Hex Fill Procedure
Major towns and dangers are placed by hand.
Roll 3d12 of different colors (one for layer 1, one for layer 2, and one for layer 3) and compare the results of each to the chart below. Repeat for every hex which is not already occupied. As this game is about exploration, the party will typically have to search the hex thoroughly to find all of the points of interest in it. The exploration procedure will be expanded on elsewhere.
| D12 result | Layer 1 |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hamlet. Population is (L2 dice result*10)+L3 dice result. Lowest priority for result 1. |
| 2-5 | Nothing |
| 6 | Large ruins |
| 7-8 | Natural resource |
| 9-12 | Scenic feature (9: tree; 10: stone; 11: water; 12: cave) |
| D12 result | Layer 2 |
|---|---|
| 1 | Homestead. Families equal to L1/L3, rounding up. See chart. Highest priority for result 1. |
| 2 | Beast lair |
| 3-7 | Nothing |
| 8 | Medium ruins or tower |
| 9-12 | Weird scenic feature (9: tree; 10: stone; 11: water; 12: cave) |
| D12 result | Layer 3 |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hermit IF no Layer 1 or 2 settlement (else add Danger instead) AND 9-12 on L1 AND NOT 9-12 on L3 (else add Danger). If L1+L2 is odd, they’re a political exile; even is personal choice. Second highest priority for result 1. See Hermit below. |
| 2-7 | Nothing |
| 8 | Cave (dangerous) |
| 9-10 | Ruins, small |
| 11 | Fort or dungeon |
| 12 | Underworld entrance |
Settlement priority: There can only be 1 type of settlement in a hex. If multiple 1s are rolled, Homesteads have the highest priority, Hermits the second highest, and Hamlets the third highest.
The odds of there being absolutely nothing in a hex are 5 in 72 (about 7%). The odds of a hamlet are roughly the same.
Homesteads: Divide one die by the other and round up to determine the number of families in this small farming community. Families tend to be around eight people (a married couple, a grandparent or four, and 4-5 children). A homestead with five or more families (highlighted) is kind of a proto-town and may have leadership outside the household structure, which may include organized defenses. Otherwise, homesteaders tend to flee towards the nearest town if threatened.
Homesteaders tend to have detailed knowledge about the nearby hexes.
Table: Homestead Size The first row and first column represent the dice rolled for L1 and L3, respectively. Compare the results to arrive at the number of families in the homestead.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Hamlets: Multiply 1 die times 10 and add the second die to the result for the population. Families in a hamlet tend to be a little smaller than those in a homestead. A hamlet includes a shrine or two (draw cards from the Acolyte deck to determine which gods are important here), a blacksmith, and some kind of cottage industry which most of the stay at home parents participate in. Hamlets hold market days which bring in members of nearby homesteads. In the belligerent Ærdennes, about 1 in 5 of a hamlet’s population form the militia.
Exceptionally small hamlets (pop. 55 or lower) have probably fallen on rough times. Surely some passing adventurers could help them with their woes.
Hamlet residents are likely to have fair knowledge of nearby hexes and good knowledge about how to get to nearby towns.
Hermit: (updated 10/15) Some hermits are political exiles and some prefer solitude. A Hermit only lives by a natural feature (results 9-12 on L1) but refuses to live by a Weird natural feature (9-12 on L2). If you roll a Weird natural feature along with this result add a Danger instead of a Hermit. A Hermit may have a single other person with then, such as a spouse, apprentice, sibling, ward, adopted child, wayward nephew, or what have you. They tend to be extremely knowledgeable about the hex they are in and nearby dangers.
Example Hexfill
I roll 3d12 and come up with 5, 5, and 3, indicating nothing, nothing, and nothing. As this is a pretty poor example I will roll again. Layer 1 has a 9, layer 2 an 11, and layer 3 an 11. This hex contains an interesting natural feature of a tree, a Weird natural feature of some kind of body of water, and a fort or dungeon.
The tree on layer 1 is a large beech which was knocked over by a storm a century ago but has still continued to grow - enough of the roots were still in the ground that this old man has grown up diagonally. It points the way (+2 to the exploration roll to find layer 2) to a still and unnaturally cold pond with extremely clear water. There is no moss or fish in the pond, though there is nothing wrong with the water. In the depths under a jutting rock there is an entrance to a small dungeon.