How to run a sandbox game

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Күн бұрын

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@gmanbo Жыл бұрын

Couple of additional tips on sandboxes. Visible landmarks can be useful to draw players attention. Stick a mountain or tower on the horizon and a bit of description to give them orientation in the world. You shouldn't need massive landmarks everywhere. However a dark tower looming on the horizon that leaks shadow and has creeper descriptions the closer they come could help set the stage. Another bit here that should be partly obvious is. Factions especially factions within factions. Or rather factions with multiple smaller elements scattered around the world. Countries on the map with police, military and covert elements. Nobles that while part of the governing structure are agitating for change that benefits them. By using bandits or merchants to manipulate the market in specific ways or to impoverish a specific rival noble. Setting out a government structure for an area that creates space for adventure is important. If your in the wilderness. Then are there rangers from your base town that walk the woods keeping tabs on trouble. Do the monsters and outcasts in the wilds get along. Are there migration patterns for some beasts / monsters. While it's not needed where the party is not. Building a general structure that has inherent conflict the party can involve themselves in allows for a much easier time generating plot hooks for the players. + This allows the consequences of players actions to be felt. The balance is in a sandbox. Between what could only have been done by players and what would have happened if the players did not get involved. I try not to get into the what if discussion with my players. ++ Any organization/ loose who are the authority prep. Only needs to be rough. Then when you either know the players are headed that way or they show up. You can use the structure to drop in needed npc's and innovate plot hooks on the fly.

@gmanbo Жыл бұрын

Blanks are great.... But loose plans work at times. Be ready and willing to drop what you had planned+ use player ideas to build on the fly.

@RhymesWithCrazy Жыл бұрын

Whoaaa this is super helpful thanks!

@gmanbo Жыл бұрын

On landmarks. Far land marks like 60 mile out ones for navigation and interest can be great. But layer them a bit. Smaller towers. Hills with something interesting on top. River valleys with bluffs on the other side. Dropping locations that can be seen a little ways out. Allowing that exploration player a point to seek out. Add in semi random encounters and territory structure and boom world.

@tabletopsandbox Жыл бұрын

Awesome advice. Thanks for taking the time to put this here for us. Landmarks are definitely a cool touch that I've been trying to work into at least my hexcrawling games. Many an hour has been spent pondering the science of how far away an object can be seen on the horizon based on how tall it is lol

@djholland7 Жыл бұрын

Enjoying these videos. I have a lot to learn as I continue starting my OSE Sandbox. Some making up my own stuff, some plugging things in and trying to tie it together. It looks like it seems to work... We'll see. The players keep coming back, so thats a positive.

@tabletopsandbox Жыл бұрын

Sounds like a great game! Hope you and your players continue to have fun playing in a sandbox!

@zaqsiefert5508 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tips. Sandbox campaigns are a ton of fun imo!

@SeldonnHari Жыл бұрын

8:10 I have to disagree with you about sandbox prep requiring more upfront work. All you need to do is say big picture, world building, which non-sandbox prep still needs to do. And then, you only need to prep as far as the players might travel or the points of interests that they have established in session zero. If in sessions zero they established their a bunch of free booting dungeon delver's, You only need to prep obstacles on the way to a dungeon or two or some dungeon's.

@TheK5K Жыл бұрын

DM prep for a sandbox game is different to that used for a Campaign-driven game, but it's not harder. As you outline - the DM only needs to be one-step ahead of the players. If they choose to zig when they said they'd zag - you can just say, "Sure, you'll do that...next session. I need time to prepare that." If a DM is spending an hour or two a week on expanding their setting, that's plenty to end up creating a sandbox world and keep ahead of the players. On the matter of problem solution - that is a slightly different topic than Sandbox gaming IMHO - it is an integral part of OSR-style's of play however. There should never be just 'the' answer to the puzzle/trap/trick that the players must guess to proceed. If the players state a perfectly rational solution, within their power to do, then let them solve the puzzle/trap/trick that way! Improvise people! Not everything needs to be planned out. Your take on emergent storytelling is correct, this removes any drive/need to 'create' an 'epic tale' - it'll happen if you play epically!