//  OT_TABLETOP // HEX_CRAWL_SYS // v2 // ALIGNED_WITH_RULES_v4.0 // LIVE   //  THREE MILES PER HEX   //  FOUR HOURS PER PHASE   //  THE MAP IS WRONG   //  THE INTEL IS OLD   //  THE SECTOR DOES NOT WAIT   //  TERRA_CONFLICTUS // 2066   //  OT_TABLETOP // HEX_CRAWL_SYS // v2 // ALIGNED_WITH_RULES_v4.0 // LIVE   //  THREE MILES PER HEX   //  FOUR HOURS PER PHASE   //  THE MAP IS WRONG   //  THE INTEL IS OLD   //  THE SECTOR DOES NOT WAIT   //  TERRA_CONFLICTUS // 2066
v2 // OT_TABLETOP // HEX_CRAWL_SYS
// OPERATOR_TACTICS

HEX CRAWL

// MOVEMENT. NAVIGATION. ENCOUNTERS. RESOURCES. FACTIONS.
// COMPATIBLE WITH OT RULES v4.0
TERRA_CONFLICTUS // 2066 // HEX_CRAWL_SYSTEM

What This Book Is

You crossed the border six hours ago. Your maps are two weeks old. The satellite window closed at dawn. — Standard Insertion Briefing

This is the strategic movement layer for Operator Tactics. It turns any territory into a long-form campaign played across 3-mile hexes. Your squad moves through hostile terrain, manages dwindling resources, navigates without reliable intel, and encounters factions that are already in motion when you arrive.

The core game does not change. Attributes, dice, actions, wounds, cover, Pressure Tokens, Stealth -- all of it runs from the OT Quick-Start Rules v4.0. What this book adds is the structure that sits above the tactical layer: an operational loop for cross-country movement, a resource economy that punishes bad planning, a faction system that moves whether you engage or not, and a hex-keying format that turns every location into a decision.

Deliberately left out: the tactical combat rules (you already have those), the full setting history (that is in the Core Book), and any resolution mechanic that is not already in your existing OT books. This is a structure laid over mechanics you know.

How to Use This Book

GM running a hex crawl? Read Part I (Core Loop), Part II (Resources), and Part IV (Factions). Build your sector using Part VI (Building Your Own Sector). Run it.

Playing solo? Read Parts I through III, then skip to Part VII (Solo Hex Crawl) for the modifications.

Running Flooded London? This book gives you the engine. The Flooded London Hex Crawl Supplement gives you the map, the hexes, and the factions. Open both.

Compatibility

This book is aligned with OT Rules v4.0 (Quick-Start Rules, Game Master's Guide). It does not introduce any resolution method, die, or token that is not already in those documents. Everything here is a structure laid over mechanics that already exist.

How This Book Connects

VolumeRelationship
Quick-Start Rules v4.0Core mechanic, classes, Pressure Tokens, wound track, combat. This book assumes you own it.
Game Master's Guide v4.0NPC tiers, Alert Levels, NPC behavior, scenario design. This book uses the same NPC system.
Solo Rules v5SITREP oracle, Enemy AI Protocol, Event Phase, Heat Track. The Solo Hex Crawl chapter in this book uses those tools.
Skirmish & Iron LineHead-to-head rules. Hex crawl missions can feed into skirmish scenarios through the crossover framework.
Hex Crawl SupplementsLocation-specific supplements (e.g. Flooded London) overlay environmental rules and keyed hexes on this system.

Contents

  1. Part I · The Core Loop
  2. 01The Operational Area
  3. 02Core Mechanic
  4. 03Movement
  5. 04Navigation
  6. 05Encounters
  7. 06The Core Loop
  8. Part II · Resources
  9. 07Resource Tracking
  10. 08Pressure Tokens in the Field
  11. Part III · The Hex
  12. 09Hex Key System
  13. 10Field Read in the Field
  14. 11Encounter Tables
  15. 12Threat Tiers in the Field
  16. Part IV · Factions
  17. 13The Faction Layer
  18. 14Faction Interaction
  19. Part V · Operators in the Field
  20. 15Class Field Roles
  21. 16Specializations in the Field
  22. Part VI · Building Your Own Sector
  23. 17Sector Design Guide
  24. 18Territory Encounter Seeds
  25. Part VII · Solo Hex Crawl
  26. 19Solo Modifications
  27. Part VIII · Campaign Play
  28. 20Extraction
  29. 21Between Hex Crawl Missions
  30. 22Campaign Hex Crawl
  31. Part IX · Sector Gray
  32. 23Starter Sector
  33. Appendix
  34. AGM Quick Reference
// THE SECTOR DOES NOT WAIT FOR YOU //
PART I
The Core Loop

01 · The Operational Area

The mission map is divided into hexes. Each hex covers roughly 3 miles of ground. Enough terrain to conceal a patrol, lose a tail, or die quietly.

You do not know what is in a hex until you enter it.

02 · Core Mechanic

All hex crawl checks use the same resolution as tactical combat: roll D6, meet or beat your proficiency threshold.

