Like the dungeon running sheet we showcased a couple weeks ago, the hexcrawl running sheet is another tool presented in So You Want To Be a Game Master. I’ve been using some variation of this sheet for the past decade or so while running hexcrawls, and it greatly streamlines your essential bookkeeping for a hexcrawl campaign.
If you’re not familiar with using hexcrawls for running wilderness exploration scenarios, I have a series of articles here on the Alexandrian that provide a modular system for building a customized hexcrawl system for 5th Edition D&D. If you’d rather have something that’s ready to pick-up-and-play, So You Want To Be a Game Master presents a streamlined version of the hexcrawl structure. It’s also quite easy to adapt the hexcrawl campaign structure to other game systems like Eclipse Phase or Numenera.
For more details on how to use the hexcrawl running sheet to best effect, see p. 396 of So You Want to Be a Game Master.
This version of the sheet has been expanded to enhance its utility and for easy printing. It’s also form-fillable so you can also easily use it on a tablet or computer.
OTHER VERSIONS
This version was created by Erichs, who very kindly granted me permission to share it here. You can find cheat sheets, DM screens, and other resources they’ve created here.
This are so useful, thanks for posting them in the site!
I would really love to see a demonstration of a how this sheet in action. I’m a little unclear on how it’s described in the book. Any future plans of releasing a demo on youtube? I think it’d be very helpful to see.
How exactly do we use the “On Watch” field? The numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 are refering the four non-travel watches? Or the four hours of a watch?
In order to have a character on watch during the night, he should sacrifice his rest action and take sentinel action instead? (Therefore losing the benefits of a long rest, unless the character rests in an active watch)
I use the On Watch fields to list the character or characters who are as a standard-operating practice (determined by the party) keeping lookout during that watch. Because there are 4 non-travel watches (dinner/set-up camp, sleep, sleep, breakfast/break camp), most characters can get a long rest in there somewhere–esp. in a DnD party with Elves or Warforged. You just need someone else to lay out your bedroll while you are watching their back.