Hexplore24: Catching Up (Week Six - Week Fourteen)

"The passing of the preceding age was marked with a contraction. As with all great machines, there comes a point where delivery of information from one end to the other takes such a prodigious time that it becomes nearly impossible to manage from one bureaucratic center. Where once the Administration maintained great authority over the details of its dominion, expansion of the domain necessitated greater and greater divestment of power into a class of subordinate ministers. Such a decision did not come lightly; the masters of the city knew even nominally granting power to those outside of their vested inner circle meant danger to their established order. Thus the choice was between being satisfied with the bounds of the city or relying on these ministers to maintain cohesion of the master's will. In a remarkable and unexpected decree, the master's declared the bounds of the city as marked by their current extent would become an immutable boundary. In this way the once ever growing needs of the city were truncated to a more predictable range and the ruling caste need not spread their control and political capital thin. However, in the game of empire, vultures begin to circle at the moment where growth ceases as if they sense the heart beat quieting..."

2/7 - 4/7 

Adran:  

Where to begin? I write in a corner of the ruins trying to keep the pages dry from the soft rain that has been pouring for days. The last months have been filled with peril, great challenges, and the foundation of new bonds. I recount the tale as thus: 

• We faced the black wyrm of the Glittering Isle (Ninondrilloth) who abducted the cleric Aran as a hostage threatening his death if we continue to build allies in the region. 
• A band of hobgoblin raiders terrorized the southern lands with Lord Cadebros (warden of Castle Kidwelly) only holding them back temporarily. 
• The Clerics of Bast in the Iron Temple of Bast faced a ghoul infestation threating to spill into the plains and beyond unless thwarted. 
• A purple wurm lairs just north of Castle Huntingdon; awakening the beast threatens Port Ensal. 
• And a green dragon took over the lair of a group of intelligent giant spiders in the northern swamp displacing them until it is driven off.  

Facing these challenges, we come up with a daring plan. We would first journey to the Iron Temple and parley with the large tribe of goblins present to use them as an army against the hobgoblins. For surely Ninondrilloth would never suspect goblins to be in the employ of our band. This alliance secured after performing a great deed for the goblin king, half our band set out with them to the aid of Lord Cadebros. We met the hobgoblins at their lair, where a pitched battle was waged. Hours later, the hobgoblins were either broken at our feet or fleeing into the hills. This battle won, we returned to Port Ensal for another round of planning where it was concluded we must once again divide our party; Mer-Me led a team into the wilderness searching for more allies and resources while I with a few companions scout the dragons lair (The Glittering Isle). 

Our objectives where the following: 

1. Locate the lair of the dragon
2. Determine its hunting patterns
3. Scout the island's geography
4. Locate other points of interest on the islan
5. Determine if any other factions or inhabitants of the island could be useful

We dared not light a fire for fear of attracting the beast's attention so the falling snow nearly killed us. A chance encounter with the wizard Ozidarin the Immortal proved auspicious; hearing of our noble quest he bestowed upon us the use of his Bronze Horn of Valhalla for temporary use in a dire situation. After many days, we accomplished each of these goals before returning to Port Ensal. Mer-Me was similarly successful, having secured the aid of Rowan Storm, a cheerful leader of a group of mercenaries laying claim to the ruins of Castle Yonago should we promise to aid them in clearing their territory once the beast is dead. We hatched a bold plan: Rowan's warriors on hippogryphs would draw the dragon out from its lair while our team and Rowan would sneak into the compound, slay any guards, and set up a deadly ambush within its own lair. The task proved as monumental as it was bold: the dragon kept a clan of Trolls as guards, deadly traps, and even powerful undead who cursed several of the group with unhealing wounds. We were however delighted to find Aran alive and well; his apparent connection the draconic god Tiamat affording him some measure of protection from the dragon so long as he proved useful translating a number of ancient texts. While it took nearly every bit of magic, resource, cunning, and plain luck, our ambush was a success and the dragon's blood ran in rivers from the mouth of the spring at the base of it's lair. 

