This is great. I'm convinced that a point crawl is the way to go. I'd include a couple of major cities, where the PCs can have city adventures but also settle in and become influential. And from there, they can have higher level adventures involving factions, espionage, travel to foreign lands, and such.
I was using this for overland travel, but it makes sense to use it for complicated dungeons to cut down on the time I spend trying to remember how everything connects on the map during session. Thanks for the idea!
I use point crawl extensively. Besides describing what points are I usually describe what are the paths between them and why players can't move between points that are not connected - basically in empty spaces between points I draw mountains, chasms, volcanoes, lakes, etc. Players can still try to cross it and therefore move not using the paths connecting points, but it's going to be near impossible to do, especially if they don't have skill, equipment or magic
I totally run my games in a point crawl way these days, but back then, I really liked the hard core detailed Hex map (for example: Dread Island) which was also lots of fun for myself and for my players.
Good vid. I wrote a Python program that creates randomized ‘encounter networks’ (point crawls) for Star Wars-themed RPG play. I use the generated graphs in Obsidian. I made a small adventure where the party has to commandeer an Imperial hyperspace interdictor cruiser and it’s pretty fun. The points are key areas in the Interdictor cruiser, such as the bridge, hangars, reactors, security areas, gravwell controllers, etc.
What I like to add to the paths of my pointcrawls is the time needed for each of them, often in terms of # of random encounter rolls of an average speed party (if they are encumbered or fatigued, I might ad another roll or two to that total). I had to come up with a point crawl on the fly for a giant elven forest I had on my setting, since the players decided to go there one time and I had not prepare it beforehand, imagining they would follow another quest on a nearby town!
I had been looking at hex crawling for overland travel, but it wasn't a fit for my game. I like this as an alternative. I want my wandering monsters to either foreshadow what's coming up or showcase the setting. I think using a point crawl will help me map that out. Thanks for giving the overview. I had heard of it before, but still need to learn more.
a mix of both. i have a fully detailed map that i bust out for combat, but i have a dm version which is a point crawl with full notes of where monsters and traps, etc are.
Those lines can also represent time of travel. Each segment can take a set amount of hours, days, weeks to travel to. You did not explain the has mark segments but I guess those can be teleporters or hidden link locations. thanks.
Big fan of point crawls when not wanting random encounters and hand waving non important events. If it is dangerous trav or environment i don't like to skip over survival mechanics aka strength of the ranger.
Just because the travel between points is guaranteed, doesn’t mean you can’t still have random encounters in between. It’s really most useful for plot purposes-you always know for sure at least one way for the party to move forward from each location/story beat.
This is great. I'm convinced that a point crawl is the way to go. I'd include a couple of major cities, where the PCs can have city adventures but also settle in and become influential. And from there, they can have higher level adventures involving factions, espionage, travel to foreign lands, and such.
I was using this for overland travel, but it makes sense to use it for complicated dungeons to cut down on the time I spend trying to remember how everything connects on the map during session. Thanks for the idea!
Thank you and no problem!
Great suggestion. Start with the 3 possibilities then tailoring to their choices
Fore sure! Give them options, then narrow in on the choices they make!
I use point crawl extensively. Besides describing what points are I usually describe what are the paths between them and why players can't move between points that are not connected - basically in empty spaces between points I draw mountains, chasms, volcanoes, lakes, etc. Players can still try to cross it and therefore move not using the paths connecting points, but it's going to be near impossible to do, especially if they don't have skill, equipment or magic
heck yeah!
I totally run my games in a point crawl way these days, but back then, I really liked the hard core detailed Hex map (for example: Dread Island) which was also lots of fun for myself and for my players.
I'm the same haha!
Good vid. I wrote a Python program that creates randomized ‘encounter networks’ (point crawls) for Star Wars-themed RPG play. I use the generated graphs in Obsidian. I made a small adventure where the party has to commandeer an Imperial hyperspace interdictor cruiser and it’s pretty fun. The points are key areas in the Interdictor cruiser, such as the bridge, hangars, reactors, security areas, gravwell controllers, etc.
What I like to add to the paths of my pointcrawls is the time needed for each of them, often in terms of # of random encounter rolls of an average speed party (if they are encumbered or fatigued, I might ad another roll or two to that total). I had to come up with a point crawl on the fly for a giant elven forest I had on my setting, since the players decided to go there one time and I had not prepare it beforehand, imagining they would follow another quest on a nearby town!
I had been looking at hex crawling for overland travel, but it wasn't a fit for my game. I like this as an alternative. I want my wandering monsters to either foreshadow what's coming up or showcase the setting. I think using a point crawl will help me map that out. Thanks for giving the overview. I had heard of it before, but still need to learn more.
Thank you! And like I said in the video, you can use it for other concepts like dungeon crawling too!
Great rewatch to cram before running sessions.
haha thank you!
a mix of both. i have a fully detailed map that i bust out for combat, but i have a dm version which is a point crawl with full notes of where monsters and traps, etc are.
awesome stuff!
Those lines can also represent time of travel. Each segment can take a set amount of hours, days, weeks to travel to. You did not explain the has mark segments but I guess those can be teleporters or hidden link locations. thanks.
Big fan of point crawls when not wanting random encounters and hand waving non important events. If it is dangerous trav or environment i don't like to skip over survival mechanics aka strength of the ranger.
for sure, and something I should have mentioned was adding all of that to the point crawl!
Just because the travel between points is guaranteed, doesn’t mean you can’t still have random encounters in between. It’s really most useful for plot purposes-you always know for sure at least one way for the party to move forward from each location/story beat.
It's Easy to add - put landings or mid points - my group calls them camp sites
@@MrRourk I like that term
Very helpful. Great video.
thank you so much!
Turns out I've been doing this all along!
haha its a great way to run the game!
This was helpful! Thank you.
Are there any examples i can look at the dm's view of using the pointcrawl and zooming in and out of the points?
besides the ones in the video, I dont know haha!
I'm trying to simplify/shorten curse of strahd for a students in a school club. Do you think a point crawl could help with that?
Absolutely!
The new game Zen Fantasy by Better Games loves Point Crawls like this
i'll have to check it out!
@@NoFunAllowed I played in a group play game and I have ran 2 solo games for myself using it. It just flat out works.
I’m kind of a vet but this is exactly how I do it
its a great system to use!
Explore!
haha yes!
Good and lazy idea.
Lazy is great haha!