Hex Flower Cookbook: Hex Flower Game Engines – an overview and some thoughts is a supplement written and published by Goblin’s Henchman.
The supplement is available as a Pay What You Want supplement from DriveThruRPG. There are three PDFs; the main PDF, in English and Brazilian Portuguese, and an example PDF. The main PDF has 16 pages with one being the front cover and one the Contents.
The opening paragraph explains that the supplement hopes to show what has been done.
What is a Hex Flower Game Engine? explains that a Hex Flower Game Engine (HFGE) is like a random table, but with a memory. The last outcome has an effect on the next. There are two main parts, the Hex Flower itself, which is a series of hexes in a flower, and the Navigation Hex, which governs how to move around the flower. In the example used, 2d6 is rolled to determine the direction, and altering the results on the Navigation Hex determines how likely each direction is.
Six different classes of game are given. Class I: No Terminal Event means the game will be infinite. Class II: Terminal Event means the game ends when a specific hex is reached; a countdown clock. Class III: Two Terminal Events is similar to Class II, but with two different outcomes using two different hexes. Class IV: Competing HFs uses two Hex Flowers that are competing with each other. Class V: Mobile Terminal Event is a pursuit game; there is a terminal hex, but it changes. Class VI: Limited Walk uses a limited number of rolls. Each class has examples of it in use.
Probability Profile of the NH Directions shows how different Navigation Hexes alter probabilities of direction.
Making a HFGE? has some suggestions on how to create a Hex Flower Game Engine.
Finally, Thanks, Background and Credits has links and some details on the engines.
The second PDF has a single page and has some examples of hex flower movement, with rules for the edges, spending points, combining both and using narrative with points.
Hex Flower Cookbook: Hex Flower Game Engines – an overview and some thoughts in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is long enough that they would have been appreciated. The Contents covers the different sections and is hyperlinked. Navigation is okay. The text maintains a single column format and the various illustrations are of different hexes and hex flowers. Presentation is okay.
Hex flowers are an interesting form of random table, in that rolls affect each other, that can be used for a variety of different purposes, as seen both by the examples in the supplement and others available from Goblin’s Henchman. Hex flowers themselves can be very useful, and can be used in different types of play. Hex Flower Cookbook: Hex Flower Game Engines – an overview and some thoughts is definitely recommended for taking a look at to create these and it can be found by clicking here.
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