Of some note, the text's that Aran has transcribed largely focus on an ancient city to the east supposedly of grandeur rivaling the palaces of the gods. If such a place really does exist, it would prove the discovery of an era. What is intriguing is that Mer-Me claims to have also heard stories of such a place from their people's oral history, though the connection is unclear. When time permits, we plan to investigate this further. (+1 Clue to the Golden City)

The dragon's hoard was great, but the Prince's gift of the island for our deed proved an unexpected boon. We plan to raise a keep there as a base of operations for our expeditions. In the meantime, we recalled our obligations to both the Clerics of Bast and to Rowan and after a suitable rest, we set out to accomplish both simultaneously. Using some of our treasure to employ a band of mercenaries known as the Circle of Regret, we set off for Castle Yanogo while Mer-Me's band visited the Iron Temple of Bast where it became necessary to slay our once allies who threatened to raid the lands should a tithe not be paid to them in perpetuity. The goblin king slain, the Clerics of Bast should have some breathing room although they did relate to us a concerning tale regarding the presence of a demon with the ruins that our actions may have provoked an interest...

At Castle Yanogo, we quickly make work of the more mundane issues plaguing the territory, but two main challenges remain. The first is the lair of yet another purple wurm while the seconds is the old dungeons of Castle Yanogo which seem teeming with monsters. For now, we plan to deal with the dungeon for who can sleep easily knowing such lies beneath their feet? Rowan and his band are just now removing the boulders sealing the entrance; let us see what lies in the depths...

New hexes explored:

•  A ton. Mostly eastward

Feature's found: 

• The Village of Updale 
• The Glittering Isle
• Castle Yonago
• The Ruined Shrine of Shaundakul
• The Ceremonial Scimitar
• Lair of the Chimeras
• Lair of the Giant Spiders
• Lair of the Purple Worm 
• Wren's Rock
• Sanctuary of the Seekers
• The Village of Runnimage 

Notable encounters:

• The Abudction of Aran, Cleric of Tiamat:
• The Battle of the Ruined Shrine:
• The Parting of the Company: 
• Ozidarin the Immortal:  
• Rowan Storm:  
• Ninondrilloth's Felling: 
• +1 Clue of the Golden City 
• Gained the Glittering Isle as a Steading 
• The Scouring of the Iron Citadel : 
• Answering Rowan's call: 

Ongoing Plots/Quests: 

• The Quest for the Golden City
• The Demon of the Iron Temple
• Displaced Spiders
• The Purple Wurms 
• Clearing Castle Yanogo 

Current party: 

• Adran, Lawful Human Ranger 4
• Dan of Caladan, Neutral Halfling Thief 5
• Douse, Lawful Human Monk 5
• Aran, Lawful Human Cleric of Tiamat 5
• Mer-Sit the IV, Chaotic Human Fighter 4
• Mer-Me of Ironbound Castle, Lawful Elven Thief 5
• Zer Esten, Neutral Human Magic-User 4
• Quasin the Uncanny, Neutral Human Cleric of Oghma 5
• Elsun the Heavy, Neutral Dwarven Fighter 5
• Tenspor of the Arid Wastes, Neutral Elven Cleric of Waukeen 5
• Berdpal Eth, Lawful Dwarven Fighter 5

The Circle of Regret: A mercenary band contracted to aid the party in clearing of castle Yonago in the service of their obligation to Rowan Storm. Their leader is Usaman Al-Bakr and they consist of 70 men (30 LF, 20 HF, 20 LH). Of their history, we learn of their great loss upon the walls of the fortress city Ebonfall, the betrayal of their once employer the Duke of Valspire, and their enemies chasing them to the sea forcing them to come to this new land. They have been paid 1400 GP for their services (deposit and monthly cost) and will cost 700 GP each month we employ them: currently until 4/24. 

Mudcore is rad

I have titled my newest campaign "Mudcore" as a tongue in cheek call back to an often disparaged style of game. In brief, Mudcore refers to a game where the player characters are frequently far from heroic and typically spend their short miserable lives wallowing in the filth of some dungeon that WILL kill you; its only a matter of how long until it does. I've seen the term used in conversations typically bashing the mythological "Old School" style of play as if most gaming tables in the halcyon days measured the life of their characters in hours and never saw level 3. The best they might do was scrounge some loose change on the floor before slinking away to the nearest bar sniveling and snorting. From my understanding this certainly was NOT the case but getting to the truth of the common original dungeons and dragons experience is of little use or interest to me. 

I am primarily interested in the mythology and, in this case, was curious what a game that took some of those premises and went with them would look like. 

