Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
What style of RPG Adventures do you prefer ?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Gilladian" data-source="post: 5915005" data-attributes="member: 2093"><p>I said a mix of sandbox and plot/goal, but see, I think that's a deceptive choice. </p><p></p><p>In MY opinion, sandbox games allow the PCs to set the plot/goal, where the sort of plot/goal game you've referred to is a DM-driven/selected goal.</p><p></p><p>For example: in a sandbox game the introduction might consist of the PCs living in a village. As they sit in the tavern one evening, they are reminded by the bard's stories that there could be treasure hidden in the old ghost-hauntedruins nearby; a local merchant reports that he's once again been robbed by a bandit group on the highroad; and farmer Fred complains about giant rats scavenging in his fields out near the swamp. The PCs are free to investigate any of the three options, or simply choose to do something else. If they ignore one option, in a few weeks it may have changed or progressed (the bandits get more aggressive, someone else raids the ruins, and the rats are found to carry a horrid disease).</p><p></p><p>In a plot driven game, Fred the Farmer actually comes to the PCs, and makes them an offer of 1 sp per rat tail they hunt. Nobody mentions the ghost-ruins because the PCs aren't high enough level to handle them, and the only thing they hear about bandits are a few rumors (the DM intends to let them find out where the bandit hideout is NEXT time, after they level up).</p><p></p><p>The only thing wrong with the first scenario is that the PCs might be unsure which adventure they're capable of handling. In this case, having farmer Fred step up and make his offer after the PCs dither a little can help keep the game moving smoothly. But if the PCs don't take his offer, they can still have fun trying other options.</p><p></p><p>Plot and goals will grow organically from the sandbox; the PCs will also likely feel more ownership of the game that way. However, they do have to make critical decisions, sometimes with scant information, so it can be frightening rather than exhilarating to some people.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Gilladian, post: 5915005, member: 2093"] I said a mix of sandbox and plot/goal, but see, I think that's a deceptive choice. In MY opinion, sandbox games allow the PCs to set the plot/goal, where the sort of plot/goal game you've referred to is a DM-driven/selected goal. For example: in a sandbox game the introduction might consist of the PCs living in a village. As they sit in the tavern one evening, they are reminded by the bard's stories that there could be treasure hidden in the old ghost-hauntedruins nearby; a local merchant reports that he's once again been robbed by a bandit group on the highroad; and farmer Fred complains about giant rats scavenging in his fields out near the swamp. The PCs are free to investigate any of the three options, or simply choose to do something else. If they ignore one option, in a few weeks it may have changed or progressed (the bandits get more aggressive, someone else raids the ruins, and the rats are found to carry a horrid disease). In a plot driven game, Fred the Farmer actually comes to the PCs, and makes them an offer of 1 sp per rat tail they hunt. Nobody mentions the ghost-ruins because the PCs aren't high enough level to handle them, and the only thing they hear about bandits are a few rumors (the DM intends to let them find out where the bandit hideout is NEXT time, after they level up). The only thing wrong with the first scenario is that the PCs might be unsure which adventure they're capable of handling. In this case, having farmer Fred step up and make his offer after the PCs dither a little can help keep the game moving smoothly. But if the PCs don't take his offer, they can still have fun trying other options. Plot and goals will grow organically from the sandbox; the PCs will also likely feel more ownership of the game that way. However, they do have to make critical decisions, sometimes with scant information, so it can be frightening rather than exhilarating to some people. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
What style of RPG Adventures do you prefer ?
Top