 6 | Power, strength, they may try to recruit you. |
| d6 | Wanderers |
|---|---|
| 1 | Delin the bard, a spy for the villain, wants to "tell your tale." |
| 2 | Fort the warrior, hunting his brother's killer, may join up for a single travel turn if persuaded. |
| 3 | Maggie the alchemist, wants strange reagents, sells spendy potions. |
| 4 | Nod & Tod, Idiotic Knights Errant, hunting a local monster, need help. |
| 5 | Nora the 'Prentice, kicked out by master, trades information. |
| 6 | Kark the Smith, a great guy, can forge gear from monster parts. |
| 3d6 | Roadside Dungeons | Risks | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A crumbling tower. | Unsteady Terrain | Information |
| 2 | A natural cave. | A large monster | A small treasure |
| 3 | An abandoned shrine. | A small cult | A deity's favor |
| 4 | A hidden grotto. | Contagion | A rare resource |
| 5 | A forgotten house. | A Haunting | d4*50 SP |
| 6 | An old battlefield. | Goblins! | Respect of a local |
Becklind
Imagine a party is traveling across this map. The Referee (because they're more interested in dungeon-crawling or city intrigue than deep exploration) is using our simplified system.
Their sum of the region notes consists of the following "most interesting factlets."
- Banbrig - Capital of Becklind, rolling hills, often patrolled by the imperious red-knights of the Bloody Queen, who (in accordance with the ancient customs) slew all six of her siblings before ascending to the throne.
- Wyel - A heavily forested area, home to bandits and (supposedly) fae in the woods near the north.
- Olaia - Highlands in open rebellion to the Bloody Queen. They instead pledge to Lord Saverdin, a brutal but jovial warrior.
- Vashin Island - Home to the Vashin wizard academy. In word, they serve the ruler of the island, but according to official documents they are excepted from most duties due to the importance of their studies.
- Tollydin - The locals here are under the cruel thumb of the twin giants Iv and Vod. They would almost welcome the Bloody Queen's taxes, instead of the random trampling of their homes and consumption of their sons. Sadly, the queen has set her knights, and her tax-collectors, elsewhere.
- Sebeck - Rain-tossed and mossy, this region worships a massive sea dragon that they have all reportedly seen, but no outsider has ever witnessed. Of course, they still pay taxes when the collectors come around.
- Pulston - Home to the Holy Stone, which supposedly fell from heaven, and shall someday return to bear news of this land to the creator. Priests whisper the people's good deeds to it, and supposedly see visions from it granting them advice.
- Bee Island - Large honeybees give this island its name. The bees are kind, and a few local humans have made a home here, harvesting the excess honey. A venture capitalist is attempting to capture the queen.
- Rose Point - A lighthouse gazes over the storm-tossed rock and the city built upon it. It is a wretched place, and home to many criminal gangs. If there's something you need, but can't find, it's worth looking, but it will almost certainly cost you.
- Lilin - In recent years, the Bloody Queen chased a cult off this island. They were attempting to resurrect some kind of demon, as the story goes. Inquisitors still stick around, and none of the locals care much for outsiders.
So, let's say the party was traveling from 1 to 5 to slay the giants and become heroes.
Turn 1 - They travel through area 1, Banbrig. The Referee rolls a 5, and a massive storm rolls in. The party chooses to travel through it, gaining fatigue.
Turn 2 - The party chooses to cross the river into 2, Wyel. The Referee rolls a 3, and a Wanderer appears on the forest trails. Delin, a cheery bard, sings for them as they make their dinner, enlivening their spirits. He asks them for tales about where they're coming from, and where they're going. They think he's cool, and they want to be celebrated as heroes, so they tell him everything.
Turn 3 - The party enters 5, Tollydin. The Referee rolls a 1, and a monster appears. The Referee rolls for the monster's desire: Boredom, loneliness, to make sport of the party. Low and behold, here is one of the giants, Vod, a hulking 5-story-tall being eating sheep and looking glum. If the party approaches, it will demand to be entertained! If it is not entertained, it will entertain itself by seeing how far it can throw a party member.
In Review
I think this could certainly be expanded on, but it's enough for now.
Again, many thanks to Phlox for the campaign, and Grace in the Discord for getting me thinking about travel stuff again.