RatingThreshold
Good2+
Ordinary4+
Bad5+

Modifiers adjust the die roll, never the threshold. Natural 6 always succeeds. Natural 1 always fails.

The same six attributes govern everything in the field: SHOOT, FIGHT, TACT, OPINT, GUTS, MOBI. If you know the tactical rules, you know these rules.

03 · Movement

Three miles of jungle looks short on a map. It looks different at ground level with sixty pounds on your back.

Phases

Time in the field moves in Operational Phases. Each Phase is roughly 4 hours. Each Phase, your team moves into one hex.

TerrainMovement Cost
Open / Urban1 Phase
Forest / Industrial1 Phase
Elevated / Rough2 Phases
Denied ZoneTACT vs 5+ before entry. Failure: blocked, Phase spent.

Movement Approach

When you enter a hex, declare how your team moves. The approach determines which attribute carries the risk and what you trade for it.

ApproachCheckBenefitCost
StandardNoneNormal movement, normal Exposure.None
StealthTACT vs 4+On success, Exposure roll only on natural 1-2 this Phase.Takes 2 Phases instead of 1 in any terrain.
AggressiveSHOOT vs 4+On success, if Contact triggers, you act first. +1 to first attack.Noise Signature +1 regardless of encounter.
Forced EntryFIGHT vs 4+Bypass terrain obstacles. Denied Zone entry without separate check.Noise +2. All enemies in hex start Alerted.
ReconOPINT vs 4+On success, GM reveals hex Visible line before you commit to entry.Half MOBI for any tactical encounters this Phase.
Under the System

The approach matters. A Commando pushing Aggressive through a contested hex plays differently than an Infiltrator ghosting through on Stealth. Your attributes shape how you cross the map, not just what you do when you stop.

Phases Per Day

Your team moves 3 Phases per day before fatigue sets in. A 4th Phase is possible. Every operator takes 1 Fatigue at the end of it.

Fatigue. Each point applies -1 to all rolls. At 3 Fatigue, roll GUTS vs 4+ each Phase to keep moving. At 4 Fatigue, you cannot move. Clear all Fatigue with a full rest: 8 hours, burns 1 Supply, triggers an Exposure roll. A full rest also clears all Flesh Wounds.

Forced March. A 5th Phase is technically possible. Roll GUTS vs 4+ for every operator. Failure: 2 Fatigue instead of 1. Natural 1: Mortal Wound from collapse, heatstroke, or worse. The environment decides.

05 · Encounters

The jungle does not care about your mission timeline.

Every Phase in the field, the GM rolls D6 for Exposure.

RollResult
1-2Contact. Roll on the Encounter Table.
3-4Sign. Evidence of activity: tracks, a vehicle, a light, a body.
5-6Clear.

Signs Are Not Nothing. Three consecutive Signs in the same region means something is tracking you. The GM notes it. When Contact finally comes, that encounter starts aware of your position.

Noise Signature. Starts at 0. Every firefight, engine started, or alarm triggered adds +1. At Noise 3, add +1 to all Exposure rolls. At Noise 5, add +2. At Noise 7, the mission is compromised. Extract or abort.

Noise and Alert Levels

When a hex crawl encounter escalates into tactical combat, the engagement starts at an Alert Level determined by current Noise Signature:

NoiseStarting Alert Level
0-20 (Cold)
3-41 (Tense)
5-62 (Elevated)
7+3 (Hot)

Alert Level then escalates during tactical combat per the GM Guide rules. Noise Signature persists between encounters. Alert Level resets at each new engagement.

Encounter Resolution

When Contact triggers, the GM rolls on the sector's Encounter Table (D10, 10 entries per terrain type). Some encounters are combat. Some are decisions. All of them cost time.

Combat encounters use the full OT tactical rules: Priority Check, alternating activations in the Operator Phase, 2 actions per operator, Priority Pressure on the loser's first activation. Set up the engagement zone, assign enemy types from the NPC tier system, and fight.

Non-combat encounters use Extended Operations: the GM sets a success target (typically 3-5 successes) and a round limit. Each round, operators attempt relevant attribute checks. Failed checks add complications. Hit the target and the situation resolves clean. Exceed it and the GM offers a bonus.

06 · The Core Loop

Phase Sequence
  1. Declare movement. Which hex, which approach.
  2. GM makes Navigation check. Secretly.
  3. GM rolls Exposure. Contact, Sign, or Clear.
  4. Resolve the hex. Terrain, keyed content, encounter.
  5. Track resources. Fatigue, Supply, Noise, Ammo, Morale, Intel Age.
  6. Players decide. Push, hold, or extract.

That is the mission. Every session is this loop, repeated until the objective is complete or the team calls it.

PART II
Resources

07 · Resource Tracking

Everything you need is on your back. When it runs out, you start making decisions you will regret.

Track these on the team sheet. Every resource can run out at a meaningful moment. That is the point.

Supply

The team starts each mission with Supply equal to the mission's rated length in days. Not plus two. Not plus one. Exactly the rated length. Each full rest burns 1 Supply. Each Forced March burns 1 Supply. Treating a Mortal Wound in the field burns 1 Supply. At 0 Supply, no resting. Fatigue compounds, Mortal Wounds go untreated, operators start making calls they should not.

