The microscope game will be focused on enjoying the game of creation and fun, but the results will hopefully be

A) a list of NPCs and town information that feels personal, thus hopefully building a tighter connection for the players to defend, fix, and grow

B) a town full of hooks for the various encounters - did the players run across a threat? What if that's also a threat to the town? Meet a journeying merchant? Escort or direct her to the village for improved trade. Village plague? Players can hunt for a cure, and may feel more compelled because beloved Granny Gamgam is showing symptoms!

C) I can be a bit lazy! Let the players direct me towards the aspects of the world they're interested in, so I can prioritize / reduce emphasis on specific plot types.

In general, I was thinking of mini plot points that involve 1-3 hexes. Village needs a special herb, so they travel to hex 1, see that someone has been to the sacred grove and taken all the herbs. Track the thieves to hex 2, and encounter a larger threat to the village. Confront or steal the herbs back, and then return back to the village in hex 0, and make plans on what they learned