D&D General Sandbox Campaigns should have a Default Action.

[payn]

Its not a formal procedure, its quite literally just a way for them to do what they wanna do, and get content about what they wanna do.
For example, we agree on running a heist sandbox campaign, the default action for them to get options of heists is what? Investigate towns for Heists targets, or try to hit up a contact who has heist jobs for them, this is just kinda basic design lol.

Right, my whole story was talking about how often folks think they are on same page, but often are not.

 

[Li Shenron]

New DM's have been there before, they make a sandbox campaign, you drop them in the village, you ask them what do they want to do, and...they have no idea.

Yours are all good suggestions, but in fact when you speak about a "featureless void" that's not what I normally call a sandbox...

For me a sandbox is a map with plenty of known potential points of interests, so that instead of "you all meet in a tavern and NPC gives you THIS quest" the game prompts the players having to define their own quests by choosing which points of interests to check out.

 

[bloodtide]

I'm not a fan of the "default action" as it's just another way of the DM telling the players what to do. Once the players just sit around and ask the DM to do something, it's not even a sandbox anymore.

Everyone....everyone, just go so over board with the player "must" pick stuff and have "choices" for it to be a good game. Nothing could be further from the truth. So the players just sit there while the DM tells them, say twenty things they could do. Few things "sound good" to unmotivated players. The DM can say things, and the players will just be "whatever".

I've found the best way is to ask the players what they want, take all the vague non-answers you will get, and then just make the adventure for the players...with some vague cover references to whatever the players said.

 

[FallenRX]

Yours are all good suggestions, but in fact when you speak about a "featureless void" that's not what I normally call a sandbox...

For me a sandbox is a map with plenty of known potential points of interests, so that instead of "you all meet in a tavern and NPC gives you THIS quest" the game prompts the players having to define their own quests by choosing which points of interests to check out

That is called a Pointcrawl sandbox, where the Default action is point crawling, its a good method, and works well.
That is my point, without a way for the players by default to interact with the world, and other options for scenarios and conflicts, it more featureless.

 

[Reynard]

That is called a Pointcrawl sandbox, where the Default action is point crawling, its a good method, and works well.
That is my point, without a way for the players by default to interact with the world, and other options for scenarios and conflicts, it more featureless.

This is a strawman sandbox. It doesn't exist, so you appear to be proposing a solution in search of a problem.

That isn't to say that option paralysis is a thing sometimes in sandbox games. That's where PC motivations come in. Worst case scenario, the wizard in search of the key to unlocking heretofore unknown magical power says, "Let's hit up the local mage's guild for access to the library." You don't need a "default action" if the players have intentions, needs and desires.

 

[FallenRX]

This is a strawman sandbox. It doesn't exist, so you appear to be proposing a solution in search of a problem.

That isn't to say that option paralysis is a thing sometimes in sandbox games. That's where PC motivations come in. Worst case scenario, the wizard in search of the key to unlocking heretofore unknown magical power says, "Let's hit up the local mage's guild for access to the library." You don't need a "default action" if the players have intentions, needs and desires.

Its a problem for newer DM's but most sandbox games by nature have a default action, if they dont they usually are lacking.

 

[MGibster]

The thing with a sandbox is that they have boundaries, and if you walk too far you end up outside it. When you set up a sandbox campaign, you've really got to be onboard with all the players in regards to what it's all about. The GM needs to establish the boundaries of the sandbox and make sure everyone's onboard before you start.

I'm feeling nostalgic, so I'm going to use the original Fallout computer role playing game from 1997 as an example. In Fallout, your character is tasked with finding a new chip for the water purification machine his community relies on for survival and you've got a limited amount of time before the situation becomes critical. Once you've got that task, you're pretty much free to go about getting the water chip however you like. You travel around southern California interacting with people as you see fit. You can even do business with a water caravan to extend the amount of time you have to get the water chip for your community.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Good OP. It's always good to hear other people's ideas about things like this. Sandbox is my preference so I appreciate a good, detailed methodology for getting it, and keeping it, going.

Cheers.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I don't know if I agree about a default action, but a theme and genre convention conversation back in session 0 would help.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Yours are all good suggestions, but in fact when you speak about a "featureless void" that's not what I normally call a sandbox...

For me a sandbox is a map with plenty of known potential points of interests, so that instead of "you all meet in a tavern and NPC gives you THIS quest" the game prompts the players having to define their own quests by choosing which points of interests to check out.

I have a lot of sandboxing lately (since the middle of 4e) so what I do is prepare a handful of sites... some cities some 'ruins' or other little things... most of them I do 3-5 plot hooks and 1 or 2 points of interest. BUT I know my players if they get to a town they will start asking questions "Where is X or Y" or "Hey what's that Z" so having a handful of things, and some NPCs premade I know they will find something.

I also let what the players do become what I work on next... so if you start asking about mystic ruins, there will be someone that has knowledge of them soon.