OD&D Lost Procedure as Random Hex Travel

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Quoting from FMC because it's on hand: "If the party becomes lost, the referee rolls a die to see in which way the party wanders. The party may then correct their course by one direction change" (p. 136). I also point out that, as a result, there is really only a 3-in-6 chance of ending up in the wrong hex. Which is interesting!

Let me break this down some more:

  • 3-in-6: You enter the intended hex.
  • 2-in-6: You enter a hex adjacent of the one intended.
  • 1-in-6: You go totally off-path.

The last two results are split evenly between the (relative) left or right directions of the intended hex, because of how the die roll itself works. But isn't that neat? On one hand, it's actually extremely uncommon to end up in the wrong hex. The highest chance of this happening is in the desert where there is a 50% chance of invoking the above rule, and by extension only a 25% chance of ending up in the wrong hex. It's very forgiving.

On the other hand, I kind of like the idea of this operation being used for semi-random movement instead of just taking place when you're supposed to become lost. The referee rolls a path die, representing abstract factors in the current hex, and then the party can course-correct by one hex. Following an established road might allow non-random movement, and a skilled navigator might get to pick the best of two path dice.

None of the above is necessary, but I really enjoy the implications of that little operation. Reminds me a lot of Outdoor Survival's random direction tables, but much simplified.

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