Hexplorations: Cities & Towns
Our Hexplorations (charts for details of things you may encounter in a hex crawl or simply developing your world) resumes with its 13th edition! This time we’re doing cities & towns. We’ll likely add to this over time, but we have enough to get started.
To use this chart simply roll a d6 for each row or look at the options for inspiration or use a combination of the two approaches. For example, you may roll 4-3-4-2-3-6-2 resulting in a medium city of 60,000 people (after rolling another d6 in the population formula), 100 years old (after rolling 2d6 in the age formula) where there is a worker shortage causing them to be paid well, but the middle class to not do so well in order to pay those wages. (That’s just one possible explanation–feel free to rationalize using your understanding of economics.) It is a democracy and was founded because a resource is nearby. Whether that is minerals, lumber, crops, or something else will depend on your setting. There is something special about the town guard–use the options listed to inspire more ideas. Finally, the people are generally distrustful of outsiders… maybe that can be tied in with the town guard issue? If a spy ring involving the town guard had been recently uncovered, it is certainly understandable if the people are wary!
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 500 + 1d6 x 100 | 1,000 + 2d6 x 1,000 | 10,000 + 1d6 x 10,000 | 50,000 + 1d6 x 10,000 | 100,000 + 3d6 x 10,000 | 200,000 + 6d6 x 10,000 |
| Age | Recent: 10 + 2d6 boom years | Young: 20 + 6d6 years | Established: 50+ 2d6 x 10 years | Older: 100 + 1d6 x 100 years | Historic: 100 + 3d6 x 100 years | Ancient: 1000 + 1d6 x 1000 years |
| Affluence | Dire: Everyone is doing poorly (perhaps a famine, disease, war, etc.) | Near-revolt: laborers, craftsmen, & merchants struggling, nobles/leaders insulated from it | Typical: Laborers struggling but trying to become middle class who are ok; nobles/leaders doing well | Worker-shortage: Laborers doing well, middle class struggling, nobles/leaders doing well. | Affluent lower classes: All are well-off except nobles/leaders… why? | Booming: laborers, craftsmen, merchants, & nobles/leaders all doing well |
| Government | Millitocracy | Democracy | Patriarchy or Matriarchy (50/50) | Plutocracy | Monarchy | Theocracy |
| Founding Reason | Coastal/River | Defensive Position | Nearby Resource | Trade Route | Center of Region/Kingdom | Suburb of Nearby City |
| Town Guard | Corrupt from top to bottom | Trustworthy from top to bottom | Corrupt leaders and some regulars, but others try to be honest | Mostly honest leaders, but a few regulars are on the take | Full of factions more loyal to specific leaders than the city itself | Special. Ex: Being infiltrated by enemy spies; They are golems or clockwork; Primarily commoners: all citizens must serve 1 week/year; etc. |
| Reaction to Outsiders | Predatory to them | Distrustful of them | Annoyed by them | Indifferent | Accepting | Welcoming |
