On The Road Pt. 1 "Highway to Hex"

Greetings, Table Top Crowd.

Here is another update for you: "Highway to Hex" - some generic pieces of road and some gloomy scenery.

When making these hex tiles I was working with the idea that the game play would mostly be traveling around the game world using Regional Maps - and when stumbling over lurking monsters or random encounters the game play would be moved to these smaller scale hex tiles for conflict resolution. With this in mind, and the idea that a lot of the conflict resolution would be connected to travel along the roads or to roadside camping, I have made a lot of road tiles. Here is the first batch for you:

 



















Ink182

Blueberry Hill

Greetings, Table Top Crowd.

Here is another "scene" or "location" for you to play around with: "Blueberry Hill" (individual hex tiles under).

There is not much to say about this little piece except that I kind of messed up the scale in the center hex (4a). I also sketched out a few alternative "hill tops", but I don't think these are inked and scanned yet. When I get the time I will finish these also, and post them here.

Ink182

Maggies Farm

Hello there, Table Top Folks.

Here is yet another "scene" or "location" for you to play with; "Maggies Farm" (individual hex tiles under).

This is the last batch of colored hex tiles, so if you want some more, let me know! If yes, I will start coloring the reminding tiles.

If any of you actually use any of the hex tiles, please share the experience with me! I would love to hear your stories and even see pictures of set up.

    

Ink182

I need some inspiration, down here on the farm...

Oh, Hi again, Table Top Enthusiasts.

Here is another “scene” or “location” for you to play with: “Down On The Farm” (individual hex tiles under).

This scene was intended for a little "freak form" scenario meant to be an introduction to both the "setting" and the "game rules" I wanted to make. Here is the idea i was playing around with in my head when drawing this scene:

"Who Shot the Sheriff?"

The Workers Union stirred things up down on the farm, the Workers are angry and the production came to a stop. 

The Farmer allied with a band of local Bandits to "get rid of" the Union.  

The Punkertons sent a couple of agents to monitor the escalating situation.

The Sheriff and the Deputy tried to intercede between the angry fractions when he is shot dead when crossing the field in DOTF #02.

All the fractions could have fired the shot, and they all suspect each other.

When a team of Hex Investigators arrive to make inquiries, all fractions have to try to prove that they are innocent.

Each player is given one of the fractions and have to make a defense where they try to prove, using the game rules (skill level, weapon range, line of sight, order of initiative etc..) why they could not be the killers. 

DOTF #05 is the first of the hex tiles where I explored elevation, and this was a difficult challenge because of the perspective which made the apple trees constantly overlap the elevation lines. The original black and white line art seemed really chaotic, but after applying color the image became easier to read. 

Anyways, here is the individual hexes, enjoy:

Ink182

Hextra curricular activities: World Building

Hello there, “Team Table Top”.

Here is another “scene” or “location” for you: the drowsy little “Hamlet of Mile Stone” (Individual hex tiles under).

The idea of making modular hex tiles (as a way to present my world building project) have been in my head for many years before I started the actual drawing.

At first I wanted the tiles to work “from all angles” - and I tried out perspectives where everything leans toward the center of the hex and where everything leans toward the edges of the hex. These two variants where both challenging and very slow to draw, and the finished tiles did not look and/or feel the way I wanted. I finally settled on having a “true north” (the red arrow in the top corner of each hex), which is limiting how one can build – but making each illustration much easier and fast to draw.

I have also tried out many different scales, but eventually settled on the current, because I really liked the level of detail I can put into each hex. I also had in mind that the tiles where to be used for RPG- ing and/or small scale (6mm) skirmish miniature combat – and I wanted the players to have a lot of “terrain” to “work with”.

This batch of hexes is one of the first I made, and there are still a few “issues” with how the roads connect, with the scale and the perspective. In later tiles most of these “problems” have been solved.  

  

Ink182

An Hexiting Location: "Fire Woods"

Greetings, fellow gamers.

On G+ I was asked to post a large batch of hex tiles to give the DM/GM something to work with, and then start publishing individual hexes on a daily basis. I see the point in that suggestion, so for the next few days I will post all of the hex tiles I have finished. Then I will post the reminding hex tiles, one by one (on a daily basis?), as soon as they are colored.

Todays batch of hex tiles: “Fire Woods” (individual hex tiles under).  

When working with the hex tiles I usually sketch out between 7-10 hexes at a time, making a “scene” or “location”. This helps me keep motivated, and it is a great feeling watching the "scene" unfold before my eyes - similar to how the picture in a jigsaw puzzle slowly appears as you lay down the individual pieces.

Another reason for making these scenes is how my creative process works. I always start with an idea that inspires a story (or scenario) - which needs a location. Each location has (at least) one of these "stories", a story not connected to any "campaign" and not meant as an adventure hook. This helps me fill the location with details and unique features that I probably would not think of if I was just making a "universal" and/or "modular" hex. 

Most of these tiles can be used individually – and when drawing them I keep in mind that they should work both as modular pieces and as part of a pre-generated “scene” or “terrain”. When drawing I also try to put in a few "easter eggs", possible "campaign elements" and references to "The Historic Storyline" of the fantasy world, but trying to keep these elements from becoming to explicit.   

Ink182