When designing a sandbox (or any project, really), one of the first key decisions is defining its size and scale: how large will it be, and how much detail will it contain? This point can range from a single city with its surroundings, a frontier barony, a chain of islands, to two kingdoms on the brink of war. Having a clear idea of the conceptual size allows us to organize our work, and one of the most useful tools for this is the hexagonal map (hereafter referred to as a hexmap), which helps us size the game world according to the number of hexes and their scale (conceptually defined, as I will explain later).
The size and scale of a sandbox are deliberate decisions that determine its nature and are generally inversely proportional. A good example of a small but highly detailed sandbox is Evils of Illmire, which consists of only 19 hexes detailing the surroundings of a village. In this case, each hex features its own dungeon and presents a high level of interconnection, allowing the creator to focus on exquisite detail in a small area, albeit limiting exploration options. On the other hand, John Stater's Nod Magazine hexcrawls represent the opposite extreme: they cover vast regions with numerous hexes that are not fully detailed. While Illmire focuses on devoting pages to each hex, Stater often allocates only a paragraph to each, prioritizing a diversity of regions and points of interest over deep elaboration on individual locations.
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| The evocative hexmap of Evils of Illmire, by Patrick Allson |
The Dual Design Approach to Hexmaps
Both approaches are valid and can complement each other. In his article Hexcrawls: a Simple Guide, Gabor Lux suggests a hybrid design methodology: create a large territory for long-term exploration with sparse details across most of the map and carefully detail a quadrant around the players’ base of operations, as these will be the most frequented areas. This is a logical option that I would recommend refining based on the narrative vectors planned for the early adventures. Similarly, in Pirate Wavecrawl, Skerples employs a mixed approach that combines a detailed initial archipelago with pointcrawl-style maritime routes connecting to other territories in a flexible manner.
How Many Hexes Should My Hexmap Have?
Many authors, including Justin Alexander, recommend a map of 100–150 hexes to provide a solid framework for the game’s context. Personally, I believe this size strikes a balance, offering coherence without being overwhelming to manage. Detailing all these hexes can be a challenging task; however, not every hex needs to have the same level of detail. It can be helpful to detail between 20 and 50 hexes around the players’ base of operations, refined by the vectors leading them to early adventures (I will delve into this in another article), and outline the rest, ensuring the peripheral hexes are not entirely empty. This allows you to generate rumors or indirect references to those places, maintaining a coherent structure without fully preparing them.
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Hex Scale: How Large Should Each Hex Be?
Once the area to cover and the number of hexes on the hexmap are defined, a common question arises: how large should each hex be? Various recommendations exist: some authors suggest each hex cover 12 miles (approximately 7 miles from side to side), while others propose 6 miles (3.5 miles from side to side). However, it’s important to remember that these hexes are larger than they might seem at first glance. In game worlds where characters can cover great distances quickly, such as Descent Into Avernus, some designers prefer to measure their hexcrawls in days of travel rather than miles.
One way to adapt the scale is to divide the width and length of the desired area by the number of hexes to be mapped, rounding to a nearby multiple of three. If you’re unsure what size to represent, I recommend using 1- or 3-mile hexes for an area similar to one or two municipalities surrounding a city. For full provinces, you might opt for 6- or 12-mile hexes.
| Distance between hexagons (miles) | Side of the hexagon (miles) | Area of the hexagon (mi²) | Area of the hexagon (km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.58 | 0.87 | 2.26 |
| 3 | 1.73 | 7.77 | 20.13 |
| 6 | 3.5 | 31.83 | 82.48 |
| 12 | 7 | 127.32 | 329.63 |
Size Comparisons for Hexmaps
To make this even more concrete, you can compare the area of your hexmap with real-world municipality and provincial sizes in your country. For example, in Spain:
- A 10x10 hex grid of 1-mile hexes (225 km²) would cover a municipality like Ávila or Toledo.
- A 10x10 hex grid of 3-mile hexes (2,000 km²) would encompass two large municipalities, such as Córdoba and Antequera or Cuenca and Albacete.
- A 10x10 hex grid of 6-mile hexes (8,250 km²) would cover a province like Madrid or La Coruña.
- A 10x10 hex grid of 12-mile hexes (33,000 km²) would equate to two large provinces, such as León and Zamora or Girona and Lleida.
Remember that the size and scale of your sandbox not only define the playable space but also shape the narrative and exploration experience for your players. Each hex can be a broad stroke of color or a finely detailed adventure, depending on the approach you choose. Whether you opt for a compact, detail-rich sandbox or a vast, schematic one, the goal is to make your world come alive and provide a framework that inspires your players to discover it.
Good information.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Glad to hear.
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