Enter Mudcore. The year is 1865 and the president is dead. You are returning home to your small Pennsylvanian mining town like so many others at the conclusion of the Civil War. There, you find the dungeon. With nought but ingenuity and the resources you can find among the depths you'll seek to travel ever deeper in to the earth to solve the great mysteries of your hometown, possibly recover lost treasures, and confirm the veracity of the rumored Ring Of Wishes in the mine's depths. 

Death at 0 HP. ODND (Or well Swords and Wizardry), and starting at level 0. One to one time. The denizens of the dungeon are horrific, the traps are devious, and above all the dungeon is motivated to lure you in to your doom. 

 

Does that sound like fun at all?

 

My players certainly think so and most of them cut their teeth on DnD 5e, Pathfinder, and modern fantasy. We've been having a ton of fun as a departure from the more standard epic tales we've told as a group. This is about a small town, not saving the world. Its about the megadungeon, there is not much else to do but explore it. And its about the characters, will they make it out of this one alive? I think pitching the expectations of this game - its relatively high lethality and clear focus on dungeon exploration - was an essential element of getting this to work. I think the mythology of Mudcore games and the hated response/reputation arises not really from the conditions of the game, but rather an adversarial relationship between the DM and the players. I can easily imagine this being a terrible experience if sprung on unsuspecting players or if the DM goes on a power trip. I've learned from this in the dozen or so session so far that even in this very "limiting" experience, many players will thrive. I feel it analogous to improv: a completely blank page with no guidance is very hard to get into, but if you have an initial set of conditions that limit your options, it can be counterintuitively easier to be creative and have fun. 

Now for the negatives. Not all my players have enjoyed the transition. There is a subset that bounced off of the idea and only occasionally show up. And that is totally fine by me. I'd much rather run a focused game for a group of people that are really enjoying it, than a generalist style game that only kinda appeals to folks who spend half the time on their phones. Its been refreshing, I may template my games in the future on this idea (although I am blessed with a particularly large group of TTRPG enthusiast friends). 

In our games, characters die. They struggle with challenges trivial in other high fantasy role playing games (How do we even get down this 20 ft drop? Or did we come in from the right or left passage, are we lost?). And honestly progression (We use GP for XP) is comparatively slow. But my players (and I!) have really been enjoying the clear focus and a chance to slowly unwind the mysteries of a small region, get to know the local characters and environment, and take part in the small problems of the town. I've built in a few things to appeal to different types of players; an overarching mystery for the players invested in lore/world building, a megadungeon with lots of factions and history to explore for players who like exploration, and challenging encounters with bizarre/unusual monsters for players who like puzzles and violence. Does that make this no longer a Mudcore game? At least according to my definition it still is but argue however you want. In conclusion, I don't think running a game with high lethality with characters who are not epic heroes or even characters who are ratcatchers by day is somehow a negative. As long as you have buy in from your players and are clear about expectations, it can be a fun and rewarding experience (or even a palate cleanser between other types of games). 

I've also got great players so my experiment here should be taken with a grain of salt.  

Oh and I produced a trailer to get my players in the mood for the game as well as tease a few of the mysteries. If you are curious, here it is below: 

 

So I failed my hexploration challenge

 

Why? Life. Its always life. Just like what keeps you from being able to run those games you want to run or the root of scheduling issues, the final boss of the TTRPG hobby. Actually, it is more accurate to say my priorities shifted. I stopped blogging about it regularly sometime in Feb 2024 but kept playing through April. I think my project ended up being more ambitious than I expected (a running theme with my experience in this hobby).  

So why I am talking about it now? Because I still think about it. I see the notebook on my shelf right above my computer and open it every once in a while just to read a bit. I would like to return to it one day but I think its important to have a retrospective on why I stopped and what I can do to bring the project back to life in a more manageable way. More specifically, I'd like to return to it in a substantive way and continue to explore that world. By looking a bit closer at what my goals were, the processes I was using, and thinking a bit about why my priorities shifted I hope I can figure out what new form that exploration should take. There are probably some general lessons in here that may be useful to some folks or in the very least an interesting story.  