Resupply is possible through hex assets, faction contacts, or captured materiel, but the price is never just the Supply.

Noise Signature

Starts at 0. Firefights, engines, explosions, alarms: +1 each. Forced Entry approach: +2. At Noise 3, Exposure rolls shift by +1. At Noise 5, shift by +2 and every faction in the sector advances their Move by one step. At Noise 7, you are blown. Exposure rolls auto-Contact on 1-4. Extract or abort.

Intel Age

Mission intel has a clock. Mark the issue time on the briefing sheet. Every 2 Phases, the GM rolls D6 for each piece of active intel (patrol schedules, contact locations, safe house status). On a 1-2, that intel is now wrong. The patrol moved. The contact bolted. The safe house was raided. After 6 Phases, all initial intel requires a check: roll D6, on 1-4 it is wrong. You are operating on what you have gathered since insertion.

Ammo

Track by engagement. Each operator starts with 2 Ammo. Every tactical combat encounter burns 1 Ammo. Desperation Fire burns an additional 1 Ammo. At 0 Ammo, SHOOT rolls take -2 and Desperation Fire is unavailable. Scavenging from downed enemies requires TACT vs 4+ and 1 Phase. Failure: nothing usable, Phase burned.

Morale

Track team Morale as a single number, starting at 3. Morale drops by 1 when: an operator takes a Mortal Wound, the team is lost for 2+ consecutive Phases, a mission objective is confirmed failed, or an NPC contact is killed. At Morale 1, all GUTS checks take -1. At Morale 0, every operator rolls GUTS vs 4+ at the start of each Phase. Failure: that operator refuses to move forward this Phase. They will hold position, they will fight if attacked, but they will not advance. Morale recovers +1 on completing a secondary objective, finding unexpected allied support, or a successful ambush.

08 · Pressure Tokens in the Field

Pressure Tokens earned during tactical encounters carry forward until spent or until extraction. The earn and spend rules from the Quick-Start apply unchanged in the field:

Earning Pressure in the Field

In addition to the standard tactical earn triggers, operators earn 1 Pressure Token when they:

Spending Pressure in the Field

All universal spends apply: re-roll any die, auto-pass a GUTS check, recover 1 FW at start of next activation, delay a consequence by one round. Class-specific Pressure spends from the Quick-Start also apply during hex crawl play.

Cap: 3 Pressure Tokens per operator per mission. Unspent tokens at extraction are lost.

Design Note

The hex crawl does not introduce a separate token economy. Pressure Tokens are Pressure Tokens, whether you earned them punching through a doorway in tactical play or pushing into a contaminated hex on the strategic map. One currency, one set of rules, no translation needed.

PART III
The Hex

09 · Hex Key System

Every location is a decision waiting to happen.

Every keyed hex uses the same five-line format:

LinePurpose
VisibleWhat operators observe before committing to entry.
SituationWhat is actually here. One to two sentences.
ThreatThe active danger. Who, what, how many, what they are doing.
AssetWhat can be taken, used, or recruited.
HookOne unanswered question or unresolved complication.
The Hook

The Hook is the most important line. It turns a location into a story. Without it, a hex is just terrain.

10 · Field Read in the Field

Field Read works in hex crawl the same way it works in tactical play: roll the relevant attribute vs 4+.

In the field, one operator per Phase may attempt a Field Read. It costs nothing beyond time, but only one operator gets the attempt. Choose wisely.

ModeAttributeSuccess
Spot Weakness (scout ahead)OPINTGM reveals one tactical detail about an adjacent hex: terrain type, presence of patrols, or faction activity.
Call the Target (pathfinding)TACTNext Phase's Navigation check gains +1. If Stealth approach, the TACT threshold drops to 3+.
Read the Room (local intel)OPINTGM answers one question about the current hex: who has been here, what has changed since your intel was issued, or what the nearest faction is doing.

Natural 6: two benefits, choose both. Natural 1: the GM provides false information. You will not know it is false until the truth finds you.

A successful Field Read in the field earns 1 Pressure Token.

11 · Encounter Tables

Build one D10 table per terrain type. Each entry should be a situation, not just an enemy count. The best encounters are the ones where shooting is one option, not the only option.

Sample: Urban Zone Encounters

1
Checkpoint. 4 guards, vehicle, radio. They are checking papers you may or may not have.
2
Patrol. 2 soldiers on rotation. One is distracted. The other is not.
3
Worker convoy. Civilian vehicles, 1 armed escort, nervous energy. They do not want trouble.
4
Surveillance drone. Active sweep pattern. Roll OPINT vs 4+ to track its route. Failure: it tracked yours.
5
Abandoned vehicle. Engine still warm. Driver's door open. Keys in the ignition.
6
Stranded civilian. Knows the area. Scared. Willing to talk if you do not look like the last people who came through.
7
Guard dog. Loose. Not barking yet.
8
Sniper nest. Unmanned. Occupied recently. Someone left a spotting scope and a water bottle.
9
IED. Concealed. Roll OPINT vs 4+ to spot before you are on top of it. Failure: TACT vs 5+ to survive.
10
Nothing. But the lights just went out in the building across the street.

