When you read through the Dungeon Masters Guide, there is very little advice on how to run the exploration pillar of the game. Some people call for more mechanics to make it more interesting, but you don't need mechanics, you just need to let the characters find cool things…
1. Create Something Worth Exploring - Is it just a boring clearing in the forest or is it an old ruin in the forest... with ghosts? Think of fun things you have explored in real life and try to capture those feelings in the game. Maybe you have been to a creepy forest or an old building. Maybe you have explored a creek with lots of moss or a castle ruin. Thinbk about why those things that you explored were so cool.
2. Determine What Can Be Discovered - Characters explore to discover something, so figure out what they can discover. Secrets, new magic, ancient artifacts, magical creatures, prophesies, gods, sources of power, ancient lore... The characters need a reason to explore. You should definitely have an idea of what they could possibly find before they go off into the wilderness or delve deep below the surface into the ancient dwarven mine.
3. Create Fun Locations - The characters will be exploring a place, so make it cool. A dusty library with secret lore rooms or a damp dungeon with dripping water coming from the ceiling. Maybe it is a magical waterfall or a tree fort built in the tallest tree. Make it epic. The other option here is to make it a very mundane location with some amazing secrets… like a back alley with a ghost that talks to people who stay for very long or a field of wheat that dances in the wind and sings silly songs to anyone who visits.
4. Create Challenges - It isn't exploration if the characters just go out and find what they wanted. Challenge them! Skill checks are always fun. Locks and traps... cliffs to scale... hold their breath to swim to the bottom of a lake... survive a journey across the desert. When you challenge the characters, they will feel like they are on an epic journey to discover something amazing. Don't be afraid to mix combat in when you challenge them.
5. Add History - The world the characters are exploring isn't new. What happened in this area 100 years ago? 1,000 years ago? Are there any signs of what happened before? What became of old civilizations? How are ruins used now? Think of Weathertop in Lord of the Rings or the Argonath. This history adds a lot of depth to your world and makes it feel like it is worth exploring.
6. Don't Worry About Mechanics - In exploration, the characters' decisions determine the outcome of what they find. It is less focused on mechanics/dice rolls and that is good. They can make some skill checks, but if they walk in the statue room, they will see the statue. If you try to build systems for every aspect of exploration (travel, random encounters, hunting/fishing, weather, water availability, etc) it takes some of the magic out of the game. You are the Dungeon Master… you can just determine if a blizzard hits or if random monsters attack or if food is available.
7. Be Generous with Clues - If you want the characters to explore something, give them some clues about what they will find and why it is important. Maybe they need a magic sword to defeat the bad guys. Maybe they need to learn a magic song to open a door. Let them discover what they need and where they could possibly find it so they will be motivated to explore. While they are exploring, give them lots of clues about whatever they are looking for. Since exploration is mostly imagination, you have to give the players a lot of clues for things they would normally be aware of it they were actually there. They don't need to make a perception check to notice a storm coming in or that the sun has turned red. They don't need a survival check to see deer tracks in the mud on the trail.
8. Create Urgency - (Daddy told me that word) Open exploration is fun, but if you put a time limit on the exploration it is even better. Maybe they must find a cure before one of the characters turns into a werewolf. Maybe they have to be the first to get to the dragon's hoard so they can claim it for themselves. Maybe they are rushing to find a magic item that can stop Vecna from coming back to the Material Plane to destroy mankind. Time pressures make the game so uch more interesting and give your players some motivation to explore.
9. Make it Mystical - Searching the general store for some rope is not much fun, but searching the cavern beneath the well for the lost wishes of a young warlock is pretty cool. We live in a normal world, so don't make your fantasy world too normal. Make it wondrous!
10. Don't Get Bogged Down - If you want exploration to be exciting and fun, worrying about how much food you have and how many candles are left can get pretty boring (unless that excites you). Move past the boring parts. If travel becomes boring, you can just say, "After 3 days of travel..." and the characters show up at their destination. Don't feel the need to play out every moment of every day. You can skip the boring parts and get to the action. Remember, you only have a limited time to play the game with your friends… don't waste that time playing the boring stuff.
Photo Credit – Photo by Redwyrm of Dryslwyn Castle in Carmarthenshire, Wales