More Hex Kit Fun

A month or so ago I picked up a bundle that had the Hex Kit program bundled with all of the official tile sets that Cone of Negativity sells for less than the price it would've costed me to buy the tile sets that I didn't have individually.  Which was cool.  I got some funky color sets I like and a space set I haven't messed with yet.

I also ran across a third party tile set called "Classic Hex Map Tileset".  I was rather stoked about it because this set hearkened back to a more classic style of map that I associate (rightly or wrongly) with the '80s.  As you can see from the quick sample map I created it is clean and simple.  It also takes advantage of Hex Kit's flattop orientation, which most of the sets don't

I really like this set but the one downside is that it doesn't come with provisions for rivers or roads.  I find that disappointing.  Now I can dip into the other tile sets and use the rivers and roads from those but since they weren't created specifically for this set it can be a little more difficult to work with and the results can be a little more awkward looking.

But overall, I really like this set.

The Hero's Journey Fantasy Roleplaying Second Edition

I really liked The Hero's Journey Fantasy Roleplaying by James Spahn so I helped kickstart the Second Edition.  I've got the PDFs and hard copies of the core books in softback now and I'm going to finally create my first character.

The first step is to choose your lineage.  There are six:  Changeling, Dwarf, Elf, Half-Elf, Halfling, and Human.  Though I usually like to play humans I'm going to choose Dwarf in order to illustrate some of the differences between character creation in The Hero's Journey and it's progenitor White Box.

So the next step is to roll your attributes.  First, the attributes have different names and somewhat different functions.  Second, though Humans rolls 3d6 down the line, the other lineages roll different combos to better reflect their natural abilities.

Might    (2d6+6)     17

Finesse  (2d6+1)    10

Resolve (2d6+6)    15

Insight   (3d6)        10

Bearing  (2d6+1)   11

Weal      (3d6)        8

Next you choose an Archetype.  There are eight of them, including standards such as Warrior, Wizard, Bard and Ranger.  Humans can achieve the 10th level in any of the Archetypes, while other lineages can only reach the 10th in one and are limited in others.  Dwarves can reach the 10th level as Warriors so that's what I will go with.  Since Warriors need a minimum Might of 8 the character easily qualifies.

Now the character receives some advantages for being a Warrior Dwarf.  As a Dwarf he can wield axes and hammers even if his Archetype limits it, he has an eye for the value of gold and gems, he is naturally resistant to damage, has a good sense of direction when underground, is resistent to magic and poison and has dark vision.  As a Warrior he can use any weapon or armor, strike extra blows against certain weaker foes, can use Shields Shall Be Splintered, rally comrades, extra damage using two handed weapons and specialize in a particular weapon.

Next you acquire some equipment for your character.  To do that you have to determine your background.  Your background determines your starting money and sometimes extra pieces of equipment.  So I roll a d100 and come up with a 95 which is a Weaponsmith.  I start with a long blade or battleaxe, of course I'll pick a battleaxe, and 3d6x10 gold.  I roll a 7 for 70 gp.   

I'm going to skip buying equipment but a note on armor and shields.  They work a little differently.  Armor class is ascending and is determined by shields and finesse only.  Armor works as damage reduction.  As I've mentioned elsewhere, this is natural to me because I started gaming playing Melee and armor works as a damage reducer in that.

So, that's the very basics of creating a character in The Hero's Journey Fantasy Roleplaying Second Edition.  

If you want a full overview of the game you can find one here:  https://rollingboxcars.com/2020/03/04/a-look-at-the-heros-journey-2nd-edition/