12 · Threat Tiers in the Field

Not everyone with a gun knows how to use it. The ones who do are the problem.

When an encounter escalates to combat, the GM assigns enemy types from the NPC tier system in the GM Guide. The hex crawl adds context for how they appear in the field.

TierProfileField Behavior
Hostile AssetBad everything. 1 wound = removed. 15 pts.Militia, armed civilians, security guards. Dangerous in numbers.
GruntMixed stats. 2 FW = removed. No MW.Trained soldiers, patrol units. The baseline threat. Predictable but competent.
SoldierOrdinary+ stats. Full wound track.Professional operators. They have comms, backup, and a plan. Expect reinforcements.
VeteranGood primary stat. Full wound track + keyword.Experienced fighters. They have seen your tactics before.
HVTCustom stats. Escalation phases.High Value Targets. Cornered Phase on first MW. Last Stand on second.
PART IV
Factions

13 · The Faction Layer

The sector was already in motion when you dropped in. It does not stop because you arrived.

Factions operate on their own timeline. Every session, before play begins, advance every faction's Move by one step. Write it down. Do not tell the players.

When players enter a hex, ask: has any faction's Move reached this hex? If yes, it is visible. A patrol that arrived. A resource that has been taken. A contact who has been warned off or worse.

Faction Format

Every faction uses the same five-line structure:

LinePurpose
ControlsWhich hexes and assets they hold.
WantTheir immediate objective this session.
FearWhat would set them back or expose them.
MoveWhat they are doing right now, step by step.
PostureHow they treat operators they encounter.
The Move Line

The Move line is the engine. Factions do not wait for players. Every session, each faction advances one step. The world shifts whether players engage or not.

Running Factions at the Table

Each faction has a doctrine shaped by its parent organization from the Earth 2060 setting. NAF-aligned factions solve problems with technology and surveillance. SCA-aligned factions solve problems with patience and terrain. EO-aligned factions solve problems with force and industrial capacity. PCU-aligned factions solve problems with conviction and expendable fighters. PRC-aligned factions solve problems with data and autonomous systems. When a faction behaves outside its doctrine, something significant has changed.

14 · Faction Interaction

When two factions occupy the same hex or their Moves converge, the GM rolls D6:

1-2
Confrontation. Armed standoff, firefight, or ambush. Players may stumble into the aftermath or the middle.
3-4
Negotiation. Tense exchange. Both factions are occupied. Good window for player action.
5-6
Cold standoff. Both factions are aware. Neither acts. The pressure stays.
PART V
Operators in the Field

15 · Class Field Roles

Your specialization matters as much in the field as in the firefight.

Every operator class has a role beyond combat during hex crawl play. The same attributes and abilities that define tactical play define field play.

ClassField RoleKey Attribute
CommandoPoint security. Ambush response. First through the door when a hex goes hot.SHOOT / FIGHT
MarksmanOverwatch from elevated hexes. Field Read to assess threats at range.SHOOT / OPINT
InfiltratorAdvance scouting. Enters hexes in Stealth. Reports back without triggering Exposure.TACT
BreacherObstacle clearance. Denied zone entry. Creates routes through terrain that should stop you.TACT / FIGHT
MedicFatigue management. Field treatment during rest Phases. The reason your team can keep moving.OPINT / GUTS
Tech SpecialistComms, electronic warfare, drone recon. Override security systems in keyed hexes.OPINT

16 · Specializations in the Field

Operators choose one Specialization from their class list before each mission. In the field, Specializations create specific tactical options during hex crawl Phases. These are the same Specializations from the Quick-Start, applied to field operations.

Commando

SpecializationField Application
Breach & ClearWhen entering a keyed hex with a structure, first engagement roll gains +1. The Commando enters first, the hex responds to that.
Heavy WeaponsDuring Aggressive approach, suppress an entire engagement zone. Enemies in the hex cannot reposition on their first activation.
Assault LeaderOnce per hex, spend 1 action to give an adjacent operator +1 to their next Shoot or Fight. In the field, this extends to hex crawl checks when contact is imminent.
Last LineWhen at 1 MW in the field, the Commando's next combat roll gains +1. The squad's last standing fighter gets more dangerous, not less.

Marksman

SpecializationField Application
Counter-SniperFrom an elevated hex, when Contact triggers in an adjacent hex and the enemy includes a ranged threat, the Marksman makes a free SHOOT at -1 before the encounter begins.
Designated MarksmanDuring tactical encounters triggered by hex crawl Contact, ignore 1 level of cover on the first Shoot per activation. The long sight lines of the field are this operator's advantage.
SpotterDuring a Field Read, mark one visible enemy group. All operators gain +1 SHOOT against that group for the next tactical encounter.
Long WatchFrom an elevated hex, hold overwatch on two adjacent hexes instead of one. When Contact triggers in either hex, the Marksman fires first.

