a map of hackway heights

Once the series is over, I’ll be releasing on our patreon a pdf of my Hackway Heights notes which includes all the locations, random encounter tables and npcs, most of which our players probably won’t meet. In the coming weeks I hope to preview some more of that material so you all can see how I prepare for this game. Today we start with my map. Enjoy.

—jae

This is the Map I use for Hackway Heights. If you watch us on Twitch or Youtube, you've seen this. If you're a listener of the podcast, this is what we're referencing.

(i made this, with mine own hands)

The method of creating a map like this is written about in the Electric Bastionland rules and is further detailed in a video by Chris McDowall here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzxc8wQ57uI

Each line represents a different mode of transportation.

The Olde Rail Pedwalk is an abandoned railway system that is now a prettied up walking path.

The Dynamic Hackway is an electric tunnel for taxicab bumper cars called Hacks.

The Travolator is a conveyor belt-like moving sidewalk for the richest neighborhood in town.

The Freehold Aerial Tram is cable car gondola system that lifts folks to the top of abandoned skyscrapers, where new homes have been built on the roofs.

Everywhere there's an intersection or a curve I put a dot. These dots then became points of interest that I can detail. It's usually something quick and evocative and maybe includes some complication that could arise, or something specific the players can engage with. I don't have any maps of any specific locations, but if I know my players are going to want to heist something, I'll try to build that map between sessions. If I’m in a bind I’ll distract them with some crazy situation that they have to deal with, to buy me some time. As long as it’s fun they won’t care that they didn’t get to whatever it was they were trying to do this week. And I’ll try to make it up to them the next week so it all works out.

One of the first lessons I learned about running games… you are The Wizard of Oz - a charlatan, but one whose illusions still get the job done.

locations and details

Not every location possible is on the map, obviously. I'll often find myself having to invent a place. That’s actually how The Daily Spark was created. there used to be nothing there, but during my first game someone wanted to know where the newspaper headquarters was. So I put it there on the map. And I ended up liking it so much that I made it permanent.

It's also convenient to tell the players "Mr. Dick's hideout is between the Bifurcated Industrial Works and the Department of Reclaimed Property.

The creative in me wants to have specific streets and specify every building on a highly detailed map. This desire actually kept me overwhelmed with the concept of mapping, so I avoided it. And while I may do something super detailed one day with a different project, I find that this amorphous shape gives the players enough specificity that the city feels living and detailed, without overwhelming them in minutia and detail.

Sometimes all that detail can kill the imagination. And I like the idea of my players and I having both a shared and a individual vision of the setting.

a note on random encounters

For my particular style of game, I use Random Encounter Tables for Travel. Anytime someone wants to move between points they roll a D6. On a 1 they trigger an encounter. I have a different table for each mode of transportation so that it feels somewhat specific and evocative to where they are. This can also give the players history with the structure of the city.

For example let’s say that they have a random encounter with a gang of barbarian unicyclists on the Pedway. Our players escape with their lives, but in the future they may avoid that route in order to avoid further problems with the gang. Now our players are telling themselves stories about the city and it’s becoming more and connected and real. This is a GREAT feeling.

It's also possible players may want to cut through areas, as opposed to following the lines, like going directly from The Daily Spark to the Pep 29 Suites for example. I encourage this. However, moving off the beaten path is more risky and complicated, so I have two other tables for this type of movement. One of these tables is if they cut through one of the more ritzy neighborhoods, and another if they go through a rougher area. The odds also increase so that a 1 OR 2 on the d6 would trigger an encounter.

Combined, that's six random encounter tables for 36 different encounters. Not all of them are combat related, some are just peculiar occurrences meant to annoy or inspire. There's usually some type of reward should the players engage. Doesn’t have to be an item. It can be information or a better understanding of the world around them.

Once an encounter happens, I generally don’t make them roll when they travel for the rest of the session, as one special encounter is enough to derail a session.

Anyway. That’s the map. It’s easy for me and my players to reference and it gets the job done.