Mike Mearls Games
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Exploration Rules
🕑 Added 2025-03-04 15:02:38 +0000 UTCToday I have the rough draft for the Odyssey exploration rules. I've struggled with creating a exploration rules that I've enjoyed using in play. I've tried using rules that break exploration down into rounds, with the DM tracking each loop through the round sequence.
In my experience, those rules feel flat. The structure a sequence provides to combat is great, because the combat rules allow each player to have their moment to act. As a DM, combat rounds also ensure that I remember to have each monster take a turn.
Exploration in my games is more freeform. The players talk back and forth, debate on what to do, and create plans on the fly. A clear structure felt too intrusive in that experience. I also disliked having to step through a sequence in sections where speeding up made sense to keep the action flowing. Pausing to roll dice for wandering encounters on a rigid schedule tied to the in-game action felt like bookkeeping. I felt that especially when running OSE.
Shadowdark gave me the inspiration for a different approach. Its real-time tracking of light sources pushed that element to the background while simultaneously making it weigh on everyone's mind. When I run that game, I don't need to remind the players about their light source. The passage of time does that for me.
I also noticed a similar thing in running exploration. I started with a rigid sequence, but quickly found that the players took the same actions over and over again. Stopping to roll at the end of each in-game round felt too mechanistic. More importantly, since the players could argue and talk before committing to actions, it didn't have the same tension as combat. There's a world of difference between debating actions when a dragon is on top of you, and when there might be something that could happen when we finally stop arguing and the DM checks for wandering monsters.
I have also found that giving players some insight into the danger of a location adds tension to the game. I started by rolling six siders and leaving them out in the open. The players quickly figured out that the dice indicated rising danger, even if they weren't sure its exact nature. It took a lot of experimentation, but adding the element of real time tracking brought the system together.
The document attached to this post is a rough overview of the rules. I still need to add details to the core rules and the character classes to make this all work, but I think it captures how I run my games and how I'd like the rules to work. I've designed custom threat meters and events for each adventure, and in play they've been easy to use and have added a nice, dynamic element to the game.
The rules don't yet include options for gathering food or rest quite yet. I'll add those later this week.
Comments
Mike Mearls
It's funny, because I had a very similar experience that inspired this approach. I realized that in breaks in the action I'd remember to check for random encounters and such. Tying that to real life passage of time felt like it made sense as a way to keep the game flowing.
mAc Chaos
I too find the strict dungeon procedures to be stalling and awkward in actual play, as it makes conversation too regimented. The procedures themselves are still useful though; I just handle them in the background without mentioning it to the players, while the conversation is free flowing. Keeping a mental note of in-game time passing, rolling random encounters once it's been enough, that sort of thing.
Mike Mearls
The risk can take a few forms. In applied this to the Forge of Fury and used it to have the dragon pop up to the higher levels above its lair. That added some fear to the game, but since the dragon could only reach certain areas it made navigating the dungeon more interesting. I do think the system needs to be flexible enough to support a variety of frameworks.
OptionalRule
I like the approach of increasing threat meter. It's all managing risk but I've always wondered if that is proper framing Most parties want to fight, so is this really a risk? Particulary if the fight means the treasure is coming to them instead of using exploration to find the treasure. On that note, I wonder if some kind of disovery mechanic is beneficial to discover a new delve, or opportunity to balance the risk? Or maybe that's just a function of the DM? Just some thoughts. I love this approach.