Infiltrator

SpecializationField Application
Close CutsWhen Contact triggers during a Stealth approach and the Infiltrator engages in melee, the first FIGHT roll gains +1. Silent elimination in the field.
Cat WalkWhen using Stealth approach, ignore terrain movement penalties. Move through Elevated/Rough terrain in 1 Phase instead of 2 while maintaining Stealth.
Electronic Ghost+1 to OPINT on any hack, intrusion, or electronic bypass in a keyed hex. Security systems and surveillance networks are this operator's territory.
Ex-FiltrationDuring extraction, ignore one pursuit complication or Exposure roll. The Infiltrator knows how to leave a place as cleanly as they entered it.

Breacher

SpecializationField Application
Wall BreakerWhen using Forced Entry approach, the FIGHT check gains +1. If the hex contains obstacles (barricades, locked gates, collapsed infrastructure), bypass them without spending additional time.
Door KickerFirst through a breached entry in a keyed hex: +1 to Shoot or Fight on that activation. The Breacher is built for the moment the door opens.
Overwatch FireAfter breaching, the Breacher can set an immediate overwatch on the entry point. Enemies attempting to follow or flank through that entry trigger a free Shoot.
Armored Hull+1 AR when adjacent to cover during field encounters. The Breacher's survival instinct is structural.

Medic

SpecializationField Application
Battle ChemistOnce per hex crawl mission, administer a stimulant. One operator ignores all Fatigue penalties for 2 Phases. At the end: +2 Fatigue. The push and the cost.
Trauma SurgeonDuring a rest Phase, Field Stabilize succeeds on OPINT 3+ instead of 4+. The Medic's skill stretches further when there is time to work.
Calm Under FireThe Medic ignores Pinned status once per mission. In hex crawl encounters, this means field treatment continues under fire without interruption.
Preserve LifeWhen an ally would go Out of Action during a hex crawl encounter, spend 1 Pressure Token to keep them at 0 FW / 1 MW instead. The Medic's signature Pressure spend, unchanged from the Quick-Start.

Tech Specialist

SpecializationField Application
Drone OperatorDeploy the recon drone to scout an adjacent hex. Roll OPINT vs 4+. Success: GM reveals that hex's full key (all five lines). Failure: drone detected, Noise +1.
NetrunnerRemote Override within 12" instead of adjacent. In hex crawl, this means hacking systems in a keyed hex from a concealed position outside direct line of sight.
Counter-IntelligenceOnce per mission, cancel one enemy Alert Level tick. In hex crawl, the Tech can suppress the Noise Signature increase from one event (firefight, alarm, engine start). The noise happened. The response does not.
EMP DisciplineEMP blast covers 6" instead of 3". In keyed hexes with electronic security, this disables an entire system rather than a single node. One Phase of total blackout.

Between hex crawl missions, operators may Retrain to swap their Specialization. Describe what changed.

PART VI
Building Your Own Sector

17 · Sector Design Guide

The world is eight operational theaters. Each one will try to kill your team differently.

A sector needs 6-12 hexes, 2-4 factions, and one question the players cannot answer from the briefing sheet. Build it in this order:

Step 1: Choose Your Territory

Pick a territory from the Earth 2060 setting. The territory's dominant environmental pressure shapes every hex: London's flooding, the Forbidden Zone's radiation, Neo-Tokyo's surveillance grid, the Oasis's heat and water control.

Step 2: Draw the Hex Grid

6-12 hexes. Mix terrain types. Include at least one Denied Zone and one resupply location. The grid does not need to be regular. Operational areas are defined by the mission, not by geometry.

Step 3: Key Every Hex

Use the five-line format (Visible, Situation, Threat, Asset, Hook). Write the Hook first. Everything else exists to support it. A hex without a Hook is a hex the table will forget.

Keyed vs. Unkeyed

Not every hex needs a full key. In a 10-hex sector, key 4-6 hexes with the full five-line treatment. The rest get a terrain type, a one-line description, and a note about which faction's territory they fall in. Unkeyed hexes still trigger Exposure rolls and encounter tables. They just do not have a story waiting inside them.

Step 4: Build Your Factions

Use the five-line format (Controls, Want, Fear, Move, Posture). Their Wants should conflict. Their Moves should intersect at least one hex. Two factions is the minimum for pressure. Four is the maximum before the GM loses track of who is doing what.

Step 5: Write Encounter Tables

One D10 table per terrain type. Half the entries should be situations where shooting is optional. The other half should be situations where shooting is one option among several, not the only path forward.

Encounter Design Principle

An encounter entry should describe a situation, not an enemy count. "4 guards, vehicle, radio -- they are checking papers you may or may not have" is a situation. "4 Grunts" is a stat block. The situation tells the table what is happening. The stat block tells the table what to roll. You need both, but lead with the situation.

Step 6: Set the Mission Objective

Place it 3-5 hexes from insertion. Make the direct route pass through at least one faction's territory. The objective should be achievable in 2-4 sessions of hex crawl play.

