How to Make a Fantasy Sandbox

How to Make a Fantasy Sandbox!

Starting in 2009, I wrote a series of 24 posts on the Bat in the Attic Blog covering the different aspects of creating a hexcrawl formatted setting. Now that the blog posts are completed, I have combined and rewritten these posts into a single book. In addition to advice about creating your setting, the posts flesh out the Isle of Pyade into a small setting that you can drop into your own campaign.

What is a Hexcrawl formatted setting?

This type of setting starts with a hex grid placed over the map, with each hex numbered. The hex locations of the various locales, such as lairs, are noted and arranged into an index. This format provides a convenient way to reference detailed local information within the setting.

You can look at the map, see the hex number of the location, and then look it up quickly in the book. It works in reverse as well. You can read about a location in the book, with its hex location noted in the text, and then look up where it is on the map quickly. This format allows easy access to dozens of detailed locations scattered across the setting map.

Hexcrawls and Sandbox Campaigns

Sandbox campaigns are distinguished by the fact that the players drive the campaign forward by their choices. In a sandbox campaign, the players may decide to head west instead of east in pursuit of their goals. The ease of looking up locations makes the hexcrawl formatted setting a valuable tool for the referee trying to keep ahead of their players while running a sandbox campaign.

How to Make a Fantasy Sandbox will teach you how to make a hexcrawl formatted setting and explain which details are essential to include to handle the different types of sandbox campaigns.