Solo gaming can be a very powerful creative tool that is both enriching to the general hobby experience and also a useful exercise in developing the creative muscles we use in the TTRPG hobby. So its both fun and also helpful for improving as a DM. If you are curious on the general details of solo gaming, here are a few resources I think that nicely describe the general idea and how you might get started: 

Bandit's Keep: A video on some of the reasons why you might want to do solo DND.

Tales of the Manticore: A great Solo DND podcast, see how it is done!

Just playing Solo: A relatively short video that covers some reasons why and just jumps right into the process of using some tools

So why was I doing this? My original goal was to take part in the Hexplore24 challenge  but also I had been inspired by watching Bandit's Keep's solo game using ODND (as an aside, highly recommend its good listening and very helpful for putting you to sleep). Lastly I had been thinking a lot about an old campaign I ran in college 100 years ago (or like 2017, which might as well have been 100 years ago). This game featured a large hexmap where the players were searching for a long lost city supposedly full of treasure and wonders. It was an amazing campaign I'll talk about one day but that is too long for here (It ended with the party on a bullet train after failing to stop the launch of nuclear missiles threatening to rain down on the major cities of the world and them realizing the only way to stop it was to use their one Wish spell to prevent their characters from ever meeting each other...Good shit). I had really enjoyed the campaign structure of hex crawling, delving into the ruins and meeting with the locals as they slowly made their way to the city. So I had a premise for the game and some random tables (this is a great resource for wilderness exploration, HIGHLY recommend you save a copy of it) and tools at my disposal to draft up pretty much anything I might have needed. 

The idea was to spend just a few minutes a day or maybe like an hour or so a week rolling up a hexmap, and then in my case moving around a small party of heroes as they explored the space. I would roll randomly for what they encountered (once two different green dragons in as many days!) and used some basic oracles to figure out what they characters might do. This worked really well actually and before long I was off on a grand adventure. There were some really amazing experiences, from the previously mentioned dragons, to discovering a temple under attack from feline demons, to banding together with some goblins to take on a large camp of hobgoblins besieging a castle. It is amazing what you can come up with with just a few random tables and saying yes and to the random encounters you roll. I started to notice a problem though. Even though I'd only explored a relatively small area in the grand scheme of things (I put the chance of finding the city in a given hex at 1/1000 or so to start), I quickly became enamored with this little corner of the world and the role my characters were starting to play in it. And "sessions" started taking longer and longer. I couldn't keep up posting about it so that fell to the way side and then eventually we started up a new home game, grad school got hectic, and I just put the notebook down. It became too much of a chore in a way; not that I didn't enjoy it but it just took up too much time in an already overloaded schedule. 

That is probably the thesis of this: scope creep in our hobbies (whether its solo DND or painting Warhammer figures) can quickly stop you from even taking part in the process. Being realistic with your time commitments and identifying when this scope creep happens is good practice for any project, hobby or otherwise. While its great to be excited about your new latest project or hobby you will almost certainly burn out if its not balanced and you might put it down never to pick it up again. It is also worth saying of course there is nothing wrong with not continuing a hobby, but sometimes we give up on hobbies and don't recognize its not because we don't enjoy it anymore, but rather we build up a mental block from over-eagerness. Recognizing when this might be happening and taking preemptive steps such as pumping the breaks, scheduling time for your hobby, and just being cognizant of burnout as it happens. It just might save your hobby time. 

But what if you just don't have the time? Like everything else in life, its not that you don't have time its just that it isn't a priority. If you'd really like to make it work even on a busy schedule, I'd recommend setting aside a single weeknight evening (weeknight because in my experience its more likely you won't have spontaneous plans come up) and just mark off an hour. 8 PM on Wednesday is Solo DnD night. Make yourself some tea, get a crumpet, whatever your local ritual is and just play/engage for an hour. And keep to it! Do that for a few months and quickly it will become a habit. Its a fairly low barrier to entry and for something fun it shouldn't be too onerous. 

I failed the challenge in the sense I didn't complete a full year of the game. But honestly, it was wildly successful by any other meaningful metric. Enough so I still want to return to it despite having other healthy games going and it having been more than a year since I last played. This time I wont have the pressure of the Hexplore24 challenge (it is certainly not going to happen every night) but instead schedule some time one weeknight, just for an hour, to open back up that small notebook and catch up with some old friends. Maybe they will reach the Golden City one day or maybe not. What is certain is that the next hex over the hill won't explore itself.