The Sector Checklist

Before Session One
  • Hex grid drawn (6-12 hexes, mixed terrain)
  • At least one Denied Zone
  • At least one resupply location
  • 4-6 hexes fully keyed (five-line format, Hook first)
  • 2-4 factions with five-line profiles
  • Faction Moves written for 3 sessions ahead
  • One D10 encounter table per terrain type
  • Mission objective placed 3-5 hexes from insertion
  • One question the players cannot answer from the briefing
  • Supply, Ammo, and mission length rated on the briefing sheet

18 · Territory Encounter Seeds

Use these as starting points for territory-specific encounter tables:

TerritoryEnvironmental PressureEncounter Seeds
Flooded LondonWater, poor visibility, flooded routesSubmerged checkpoint, EO research patrol, resistance dead drop, rising water event, automated sentry (jammed)
Amazonian MetroplexBio-engineered terrain, jungle hazardsSCA bio-patrol, defensive plant barrier, overgrown supply cache, toxin cloud, local guide (maybe trustworthy)
Saharan OasisHeat, distance, water scarcityPCU checkpoint with thermal scanning, sandstorm (visibility zero), dried cistern, solar farm (power but exposed), pilgrim convoy
Neo-TokyoSurveillance, density, autonomous systemsAI drone patrol, cybernetic plainclothes officer, hacked traffic system, underground transit ambush, data broker in a noodle shop
Forbidden ZoneRadiation, hostile terrain, HeraldsRadiation pocket (GUTS vs 4+ or 1 FW), Herald scout, contaminated water source, collapsed bunker, pre-war data cache
Eurasian SteppesOpen sightlines, EO heavy armorLong-range EO patrol, autonomous tracking platform, abandoned supply depot, local herder (knows patrol schedules), dust storm
Nordics ArcologySophisticated security, political stakesNon-lethal security response, diplomatic incident, corporate espionage NPC, surveillance drone (silent), faction contact in a public cafe
Antarctic PeninsulaExtreme cold, isolation, no extractionWhiteout event (all checks -2), buried research station, contested mineral site, frozen equipment cache, no-comms zone
PART VII
Solo Hex Crawl

19 · Solo Modifications

No GM. No safety net. The tables decide what is out there.

Solo hex crawl uses the solo tools from the OT Solo Rules v5. The same core loop applies, with three modifications:

Navigation

Roll your own Navigation check. On failure, roll D6 to determine drift direction (1-2: left, 3-4: right, 5-6: behind). You discover the drift when you resolve the hex and the terrain does not match your expected destination.

Encounters

On Contact, roll the encounter table and then roll SITREP (D6) to determine the tactical situation:

1-2
Ambush. Enemies act first. Your first operator has 1 action.
3-4
Meeting Engagement. Standard Priority Check.
5-6
Advantage. You act first. Enemy's first activation is 1 action.

Factions

At the start of each session, roll D6 for each faction. On 4+, their Move advances one step. On 6, their Move advances two steps and they leave a visible sign in a random hex adjacent to their controlled territory.

Enemy behavior uses the Enemy AI Protocol from the Solo Rules. Alert States (Unaware, Suspicious, Alerted, Hostile) govern movement and targeting. The Heat Track replaces some GM judgment: each combat encounter adds +1 Heat. At Heat 3, reinforcements arrive in D3 Phases. At Heat 5, the sector locks down. At Heat 7, extraction is the only option.

PART VIII
Campaign Play

20 · Extraction

Getting in was the plan. Getting out is the mission.

Extraction is not free. The team must reach a designated extraction hex or an improvised extraction point. Moving to extraction follows normal hex crawl rules: Navigation checks, Exposure rolls, resource costs. The sector does not get safer because you are leaving.

If the Extraction Protocol triggers during the hex crawl (half the squad has at least one Mortal Wound), the GM may offer a fighting retreat. Move-only operators do not provoke Exposure rolls during extraction movement. Accepting carries campaign consequences: failed mission, enemy strength +1 in this sector next time, any operator not extracted is Captured or KIA at GM discretion.

21 · Between Hex Crawl Missions

Use the standard between-mission sequence from the Quick-Start:

22 · Campaign Hex Crawl

Link hex crawl missions into a campaign. Each completed mission changes the sector. Factions that were not stopped advance. Contacts that were burned are gone. Resources that were spent do not come back.

Between missions, advance every faction's Move by D3 steps. The sector evolves in the gaps between operations. When the team returns, the board has shifted.

A full campaign arc covering one sector runs 4-6 sessions. An extended campaign spanning multiple sectors runs 10-15. The threads connect through faction behavior, intel that ages across missions, and decisions that compound.

PART IX
Sector Gray

23 · Starter Sector

Eight hexes. One compromised region. Everything went wrong here before you arrived. — Sector Gray Briefing

Sector Gray sits on the eastern fringe of EO-administered territory, three hundred kilometers from the nearest Eurasian Oligarchy garrison. The Steppes thin out here into scrub industrial wasteland and border towns that changed hands twice in the last decade. The EO claims jurisdiction. The locals do not agree. Nobody has had the resources to settle the argument.

