How much prep do I need for a sandbox?

Goal of the game: To emphasize the player's strategic choices over the long term.

So that's what I'd like to do. I don't think I've ever really run a game like that before. I'm also not used to doing much pre-game prep.

What are the key things that a lazy DM like me needs to do in order to make player choices matter? I want to do as little work as possible, while still making sure I hit all the bases. What do I need to do, what can I put off until inspiration hits me, and are there any tips you have to help me do this?

Right now I've got a map, various "powers" in each location on it, and some idea of a far-off threat. I have a couple of wandering monster tables, but no lairs or other dungeons as yet.

(I'm using the Nentir Vale in the 4E DMG. The players have expressed an interest in clearing out a territory for themselves. Since they have run into Orcus and Vecna already, I think I want to bring them into play somewhere down the road.

I also have a large organization that is supposedly "good" - the Knights of Nerath, who want to restore the glory of the old Empire - but in reality they're just a bunch of opportunistic thugs/raubritter who the PCs are just starting to butt heads against.)

If you are good at winging it, I think about all you must have is a map of locations and a short paragraph of notes, which, using Nentir Vale, the DMG has done most of that. Know that stuff cold, make some of your own locations, tie a bunch of things together and kick back and let the PCs loose. That's about exactly what I did with my current 4e campaign, except I dropped Nentir Vale in my homebrew world.

Sandbox campaigns can be approached in two very different ways:

(1) The world is highly detailed. Characters can simply head out in any direction they like, and they will "discover" the world as it is. Whether the world machine operates while the characters aren't looking is a matter of taste.

(2) You can start out small and build the world organically as you react to your players. If the characters wish to build an inn, you then detail the carpenters and lumber trade. Once invented, however, they should remain real and consistent. Your new inventions should logically interact with your old inventions. This style is best for DMs who are comfortable improvising. Although a good strategy is to ask players at the end of each session what they intend their characters to do during the next session. You can then prepare in advance. Actually, it's a pretty good idea to have players state several short-term and long-term goals for their characters. You can then bring the world into focus to react to their ambitions and to answer their questions. I do caution you, however, not to be too permissive. Just because players say they want to slay a dragon doesn't mean there has to be one in a nearby cave. Frustrating players from time to time makes them enjoy their achievements far more.

Hey LostSoul, for a good example of how to create a sandbox, check out these articles...

ars ludi

I posted them in another thread, but I don't think anyone noticed.

Thanks for the advice. So far I've been growing with the player's goals - only covering as much as I need.

I feel confident in my abilities to ad-lib non-combat and minor combat encounters, but not so much the big "set-piece" encounters. Artifact of the system, I suppose.

Imaro, I saw the link in the other thread but didn't click through. I haven't read that blog for a while; maybe it's time to bone up on it again. Thanks.

Ars Ludi, particularly the West Marches pieces, are a great place to look.

One problem I have with using 4e for a Sandbox is it doesn't feel right. The main problem with it all is the Treasure Packets system - to really do a sandbox, these have to be rethought (or else you're just giving treasure based on who your PCs are, whereas one of the ideas of a sandbox is that "the world exists beyond the PCs").

To give an example, in 1e, you rolled random magic weapons, and some types of weapons (longswords) were more common than others (the Guisarme). Now, if you were, say, a specialist in the Guisarme that was great, but good luck finding a magical one, right? Because of this, in a 1e sandbox, players who decided to focus on more common weapons were rewarded with more frequent magical weapons.

Bringing this into 4e, if you have a character who is a specialist in the War Pick, and the group finds a magical war pick every three levels or so (and never finds a magical longsword), the players will pick up on the fact that they are getting catered item lists - that, regardless of where they go, they'll get the same (or very similar) treasure.

You can use 4e to sandbox, but for the reason above, I'd drop the treasure packets system. I think a good way to do it would be to factor in Weapon, Armour, and Neck-slot enhancement bonuses into regular PC progression. Mike Mearls mentioned this just before 4e released. This way, the magical items you gave out would only be the "weird" ones, not truly catered to any specific character build. You could even give out magical weapons/armour - just have magical items in this houseruled game of yours grant only the property bonus, the daily/encounter powers, and the bonus damage on a critical hit (a character with a non-magical weapon that got an enhancement bonus would only deal the extra d6s on a crit, not the d8s or d10s some weapons grant).

That'd be a good place to start, with me.

I'd also make sure you have a good idea where most of the ruins and adventure sites are located. Fleshing out the powers is a great place to start. But the real place to run a sandbox is in your encounter tables. Make good encounter groups, with each region built towards a suggested level. If PCs shoot above their level (or below), they'll encounter the listed monsters.

Ars Ludi suggests that each table have a possibility of a roll on a table for a nearby region (so if you're in the Black Wood, which is adjacent to Goblin Creek, there's a chance you'll find some goblins from Goblin Creek that are currently exploring the Black Wood). It also suggests you have a "roll twice" feature, and then try to figure out how those two encounters mix together (The Goblins could be fighting a Black Wood owlbear... or trying to capture it... or trying to train it... or worshipping it... whatever).

I'd also suggest your tables have environmental effects (Quicksand!), weather effects (rain!), and - most importantly - RPG elements (NPCs!).

Good points.

What I'm doing with treasure is this: I randomly roll a packet based on the level of the encounter.

If the PCs want to find a specific item - no matter what level - then I roll 1d4, subtract that from the level of the item they want to find, and there's the level of whatever's holding it.

So far I have not included environmental effects on the encounter table - could be cool to run, using a skill challenge, but I don't know if my group is so keen on that. We'll see.

The only sandbox games that I have done were all old World of Darkness but I imagine I'd prep the same way for any game.

1) Location: Typically a group will stay in an area as long as there is no motivation to leave it. I like to have a good map of the town/village/city that the game will be taking place in. Give the players a copy (have a player version) since the idea of the Sandbox is to allow the Players to come up with their own plots.

2) NPCs: Because the group will be staying in an area for a while you might want to flesh out the personalities of prominent NPCs. If you are feeling lazy you can do what I do. I use something like EBON (Everchanging Book of Names) to generate a list of 100 names and paste them into a spreadsheet. I then create two more columns of cells and print the whole thing out. These names I keep in reserve and use them as the game progresses. When I bring one into play I jot down in the second column (next to their name) their profession and in the third column I jot down notes about their personality. I call it "NPC's on the fly" and it works well.

That's really it... in D&D you'll need to have some ideas for monster threats should the group want to go in for a good old fashioned dungeon crawl once in a while but if this is a true sandbox game your players should have short and long term goals and work toward achieving them. You should just sit back and react to their proactive actions (whereas in a normal game the players are the ones reacting to the DM's descriptions).

As someone who's fought off DM burnout from over-prep but does a semi-sandbox style, I recommend that you buy a lot of modules, especially those with starter towns, then sprinkle them over the map. Keep a log of adventure hooks. Sprinkle references to them periodically through the game.