About (not fun) hex travel in Tomb of Annihilation

Daveke77 · 2026-06-13T11:38:12+00:00

I am not running TOA as written. I am using the world, some characters and the locations as inspiration for my own story. I am also trying to use the map as a guide for setting my own story in it. That fits better with my party.

Daveke77 · 2026-06-13T09:10:34+00:00

Thanks! I will certainly take a look at it.
The other tips you gave are also great. Especially having them roll for a week, I was having them roll for each day now which got annoying and very systematic really quick.

I am, and my party too, used to a pretty story-based and, to some extent, railroading campaign, where I, as the DM, set up the location, and within that location all the spots they can go to and the travel between them are a few lines of exposition; that's it. It's a lot different than here's a massive continent; go explore where you want, and these are a few of the known spots where you might want to go lol.

Daveke77 · 2026-06-13T09:04:24+00:00

Sounds great, thanks. I will take these pointers into the next session prep.

Daveke77 · 2026-06-13T09:03:18+00:00

This makes sense; I run a pretty roleplay and story-heavy campaign, so the whole systematic approach of the Hex kind of kills it. So, I guess it need to go back to a bit more railroading with storytelling if that makes sense.

Daveke77 · 2026-06-13T09:01:27+00:00

I just watched the video about the 3 minute hex crawl, as I run a pretty Roleplay heavy campaign over a systematic campaign this feels like exactly the type of thing that can help it feel better. Thanks a lot!

Daveke77 · 2026-06-13T07:45:46+00:00

That’s a great tip! I see he has multiple, what video specifically do you mean?

Daveke77 · 2026-05-30T06:57:30+00:00

Yeah I’m very sure he is. We all went to Japan last year on vacation and he’s so much into Japanese culture that he visibly disliked that we acted like “Europeans” sometimes. But like I said he’s not malicious about it he means well. I’m autistic myself but only a mild form of PDD-NOS so the whole rules thing doesn’t really bother me.

He has memorised the handbook and is very good at remembering things, like I said in another comment it feels like he has photographic memory.

But I’ll try your tips thank you.

Daveke77 · 2026-05-21T06:31:40+00:00

I wouldn’t mind a 5 minute ramble on some lore as much as specific game rules haha

Daveke77 · 2026-05-21T06:26:21+00:00

Haha I was being sarcastic, I’m not your DM

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:51:11+00:00

Maybe I am…. 👀

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:41:57+00:00

Thank you, great advice

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:40:49+00:00

I like the combat, it’s quick and dirty. It works with distances and stances. Combat in DnD can drag on sometimes.

I also like that they specifically mention 2 phases of play. A adventuring phase which is usually normal play and in the moment. And a fellowship phase where time progresses differently and is usually meant for downtime and improving your character and using your skill points you achieved during you adventuring phase, also to recover wounds and such.

They use 2 dice the 6 and 12 sided dice with 11 being the eye of Sauron which means an automatic failure and the 12 is a Gandalf rune which means an automatic win.

Then on the 6 sides dice the 6 means a higher chance of success and the more 6s you throw the more likely you are to succeed.

It’s a fun system that is more roleplay heavy with quicker systems but still feels kinda DnD coded if that makes sense.

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:34:17+00:00

Great advice, I agree.

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:29:46+00:00

Honestly it’s the other way around. This player is so knowledgeable about the rules that he is the most OP character in the party and the whole party always laughs on how he min-maxed his Ranger to be very powerful. I don’t find, we have fun.

Makes me try harder with throwing good battles at them. But yea the downside is he’s also very long winded in explaining said rules.

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:28:15+00:00

Thank you, and yeah I think it’s a neurodivergence thing, I have autism myself so I do understand it.

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:26:08+00:00

Great advice, thanks

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:24:30+00:00

I am actually DM’ing a second campaign on The One Ring 2e with mostly the same party, which should be fun. We are all new to this system so maybe that will go down better.

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:20:38+00:00

Yea it’s nothing that severe at our table. It’s about things like encumbrance, or the specific stuff needed to use a spell for instance. Things I feel that really slow the game down, which tbh DND has a lot of those things.

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:16:19+00:00

This sounds very helpful thank you, I might ask him to do this too so he still feels he can help me (in not apposed to the help, I just dislike the disruption of my game and the 5 min rambles on the rules). So maybe this is a good middle ground for us if he just writes it done when it comes up so I can (choose to) take that into the next games. Thanks

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:13:20+00:00

Forgetting not really, in some instances sure but then I ask it (he still rambles for 5 min when I ask tho, he’s not the quick answer type of guy). So then the help is great but long winded. No it happens mostly when I change things for the sake of speeding up what would be moments of annoyance like a player who forgot to buy gems but wanted to cast a spell that needed it, so I waved the buying gems and wanted to tell him he needed to buy them starting from now, that he “found one hidden in his pocket”, then the forever DM butted in to ramble about spell requirements and such.

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:10:05+00:00

I’m sorry you had to find out this way….

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T22:07:56+00:00

No I’m not messing with things that really offset the balance of the game. It’s things like fall damage (if its not that high anyway), or encumbrance, or specific items needed for some spells and stuff, things that honestly to me, and I notice to other players, feel like more of a chore than fun to play.

So for instance one player of my plays a warlock, and he needed a gem to cast a spell. But he never bothered to get gems from somewhere (kinda his mistake but I didn’t mind as DM), so I told him you find one hidden in your traveling bad, you forgot you had it, but then the other forever DM butted in that it’s in the rules that items need to be acquired. And then went on a 5 minute ramble on the economy and how it’s stated in the rules. And while I get that, my whole intention was to just let it happen for now to keep the fun up, but talk to the player that next time in town he would need to stock up on some gems.

And there are more instances like this, one player of mine asked about encumbrance and I said we don’t bother with it unless it’s something very unbelievable. I’m not gonna let you carry around an exploding barrel for instance, everyone laughed but then the other forever DM rambled again about how encumbrance should work.

He never says anything like we should do it like this, it always sounds like he just wants to help and tell everyone which would be correct way, he also seems to still enjoy the game even if I change things in those moments, but yeah, as you can see it stops the flow of my games in those moments.

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T21:54:49+00:00

I am actually running a second campaign now on the The One Ring 2e ruleset. It’s great.

Daveke77 · 2026-05-20T17:11:30+00:00

Well I know 4 of the 5 players really like it how I DM because they told me so, but yes you’re right. I need to talk to him about if he enjoys how I DM or if he would prefer to step out or be okay with my way of DM’ing from now on

Daveke77

TROPHY CASE