This is a starter operational area built for 2-4 sessions of hex crawl play. Run it standalone or use it as the opening act of a longer campaign. The environmental pressure is exposure: open sightlines, long distances between cover, and the constant awareness that somebody is watching from somewhere you have not found yet. Open the interactive Sector Gray hex map.

Hex A1 Open / Perimeter Road
Visible: A two-lane road cuts northeast. A vehicle is stopped on the shoulder, hazard lights off, driver's door open.
Situation: A logistics truck, engine still warm. The driver is gone. Cargo is intact: medical supplies, bound for a government facility three hexes north.
Threat: A patrol will return to this vehicle within 1 Phase. They will notice it immediately.
Asset: Medical supplies (clears 2 Fatigue if used during rest). Vehicle keys are in the ignition. +1 Supply if you take the cargo.
Hook: There is blood on the passenger seat. Not much. Enough.
Hex A2 Forest / Elevated
Visible: Dense treeline. A steel communications tower rises above the canopy, red warning light blinking.
Situation: Active relay tower, unmanned but remotely monitored. Cutting it drops comms across a 4-hex radius, including yours.
Threat: Motion sensors on the access path. OPINT vs 4+ to spot. Triggered sensors summon a drone response within 2 Phases.
Asset: Hardline access port at the base. Plug in, pull raw signals intel on all transmissions in the sector. Takes 1 Phase. Tech Specialist rolls OPINT vs 4+.
Hook: Someone has already been here. The lock on the access hatch is cut, not broken.
Hex B1 Industrial / Flatground
Visible: A concrete processing facility, half its windows dark. Two guards at the main gate, smoking.
Situation: A chemical storage site, officially decommissioned. Still very much active.
Threat: 6 guards total (Grunts), rotating in pairs. A dog run along the east fence. 4 technicians inside, not fighters.
Asset: Facility manifest in the site office reveals production details and destinations. One technician knows the full supply chain and is tired of knowing it.
Hook: The facility is not on any map you were given.
Hex B2 Urban / Residential
Visible: A quiet neighborhood. Too quiet. Cars in driveways, curtains drawn at midday, no foot traffic.
Situation: The residents are here. They are not leaving. A local faction has been using this block as a buffer zone. Civilians as a deterrent to airstrikes.
Threat: Two armed sentries (Soldiers) at each end of the main street, plainclothes. The civilians know who they are.
Asset: A family on the east end has been sheltering a person of interest. Low-level, scared, willing to deal.
Hook: One of the sentries keeps watching a specific second-floor window. Something is up there he does not want you to see.
Hex B3 Elevated / Rough
Visible: A ridge line with clear sightlines north and east. An old fire watch post at the summit, roof caved in.
Situation: The best overwatch position in the sector. No current occupants. Debris suggests recent use within 48 hours.
Threat: Exposed approach. Anyone watching the ridge sees you on the climb. -2 to TACT checks to approach unseen.
Asset: Whoever was here left a spotting scope and a handwritten log in a plastic bag. The last entry is two days old and references your primary objective by name.
Hook: The log is written in two different hands.
Hex C1 Denied Zone / Industrial
Visible: Razor wire. Flood lights on timers. A sign in three languages. The universal version: skull, circle, line.
Situation: A former mining operation that ran into something it should not have. Now fenced, alarmed, and nobody official will say why.
Threat: Entry requires TACT check vs 5+. Noise Signature +1 just for breaching the perimeter. Two roving patrols (Veterans, Entrenched keyword), no set schedule.
Asset: A contact who knew this facility before it closed says: there is a room they built after the accident that was not on the original plans.
Hook: The flood lights are not on a timer. Something is triggering them.
Hex C2 Urban / Commercial
Visible: A market district, open, busy. Vendors, foot traffic, a dozen ways in and out.
Situation: The best resupply point in the sector. Also the most surveilled location you have been near.
Threat: Three plainclothes intelligence assets (Soldiers, Ghost keyword) in the market. Roll OPINT vs 4+ to spot one. Spotted or not, they are noting faces.
Asset: A vendor on the north side sells cooking equipment. She also sells information, passage, and things you should not be carrying. Replenish 2 Supply. Purchase intel on any adjacent hex for 1 Supply.
Hook: One of the three intelligence assets is watching the vendor, not the crowd.
Hex C3 Open / Border Zone
Visible: A flat, featureless stretch ending at a dry river bed. The far bank is outside your operational area.
Situation: An unofficial crossing point used by smugglers, refugees, and people whose names appear on lists.
Threat: Monitored by both sides of the border. Each Phase spent here, roll Exposure with +1. Two Hostile Assets on the near bank, rotating watch.
Asset: A crossing guide operates from a farmhouse 500m east. Local, reliable by reputation, expensive. He knows every patrol schedule on both banks.
Hook: There is fresh digging on the near bank. Three shapes, roughly parallel, roughly the right size.

Sector Gray Factions

Nobody controls this sector. Three factions are trying. One is trying to burn it down.

