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It needs to be more of a sandbox than a railroad?
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<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 6381000" data-attributes="member: 20323"><p>Ah, fair enough. I usually assume a coordinate system of multiple spectrums (weak-strong framing, sandbox-railroad, dungeon crawl-event based, etc) when describing adventures.</p><p></p><p></p><p>My current thinking, and how I've been experimenting with adventure design, is about <strong>total adventure design </strong>that takes the best features of sandbox and railroad, and adds a touch of indie inspired design.</p><p></p><p>A sandbox gives the players agency (meaningful choices and consequences), but rarely has the same emotional impact as a traditional story. With more passive players it can lead to moments without a strong sense of direction or motivation and a sort of "Uh, what do I do, DM?" attitude.</p><p></p><p>A railroad gives that emotional narrative and provides a strong direction, but sacrifices player agency. With more active or critical players it can lead to moments without a strong sense of motivation and a sort of "why do I care?" attitude.</p><p></p><p>My goal with <strong>total adventure design</strong> is to have an adventure that:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Ensures the players have agency throughout. (sandbox)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Provides an emotionally gripping experience and strong direction. (railroad)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Creates/encourages strong motivations, i.e. for the players to know what they're after and to have a reason to care about it. (indie)</li> </ol><p></p><p>Currently I'm approaching #1 by...</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Building open ended encounters that can be solved in multiple ways.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Providing indexes to the various sites & scenarios encountered in the adventure, for a DM to use in a plug-and-play manner.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Giving multiple hooks for each adventure.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tying encounters to each other, noting how the outcome of one can affect how others play out. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Writing multiple endgame states to each conflict, and how the players' decisions/actions might lead to each.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Trusting that boundary conditions to the adventure don't diminish agency.</li> </ul><p></p><p>I'm approaching #2 by...</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Making the main story arcs rugged enough to adapt to player abuse.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Presenting the adventure in discrete chunks that are thematically connected, then choosing a default presentation of those chunks according to recommended experience level.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Framing opening scenes to provide strong direction.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Spending more time developing compelling NPCs and how their plots would unfold without player intervention, as well as notes on how they adapt to changes.</li> </ul><p></p><p>I'm approaching #3 by...</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Creating a choice at character creation (and beyond) for how individual PCs connect to the various story arcs and themes. Likewise, if there are types of characters (not) suited to the adventure, listing those up front.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Referencing those choices at different points in the adventure, particularly when framing the scene for new conflicts.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Giving players opportunity to see firsthand the unique outcomes/consequences of their decisions and actions.</li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 6381000, member: 20323"] Ah, fair enough. I usually assume a coordinate system of multiple spectrums (weak-strong framing, sandbox-railroad, dungeon crawl-event based, etc) when describing adventures. My current thinking, and how I've been experimenting with adventure design, is about [b]total adventure design [/b]that takes the best features of sandbox and railroad, and adds a touch of indie inspired design. A sandbox gives the players agency (meaningful choices and consequences), but rarely has the same emotional impact as a traditional story. With more passive players it can lead to moments without a strong sense of direction or motivation and a sort of "Uh, what do I do, DM?" attitude. A railroad gives that emotional narrative and provides a strong direction, but sacrifices player agency. With more active or critical players it can lead to moments without a strong sense of motivation and a sort of "why do I care?" attitude. My goal with [b]total adventure design[/b] is to have an adventure that: [list=1][*]Ensures the players have agency throughout. (sandbox) [*]Provides an emotionally gripping experience and strong direction. (railroad) [*]Creates/encourages strong motivations, i.e. for the players to know what they're after and to have a reason to care about it. (indie) [/list] Currently I'm approaching #1 by... [list]Building open ended encounters that can be solved in multiple ways. [*]Providing indexes to the various sites & scenarios encountered in the adventure, for a DM to use in a plug-and-play manner. [*]Giving multiple hooks for each adventure. [*]Tying encounters to each other, noting how the outcome of one can affect how others play out. [*]Writing multiple endgame states to each conflict, and how the players' decisions/actions might lead to each. [*]Trusting that boundary conditions to the adventure don't diminish agency. [/list] I'm approaching #2 by... [list][*]Making the main story arcs rugged enough to adapt to player abuse. [*]Presenting the adventure in discrete chunks that are thematically connected, then choosing a default presentation of those chunks according to recommended experience level. [*]Framing opening scenes to provide strong direction. [*]Spending more time developing compelling NPCs and how their plots would unfold without player intervention, as well as notes on how they adapt to changes. [/list] I'm approaching #3 by... [list][*]Creating a choice at character creation (and beyond) for how individual PCs connect to the various story arcs and themes. Likewise, if there are types of characters (not) suited to the adventure, listing those up front. [*]Referencing those choices at different points in the adventure, particularly when framing the scene for new conflicts. [*]Giving players opportunity to see firsthand the unique outcomes/consequences of their decisions and actions. [/list] [/QUOTE]
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It needs to be more of a sandbox than a railroad?
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