The Hollow Earth Expedition FAQ

The Hollow Earth Expedition (HEX) Pulp adventure roleplaying game has been officially in existence for almost four months now, having first been officially published in August of 2006, and was released at GenCon. While the game is still not all that well-known in roleplaying gamer circles, HEX is beginning to attract new fans of the system and mechanics of Pulp adventure, and rpgers as well. The lack of familiarity with Hollow Earth Expedition on the part of many led to my compiling this file. This Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) page is designed to answer some of the commonly asked questions about the HEX game system, as well as to provide some insight into several elements of the game system.

Hollow Earth Expedition RPG Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hollow Earth Expedition?

Hollow Earth Expedition, also commonly referred to as "HEX" for short, is a roleplaying game of Pulp adventure based in the 1930's that owes its roots largely to the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, and is centred around some of the concepts of Hollow Earth theory.

What is Pulp adventure?

Pulp adventure fiction has its basis in the early part of the 20th Century, but reached the peak of their popularity during the 1920's 1930's. They were published in magazines, so called because of the cheap, wood pulp paper on which they were printed. While many respected authors wrote for the Pulp magazines, they are best remembered for their fast-paced, lurid, sensational and exploitative stories and thrilling cover art. See more information on Pulp adventures by following the link.

What is Hollow Earth Theory?

The basic premise of Hollow Earth theory is that the Earth has a hollow interior and there is probably a habitable surface within as well. Once very popular in adventure literature, the notion now receives little support. See more information on Hollow Earth theory by following the link.

Who Publishes Hollow Earth Expedition?

The Hollow Earth Expedition RPG is published by Exile Game Studio, a company in the Seattle area. Officially, HEX was published in August, 2006, when it was first released in print form at GenCon, and came out in November, 2006 in PDF format.

What Materials Have Been Published for Hollow Earth Expedition?

To this point, the only product that has been published in the Hollow Earth Expedition line is Hollow Earth Expedition, the roleplaying game itself, in both a paper and a PDF version. See the separate HEX Products Index page for more details.

What is the Game System?

The Hollow Earth Expedition RPG uses a Skill-based gaming system (as opposed to a Class- or Level-based gaming system) to model the world and environment of the Hollow Earth and events in the game. It uses the Ubiquity System, which places an emphasis on storytelling and cinematic action, for skill resolution, combat, damage, and the like. The game allows the players and GM to use any type of dice they like, although there are specialty dice, called Ubiquity Dice, available from the same company that publishes the game. HEX uses six Attributes (Body, Quickness, Dexterity, Charisma, Intelligence, and Willpower) and Skills are very generic (such as Larceny, Firearms and the like) with specializations allowed to make them more individual (such as Larceny - Pickpocketing). The game encourages players to create their own character concepts and the like, but offers several sample characters that can be used as a template. The mechanics of character generation are quite simple and easy to work with.

Why is the Game Called Hollow Earth Expedition?

Yes, it's an odd question, but I've decided to put this one in anyway! The game is called Hollow Earth Expedition because the primary focus of this game is the Hollow Earth itself. While the Surface World can be used as a setting for the game as well, the main focus of the HEX RPG is Pulp adventures set in the Hollow Earth itself.

What Makes the Hollow Earth Expedition RPG Unique?

When it comes right down to it, there is no game element per sé that makes the Hollow Earth RPG unique. The game mechanics of the Hollow Earth RPG are based upon the Ubiquity system, a somewhat innovative game system that is streamlined for fast, cinematic play. The Ubiquity game allows a player to roll any type of dice to resolve actions (although there are special 8-sided Ubiquity dice available for purchase), and is based around the concept of the player rolling a number of dice equal to the sum of his Attribute and Skill (this sum being called the Rating). On regular dice, the player counts the number of evens (or odds, if preferred) and this is the number of successes; if the number of successes equals or exceeds the Dificulty of the task, the character succeeds. Simple really. Not an original set of mechanics, but very easy to work with and using the Ubiquity dice cuts the number of dice that need to be rolled. These mechanics fit the world of the Pulp adventure, and are simple enough to be taught to players in less than five minutes (I know, having done so at two demos of the game that I've run so far). There are no bells-and-whistles here, and no "gimmick" to the way the system works, but it *is* simple, highly flexible, and provides for a solid set of mechanics that keeps roleplaying as the focus of the game (rather than "roll-playing").

That said, however, there are two other things that make Hollow Earth Expedition unique. The first is the focus of the game. It would have been very easy to focus the game on Pulp stories told in all sorts of environments and places with different themes and atmospheres to them (such as science, horror, mystery, adventure, romance, etc.). Instead, the game focuses on one, and only one type of Pulp adventure - the adventures set against the background of the Hollow Earth. The game focuses on adventures set within the Hollow Earth, a mysterious world within the earth that contains dinosaurs, tribes of primitive and (sometimes) violent folk, cultures of a bygone age, and all manner of weird science (if the GM desires). By focusing on the Hollow Earth (although scenarios and plots can also take place on what is called the Surface World), the game gives itself more of an mysterious, weird science adventure atmosphere, and allows the main rulebook to provide an overview of the Surface World without needing to provide lots of detail. Furthermore, it establishes the game as being designed to tell stories along the lines of Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Hollow Earth environment that is created for the game is one that allows for a very creative world with the GM's stamp on it, one that is wonderful and ensures that different people will have similar, and sometimes wildly variant versions of their Hollow Earth.

The second aspect that makes HEX unique is the manner in which player character are created and fit the genre of the Pulps. To begin with, players in HEX choose an Archetype for the characters that is loosely based on one of the standard types of characters that were found in the Pulp fiction of the 30's. The player then chooses a Motivation and a Flaw, each of which designates the means by which a player receives Style points for his or her character. Style points are the rewards that players receive for the kinds of behaviours associated with Pulp heroes and characters, and make the game fun for everyone, and they are used to add bonus dice, to boost one's Talents, reduce damage, and other functions that the GM can come up with.

What makes the game special as well is the manner in which the world portrayed in the Pulp fiction of the magazines and other works is brought to life by the game system's style and feel. It is a world of moral clarity; characters are good or evil, there is no in-between. It is a world where the (player) heroes are larger than life, with characters who are a little rough around the edges, but good and noble at their core. It is a world where player characters are lured into deathtraps by evil villains, who then gloat about their plans because the heroes can't possibly escape the trap set for them. It is the world of cliffhangers, where the weekly serials and the story in the magazine ended with the characters in a life-and-death situation, and one never knew how they were going to get out of it - but one came back the next week to see what would happen. It is a world of fast pacing, with furious action and little time to stop and think or plan. And that is what Hollow Earth Expedition offers to the roleplaying gamer. Which makes the game very special after all.

Where Can I Find More Hollow Earth Expedition RPG Resources?

The best place to start with looking for other resources for the Hollow Earth Expedition RPG is on the HEX Links & Resources Page found on this website. You can also check out one of the various search engines on the internet for other HEX RPG web pages.

Hollow Earth Expedition is a trademark and copyright of Exile Game Studio, LLC. The Hollow Earth Expedition Logo and other graphics are copyright of Exile Game Studio, LLC, and are used with their permission. The Ubiquity game mechanics are copyright of Exile Game Studio, LLC, and are mentioned and used with their permission. All distinctive Hollow Earth Expedition logos and terms are trademarks of Exile Game Studio, LLC. No attempt is being made here to supercede any of the copyrights and trademarks mentioned above. The HEX Compass graphic was created by Daniel Potter, and the permission of John M. Kahane and Daniel Potter is required for use of this Logo by any other persons.