The Directorate
Professional. Patient. Already inside every room you think is safe.
Controls: HEX C2 (market surveillance), HEX A1 (road corridor). Notional authority over the full sector.
Want: To identify and extract whoever broke into HEX A2's relay tower before anyone else finds out what was pulled from it.
Fear: That the technician in HEX B1 talks. He knows where three Directorate facilities are that do not officially exist.
Move: The three market assets in C2 are consolidating surveillance photos. Within 2 Phases: a face. Within 4: a name.
Posture: Transactional. If you are useful, they will deal. If you are in the way, they will remove you cleanly and file nothing.
The Gravel Road Syndicate
Tired. Dug in. Been here longer than any government that has tried to govern this place.
Controls: HEX B2 (residential buffer zone), HEX C3 (border crossing). Smuggling routes connecting both.
Want: The crossing guide in C3 to stop operating independently. He is undercutting their border business.
Fear: Losing the civilian buffer in B2. It is the only thing keeping them from being a legitimate military target.
Move: Two enforcers moving toward C3. They will reach it in 3 Phases. The guide does not know they are coming.
Posture: Territorial. They will trade, guide, and protect for a price that is always slightly more than you have.
Remnant Cell 7
True believers. Three of them. Possibly four. Nobody agrees on the number.
Controls: HEX C1 (denied zone, they have been inside for weeks). Possibly HEX B3 (the fire watch post is theirs).
Want: Whatever is in the room that was not on the original plans at C1. They believe it changes everything. They might be right.
Fear: That the Directorate gets there first. They have one advantage: they know the interior of C1.
Move: The handwritten log at B3 is theirs. They are now aware someone found it. One member is moving back toward B3 to retrieve or destroy it.
Posture: Unpredictable. Not uniformly hostile. Focused. They will kill to protect C1.
The Quiet Party
You do not know who they are. That is the point.
Controls: Unknown. Their fingerprints are on HEX A2 (the cut lock), HEX B1 (the facility that is not on any map), and the blood in the truck at A1.
Want: Unknown. Their actions do not fit any obvious objective.
Fear: Unknown. They have not made a mistake yet.
Move: Each session, when players enter a hex the Quiet Party has visited, roll D6. On 1-3: a trace. On 4-6: nothing visible, but if the team succeeds on an OPINT vs 5+ Field Read, they notice a detail that does not belong.
Posture: They know you are here. They have not decided what to do about you. That window is closing.

Faction Interaction Matrix

FactionsDefault Posture
Directorate + SyndicateCold standoff. They have a history. Neither will shoot first in public.
Directorate + Remnant Cell 7Active hunt. The Directorate wants them gone. Cell 7 knows it.
Directorate + Quiet PartyThe Directorate does not know the Quiet Party exists. Yet.
Syndicate + Remnant Cell 7Mutual avoidance. They have agreed to stay out of each other's hexes. The agreement is fraying.
Syndicate + Quiet PartyThe Syndicate border runners have seen something. They are not sure what.
Remnant Cell 7 + Quiet PartyCell 7 thinks the Quiet Party is a Directorate ghost unit. They are wrong.
APPENDIX
GM Quick Reference

A · GM Quick Reference

Phase Checklist

StepActionSystem
1Players declare hex movementMovement rules
2GM rolls Navigation (secret)OPINT vs terrain DC
3GM rolls Exposure (D6)1-2 Contact, 3-4 Sign, 5-6 Clear
4Resolve hex contentHex key + encounter table
5Track resourcesSupply, Noise, Ammo, Fatigue, Intel Age, Morale
6Players decide next actionPush / Hold / Extract

Noise Signature Track

NoiseEffect
0-2Normal Exposure rolls.
3-4+1 to all Exposure rolls. Tactical encounters start at Alert Level 1.
5-6+2 to all Exposure rolls. Faction Moves accelerate. Tactical encounters start at Alert Level 2.
7+Mission compromised. All factions aware. Exposure rolls auto-Contact on 1-4. Tactical encounters start at Alert Level 3.

Fatigue Track

FatigueEffect
1-2-1 to all rolls per point.
3-3 to all rolls. GUTS vs 4+ each Phase to keep moving.
4+Cannot move. Must rest.

Intel Degradation

Phases Since IssueIntel Status
0-2Fresh. Reliable.
3-4Aging. GM checks one item per Phase.
5-6Stale. 50% chance any intel point is wrong.
7+Dead. All initial intel unreliable. Rely on field-gathered intelligence only.

Mission Modifiers

Roll or select one before the hex crawl begins:

1
Compromised Intel. One hex's key is wrong. The GM secretly redesigns it.
2
Collateral Risk. Civilians present in D3 hexes. Firefights in those hexes: Morale -1.
3
Shifting Priorities. Primary objective changes mid-crawl at a GM-set trigger.
4
Comms Blackout. No external comms for D3 Phases. No coordination abilities.
5
Hard Clock. Fixed Phase limit. Mission ends at the limit regardless of status.
6
Insider Threat. One faction knows your insertion point and team composition.
// EVERY HEX IS A DECISION. EVERY PHASE IS A COST. EVERY FACTION IS A CLOCK. //

The sector does not wait for you. Move.