The viral #dungeon23 challenge put forth by Sean McCoy https://seanmccoy.substack.com/p/dungeon23 is coming to an end as of December 31st. For myself and many others it has been apart of our daily lives, one room at a time. It’s gonna feel a little weird on the 1st when that aspect of my morning ritual goes away. Like I’ve forgotten something, but can’t put a finger on what it was. So, I’ve decided to cobble together a few ideas for a project that will replace #dungeon23. I’m calling it #hexplore24 and I’ll give a “brief" outline of what that’ll entail.
Long story short, #hexplore24 is a West Marches-style, wilderness exploration solo hexcrawl played out one day at a time for all of 2024 (so 1 day per day for 366 days).
https://monstersmazes.blogspot.com/?m=1
https://www.reddit.com/r/Hexplore24/
Resources:
https://monstersmazes.blogspot.com/2023/12/resourses.html?m=1
Wilderness Hexplore by Jed McClure. IMHO the best procedural hexcrawl generator.
https://pdfcoffee.com/wilderness-hexplore-revised-pdf-free.html
The folks at Necrotic Gnome were generous in providing the entirety of Old School Essentials Classic Fantasy SRD free of charge. If you're unfamiliar with OSE, it is a retroclone of Moldvey Basic/Expert B/X) Dungeons and Dragons.
OSE SRD: https://oldschoolessentials.necroticgnome.com/srd/index.php/Main_Page
OSE Generators: https://oldschoolessentials.necroticgnome.com/generators/
Need a setting unique setting? Reddit user Lixuni98 converted two 2e D&D campaign settings to OSE.
Dark Sun is a post-apocalyptic wonderland wasteland hellbent on killing you. Needless to say, its awesome. Thankfully, Lixuni98 provided terrain mechanics in the revised edition.
Player's Handbook:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YxHtossWYtOajzNO7XNIfTEAIE4xDzuw/view?usp=drive_link
Game Master's Guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RAqUAQqb5VEhqKF5ucad1V-yw4KPV0dN/view?usp=drive_link
Spelljammer is basicly D&D in space. If you're into the idea of "Planet of the Week/Month" then Spelljammer is a perfect match for you. You can use the legendary ship itself as a "The Town" and launch expeditions into the vast reaches of Wildspace.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nA8N0T0OMb7RI7w0DZdglIP-RlbMJIEw/view?usp=drivesdk
A good place for more free resources is https://www.grey-elf.com/
Need a place to upload your newly acquired hex sheet...and have a low-maintenance playground that can go anywhere with you? Check out https://www.owlbear.rodeo/ its free and super easy to use.
Another great hexmap generator that's also provides a free version is https://worldographer.com/
One more for the road https://hextml.playest.net/
Need more settings? Well, the amazing James Wyatt created the Plane Shift series based on Magic:The Gathering. Now, while not being specifically geared for OSR-style games, they can definitely provide inspiration for your Hexplore24 campaign. Best of all, they're free!
Plane Shift: Zendikar (An adventure world where parties of explorers delve into ancient ruins in search of wonders and treasures, fighting the monsters they encounter on the way.) https://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/magic/Plane%20Shift%20Zendikar.pdf
Plane Shift: Innistrad ( A horror-themed adventure world rife with all thing dark and deadly) https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/Plane_Shift_Innistrad.pdf
Plane Shift: Kaladesh (An aether-fueled magepunk world of airships and clockwork automatons) https://media.wizards.com/2017/downloads/magic/Plane-Shift_Kaladesh.pdf
Plane Shift: Amonket (A desert plane inspired by ancient Egypt, ruled by an evil dragon Planeswalker, and which features one small safe haven from an undead infestation.) https://media.wizards.com/2017/downloads/magic/plane-shift_amonkhet.pdf
Plane Shift: Ixalan (A world of exploration and treasure, marked by ancient sites waiting to be explored by intrepid heroes. Its got DINOSAURS!!!) https://media.wizards.com/2018/downloads/magic/plane-shift_ixalan.pdf
Plane Shift: Dominaria (Classic fantasy best describes this setting.) https://media.wizards.com/2018/downloads/magic/Plane_Shift_Dominaria.pdf
Music:
Dungeons and by Alexander Nakarada
Dragonquest by Alexander Nakarada
#dungeon23 #hex23 #hexplore24 #ttrpg #oldschoolessentials #ose #osr #megadungeon #solorpg #solo23