Great Exploration Rules

One problem with complaining that a game doesn't have "great exploration rules" is the blind men and an elephant problem. Nobody can define exploration rules, and opinions on what makes them "great" change constantly.

The hex-crawl system, a versatile approach that covers survival, random encounters, weather, terrain, movement, mapping, points of interest, supplies, fatigue, and the thrill of getting lost, is a comprehensive system that draws inspiration from the Avalon Hill Outdoor Survival game, as seen in the Kobold Press Book of Hexcrawl. Its character-threatening nature adds an element of excitement. I'm eagerly anticipating the completion and compilation of this series into a hardcover, and this book is also great for games other than 5E.

I have watched others on YouTube say exploration is a system for creating "random memorable moments" in a story context. This is 100% the opposite of the above system and feels more like a narrative game interpretation of exploration - but in that creator's mind, this is what exploration brings to their games.

Others don't want space wasted in the book for exploration rules since they DIY or use an external book to run the exploration game. This is the Tales of the Valiant game's modular development model, where the base game is just that, and you add systems onto the game as you need them.

And the options are plentiful! With a wide array of books available, you can always find a system that suits your preferences, even if it's different from what one might consider as having 'great exploration rules.' You can make up the rest of the game, which has basic survival rules for supply, survival, and resting.

Some versions of 5E are woefully inadequate in survival rules, so you may need to expand your game to fit your needs. The 5.1 SRD (under Adventuring, The Environment) and ToV (p220, Players Guide) have basic food and water requirements. Also, note that the description of what the survival skill does in the SRD and in ToV is very brief. If I were playing, I would require a survival skill roll (and supplies, disadvantage without) to prepare a camp for long rests. Otherwise, you will need an inn or other safe place.

Think about it if it were you. Could you "long rest" by walking in the middle of the woods and sitting in one place for eight hours? Would you want a tent and a sleeping bag? A fire? Food and water? Snacks? A lantern? Something to keep the bugs off you? A chair? A book to read or a game to play? Medical supplies for bug bites and minor cuts? Clothes for sleeping? A pillow or blanket? A tarp to keep the rain off you and the fire, or for sitting on?

Now, imagine this being a dangerous world filled with monsters and magic.

These "real-world rulings" are critical to bringing "exploration" to your game. Rules as written, 5E leaves a lot up to the referee, and most groups ignore these common-sense rulings and assume "if it is not written in the game, it doesn't apply to us" - which is wrong.

Too many people equate the 5E rules with rules for games like "Magic: The Gathering" and say, "If it is not mentioned in the book, I don't need it, and it doesn't apply to me!" They "go stupid" and ignore reality.

And remember, the 5E character heals like the comic book character Wolverine. In eight hours, they can recover all hit points from an ax blow to the head, massive burns all over the body, broken legs and arms, and a deep sword thrust to the gut! As a referee, getting this "long rest heroic benefit" should come with a heavy price, and disallowing it because the ranger blew their survival skill roll making a camp because nobody remembered to buy camping gear is a good enough reason for me.

Hexcrawl generators are not automatically survival rules.

Tracking supplies, especially food and water, is critical.

And common-sense and real-world rulings can fill in many of the gaps.

If you want a plug-in book covering 5E survival, the Cinematic Environs: Survival book is one of the best-in-class books on the subject, covering the topic in fantastic detail. This one is highly recommended if you want gritty, realistic survival in your game. Since ToV is modular and keeps the core rules simple, this makes an excellent set of rules options for a "hardcore survival game" for 5E, with a few different "realism levels" for survival and healing.

D&D tends to "print books" and then "require you to have them all," so the game and design are not modular. While you can plug in a book like the above, it gets harder and harder the more books you are required to have. Eventually, it becomes impossible to sort everything out (and they ship a new edition).

If ToV had rules like this, it would be an incredibly detailed, gritty, and realistic game. But it doesn't need to since the base, core rules are modular and do not make assumptions like this - letting you pick survival-focused rules add-ons or just making rulings as you see fit for your group's preferences.

You will always be able to find hex-crawl generators, and they even come in hardcovers. Some are short and generic, but this is all you need and want sometimes. The Sandbox Generator is a small book, but the tables are handy, allowing you to make the most of it, with the charts providing guidance.

They range from the simple to the complex. Some are hundreds of pages long, which some groups will enjoy immensely; this is simply too much detail for others. The Hexcrawl Toolkit will tell you everything about a hex, down to the smallest detail. Combining this with a solo-questing book creates a procedural world with random quests and dungeons appearing anywhere.

What is overkill for one group is suitable for another, which is why the modular approach works best.

To play to the strengths of 5E, you need to begin with a core, modular rule system. Many OSR games tend to overdo it and provide every system in one book. With 5E, with the core rules, you can find the books that fit the needs of your group and choose add-on books to craft your campaign.

Some in the community feel that 5E is "too easy" and "you can't die," but this is more a problem of monolithic D&D, a less modular system, than Tales of the Valiant, a modular game where you can pull in any extra systems you want.

The trick is that you don't need them for every game.