Fun
Hex Board Setup Randomizer
Hex-based strategy boardgames built around resource tiles and probability numbers need a fresh, fair layout for every session, and shuffling tiles and number tokens by hand often means people quietly favor a familiar arrangement instead of a truly random one. This tool randomizes both the resource type on every hex and the number token assigned to it, following the classic ratio used in these games: mostly wheat, wood, and sheep, fewer brick and ore, and a single non-producing desert tile with no number at all. The output is a plain hex-layout diagram, printable or shareable before a session so players can set up physical tiles without arguing over placement. Choose the Standard-4p variant for the classic 19-hex board sized for four players, or 5-6p-expansion for a larger 30-hex layout with proportionally more of every resource and number token. The "avoid 6 and 8 next to each other" option runs several shuffles internally and keeps the one with the fewest adjacent pairs of the two highest-probability numbers, based on a hex-neighbor map of the board — it is a best-effort reduction, not a guaranteed zero-adjacency solve. Regenerate as many times as you like; each run is fully independent and nothing is remembered between sessions.
How to use
- Choose your options above
- Click Generate
- Copy your result
Detailed instructions
- Choose "Standard-4p" for the classic 19-hex board or "5-6p-expansion" for the larger 30-hex layout.
- Toggle "avoid 6 and 8 next to each other" on if you want the generator to try minimizing high-probability clusters.
- Click generate to produce a full board layout with resources and number tokens.
- Read the diagram row by row, top to bottom, to physically place matching tiles and tokens.
- Check the resource summary line to confirm tile counts match your physical set before playing.
- Regenerate for a completely fresh board anytime you want a new game.
Use Cases
- •A board game group about to start a session using the generator to set up a brand-new hex layout instead of reusing last week's arrangement from memory
- •A game night host printing the ASCII layout ahead of time so players can lay out physical tiles and number tokens without arguing over placement
- •Someone building a solo digital hex-strategy prototype pulling a random board state to test their scoring or trading logic
- •A group of five or six players switching to the expansion variant to get a bigger board sized for the larger table
- •A tabletop content creator generating a few boards on stream and letting chat vote on which one to actually play
Tips
- →Print or screenshot the diagram before setup so you are not re-generating mid-setup and losing your layout.
- →Turn on balance mode for a smoother game — clusters of 6s and 8s sitting next to each other tend to make one area of the board too strong.
- →Use the 5-6p-expansion variant even with fewer players if you simply want a bigger board to play on.
- →Compare the resource summary against your physical tile set first, since homemade or print-and-play sets sometimes use slightly different tile counts.
- →Keep regenerating until the table agrees on a layout — there is no limit on how many times you can reshuffle.
FAQ
how many resource tiles and number tokens does this randomize
Standard-4p fills 19 hexes with one non-producing desert plus four each of two common resource types and three each of two rarer ones, then assigns the classic set of 18 number tokens (2 through 12, skipping 7) to every non-desert hex.
what does the "avoid 6 and 8" option actually guarantee
It runs the shuffle up to 300 times internally and keeps the arrangement with the fewest adjacent pairs of 6s and 8s, based on a simplified hex-neighbor map of the board. It reduces, but does not always fully eliminate, every 6/8 adjacency — the output tells you how many adjacent pairs remain in the result you got.
what is the difference between the two variants
Standard-4p builds the classic 19-hex board sized for four players. 5-6p-expansion builds a larger 30-hex board with proportionally more of every resource type and number token, sized for five or six players around the table.
does the desert hex get a number token
No, desert hexes are the non-producing tile on the board and never receive a probability number, matching how these tiles function in every classic hex-resource game.
is this tied to a specific commercial board game
No, the output is a generic hex layout with generic resource names and number tokens, not tied to any particular product or brand. It works for any hex-based strategy game that uses tile-and-number-token setup, including homemade and print-and-play boards.
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