Into the HEXplore It: Klik’s Madness Campaign Prequel
Step into a narrative adventure in a world brimming with fantasy and danger in the HEXplore It: Klik’s Madness Campaign.
Over the years, I’ve collected almost everything related to a particular game series. Have I played all of it? Not even close! Yet with the release of the HEXplore It: Klik’s Madness Campaign, the open world concept moves into a more structured experience across a chapter-based campaign. At last, I stepped foot into this familiar realm with the prequel chapter!
Spoiler Alert
There are mild spoilers about some of the general types of encounters that may be found in this prequel chapter. Most of this post focuses on the general structure of this campaign, but some information is included that pertains to the story. It’s one of my lightest spoiler alerts, yet if you haven’t played the prequel, maybe consider skipping this post. No worries!
Game Overview
Game Name: HEXplore It: Klik’s Madness Campaign
Publication Year: 2022
Designers: F. Calcagno Jr, J. Mariucci, & J. Spaid
Artist: Uncredited
Publisher: Mariucci J. Designs, LLC
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
An adventure is laid out across multiple chapters in a hefty volume, where narrative choices impact the story. Many elements of the board game itself are used, but with a focus on a deep storyline to explore with a number of characters. There’s no telling what might found in these exciting tales!
First Play
November 29, 2025
Complexity
3
Latest Play
December 22, 2025
Expansions
3
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
2 Hours
High Score
N/A
Game Area
40" x 28"
Low Score
N/A
Building a Team
Before I got started, I spent some time reading through the rules again. These are lengthy and have a lot of nuances, so I wanted to be as prepared for an immersive story as possible.
As usual, I decided on a duo and gave myself some options for each of them. Interestingly, there wasn’t anyone to build who was focused on combat, which could be a challenge.
Did that stop me? Nope! I was here for the experience, and I felt like this tinkersmith and shaman had a backstory.
I decided to use wet-erase markers, rather than paper and pencil, as these boards are really helpful and excellent!
Character Portraits
Since I upgraded my old decks to the art-focused cards, it almost felt like a shame for these characters to only have text-based descriptions. So I dug into the collection…
Voila! I found the perfect illustrations for Tuzirusgrean and Sona. As a bonus, these covered up the lengthy blocks of text when I didn’t need to see them, immersing me further.
If it isn’t obvious, “Grean” is an ogre kin dwarf with a knack for tinkering. This portrait felt right for him! And Sona?
An automaton shaman was a tall order, but I found her! As human-like as possible, but with a mysterious past.
Trouble at the Gates
The prequel chapter is billed as an introduction to the system that’s a lot shorter and smaller than the rest of the adventure. No complaints here: I wanted a nice tutorial!
And it was awesome. I enjoyed reading the passages and feeling like I was part of the story. Grean and Sona made choices, both superficial and in life-or-death situations.
I enjoyed the integration of the base game components and rules, which were a little different, but still pretty similar.
The potential with future chapters seemed very high, too, and this prequel offered an exciting beginning scenario!
Unexpected Bandits
My favorite part of this system are the surprising moments. These didn’t just come from the prequel narrative, though.
Circumstances and random encounters showed up, once leading to a terrible storm Grean and Sona had to wade through, and once… Bandits. Of the absolute rudest sort.
I wasn’t expecting to come across them, and as expected, their action roll resulted in depleting Grean’s energy.
Right there, in the midst of battle, he was pickpocketed! The joke was on the bandits, since Sona was adept at finding their weaknesses. Gold returned, thank you very much!
Motivated to Go From Collecting to Playing
Truth be told, I probably own this entire game series and won’t play it that often. It’s become a solid part of my collection, yet I’ve leaned into adding everything without thinking about the realistic expectations around playing. The base games are all excellent, but very open-ended. Adventures take ages, and many of them can end in unexpected defeat early.
So why continue to collect? There is a vast world here, supported by a multitude of rule sets that encourage a bit of experimentation. I haven’t been brave enough to go off the rails yet, but playing each full volume feels like a lot. A narrative campaign book sounded like just the right thing for me, and so far, it’s been incredible! I’m actually playing!
There are times when the open-ended or sandbox nature of a solo game can seem amazing and crushing at the same time. I admit that I struggle to find a coherent path at times. Having this chapter-based adventure is an exciting way to enjoy the game system and slowly wade back into it. Maybe I just need to approach the full game with a prequel kind of approach…
Session Overview
Play Number: 1
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Cooperative)
Play Details: Prequel Chapter
Outcome: Complete
Although this isn’t designed to be particularly difficult, it all came down to the wire at the end… Nearly failed! Yet an interesting moment with some terrible goblins actually helped Grean in an unexpected way. Double wounded?! It was a strategy at one point that helped Sona and him make it out alive with just enough time to spare. If this was only an introduction, I can’t wait to see what else is out there!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Integrating the campaign with the existing game is done very well, allowing components to be used in new ways.
- Stories pop up from the narrative and random encounters, and everything is written in an engaging fashion.
- Although there is a lot of reading, the map helps ground the experience to provide a visual map of the region.
- Each character has the potential for heroic moments, and these plentiful options offer lots of variety in future plays.
- The timer deck works very well and ensures that time feels like an important resource, and not one to throw away.
- Only part of the game is offered with the prequel, yet it introduces the system well and includes memorable turns.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There are a lot of rules to understand from the main system, and some of these are adjusted within the campaign.
- Battle outcomes can sometimes be obvious from the start, but going through the motions is still a requirement.
- Flipping around the large book may not be appealing to all, and even the included bookmark ribbons aren’t enough.
- Wet-erase markers work very well, yet there is still a somewhat messy experience in store with all of the changes.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Chapter
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete the prequel chapter.
Complete chapter 1.
Continue the Conversation
Have you played the prequel chapter for the HEXplore It: Klik’s Madness Campaign? Are there any memorable stories that stood out? I’m very excited to travel to the next chapter and dig into the full narrative. This was a wonderful way to get acquainted with the rules and structure… So much more to discover with my interesting duo of Grean and Sona!
As part of the design team for Hexploreit, on my first playtest of the prequel, I got through the story, but in the very last hex before I reached the shrine, I fell to an encounter just outside the gates with only a couple cards left in my timer deck. As I peered up into the blue sky, I saw myself as a prequel to the prequel.
…an appropriate moment.
Thanks for the fine review.
Oh, no! The end of the prequel was actually quite dangerous, and I had to use a luck stone to avoid a storm encounter that would have run out the timer deck. Hilariously, it was on the exact same hex when the characters set out. By sheer luck (literally!) Grean and Sona did not become a prequel to the prequel, although that would have been hilarious! Looking forward to digging into the full chapters next!
I’m always interested in content about Hexplore. It’s a game I’ve often been close to pulling the trigger on, especially with all the enticing crowdfunding campaigns. I haven’t managed to justify it yet because I have so many other adventure games. It always looks fun though and maybe one day I’ll end up with it.
Definitely agreed about there being a lot of adventure games out there! The nice thing about this series is that you don’t absolutely need to own it all. I’m planning to dig into the various volumes after I get through the campaign book. Lots to enjoy!