The Sandbox and the Railroad

[MNblockhead]

The problem with some sandbox-style campaigns is that the DMs forget that sandboxes have frames.

A frameless, seemingly unending "sandbox" is a desert, which can get boring--unless the DM has you fall into a sinkhole that drops you into the Great Pharaoh Tut'tut-goahnuh 'aveta Killyanaw's tomb.

For me, the best compromise is the have a railway network over the sandbox. Start with a large hex crawl map (Hexographer makes this silly easy) where you place all sorts of interesting places. Then have 2-3 overarching storylines and a handful of side quests that point players into various directions. Use random encounter tables sparingly and have them be location-specific so they add to the location's flavor. The best random encounters are indistinquishable from planned scenes and are easy to tie into whatever plot threads your players have decided to follow.

 

[dragoner]

A good sandbox lets the players railroad themselves; the primary important aspect of role playing is to ask: "is this interesting?" Much like any entertainment, boring is the enemy.

 

[cmad1977]

Every good campaign I’ve played in regardless of system has been a Sandroad. Or a Railbox. Whichever.

 

[Fauchard1520]

I think I've seen these referred to as "Theme Park" adventures - there are lots of different set-pieces scattered around, but it's up to the players to interact with them as they see fit.

That's an awesome term. There are toys in sandbox. You get to decide when and if you want to play with them.

 

[delericho]

That's an awesome term. There are toys in sandbox. You get to decide when and if you want to play with them.

Good, isn't it? I wish I could claim the credit for it, but alas...

 

[howandwhy99]

I think a big enough "sandbox" (aka campaign board) is going to have ever evolving interesting situations arise as play progresses. I feel it's up to the players to find these rather than me tell them. I want them to seek their desires not look for where to they are to follow.

A great want help the along though is the old rumor mill! What are the locals talking about? Why all of the interesting stuff that's leaked out from the game's hot spots.

 

[Jhaelen]

Well, if you ask [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION], unless a sandbox allows you to build a _real_ sand castle, it's no sandbox!

 

[Lanefan]

I hit this very thing over the last few weeks.

For the last most-of-a-year I've been running my group through what in all honesty was a pretty hard-railed series of adventures, which they just finished.

Now they've got the other almost-extreme: both their parties are in downtime, and have the potential to meet and interweave. They've got about 8 things they could do plus "none of the above", and the only one of those with any sort of hard time limit involves only a party NPC who could, if needed, just go off on his own and attempt it.

I'm hoping that over the intervening week they decide what they'll do next...

 

[pemerton]

Well, if you ask [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION], unless a sandbox allows you to build a _real_ sand castle, it's no sandbox!

Sometimes metaphors help. Sometimes they don't.

A real sandbox lets me play with real sand.

A RPG allows me to say stuff and be told stuff. There are different ways for deciding what I can say, and what I might be told - including moving a (real, or perhaps notional) gamepiece around on a map. But none of those ways much resembles playing with sand.

As far as the oft-mooted "railroad-sandbox continuum" - it's not one. Dungeon World is a well known RPG that, if played in accordance with the rules, is neither railroad nor sandbox. (Further examples could easily be given.)

 

[Tony Vargas]

As far as the oft-mooted "railroad-sandbox continuum" - it's not one. Dungeon World is a well known RPG that, if played in accordance with the rules, is neither railroad nor sandbox. (Further examples could easily be given.)

Well, as long as it's easy...