D&D General Not Railroad, Not Sandbox ... What else is there?

[dave2008]

We all hear about Railroading and Sandbox games - but there is no singular definition for either of these terms, and many people would apply them differently. Further, I don't think that every game situation we see fits neatly into these two boxes. So, I'd like to hear people brainstorm on other approaches that do not exactly fit into these boxes. As there is no singular universal definition for either of these terms, I am going to provide them for the purposes of this discussion, and will intentionally use a definition that is on the narrower side for each to make sure we have room around these points.

RAILROAD: A linear storyline where the DM forces players to follow the predesigned storyline of the adventure. To be a railroad under this definition, there must be a path for the PCs to follow, and they can't be allowed to meaningfully deviate from it, wityh course correction achieved either through planned obstacles, contrived improvised barriers, or out of game dictums by the DM. The DM drives the story.

SANDBOX: A player driven storytelling technique in which the DM presents options, but players drive the direction of the game towards whatever goals they wish. To be a sandbox under this definition, the DM can't redirect the party with barriers constructed with the intent to alter or limit their choices. The DM will drop options in front of the PCs, but the players are free to ignore the provided options and go in a very different direction if they so desire. The story is player driven.

So what doesn't fit neatly in these boxes? Here are a few things I have used or seen that might fit in broader definitions of Sandbox or Railroad, but I do not believe fit in the narrower ones I provided above.

BINGO CARD: The DM prepares a series of challenges and the players can choose which of the options they wish to pursue, but they are not free to go "off the menu" and pursue a goal not prepared for them by the DM. In these situations, the DM tends to start preparing several places the PCs might explore, and then tweaks them as the PCs advance so that they are an appropriate challenge when the PCs arrive there. The PCs have choice, but it is a multi-choice option.

CARD TRICK: The PCs are given the illusion of choice, but in the end there is no real choice when it comes to the big things. In this situation, the DM allows the players to make superficial choices, but regardless of what they choose to do, certain events will transpire at times selected by the DM that will progress one or more main storylines. For example, the PCs would be given choices like a sandbox game, but the DM will include an artifact in a treasure haul right before they hit 5th level, enemies will come looking for the item and try to steal it at 8th level (and will continue to do so until they succeed), the PCs will discover where it is by coming across clues at 11th level that indicate that they must use it, and the PCs be given their chance to use it to save the world at 17th level. The main storyline is on a railroad, but the supplemental storylines are a sandbox.

Thoughts? Other ideas that do not fit neatly into the above, or are another (perhaps better) way of thinking of Bingo Card or Card Trick?

Open air market:
Lots of different stalls (adventures) that you (the players) can choose from. The stalls may not be related (or could be) and there is not predetermined order, but there is a theme and flow.

 

[S'mon]

So what is a classic Megadungeon? Sandbox or Railroad?

Its Sandbox in that you can go in any direction, do anything you want, kill the boss, help the boss.

Its Railroady since every room is predetermined and may automatically fulfill some plot.

It's a sandbox. Sandboxes normally contain lots of predetermined content - the sand - but the players are free to mess with the sand however they want. Classic megadungeons don't have 'plot', though they may certainly have events resulting from PC interaction with content - 'awaken the demon god & get an apocalypse' at the high end.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

There is no railroad. There is no sandbox. How I play is how I play, and it may be different than the last time I played. I don't need to define it, or figure out the category to help others define it. It's just me and my players looking for adventure with imaginary characters and monsters. Sometimes we follow the path. Sometimes we go off the rails. We don't always agree. But as long as we have fun, we'll continue to play for as long as we can.

 

[Greggy C]

It's a sandbox. Sandboxes normally contain lots of predetermined content - the sand - but the players are free to mess with the sand however they want. Classic megadungeons don't have 'plot', though they may certainly have events resulting from PC interaction with content - 'awaken the demon god & get an apocalypse' at the high end.

What if your megadungeon looks like this

 

[Minigiant]

I use branching paths.

The PCs can freely choose A B or C.

A leads to A1, A2, or D
B leads to B1, B2, B3, or E
C leads to C1, E, or F

 

[gamerprinter]

Well I always create railroads, but their secret is not let the players know they are in a railroad - you need better obfuscation skills. If my party ventures off the wrong direction, I move the encounter in front of them anyway, my locales aren't necessarily locked into the setting ahead of time. If I want my PCs to find the border keep, no matter which way they go - they find it. Railroads are supposed to guide the game, not show themselves.

 

[not-so-newguy]

In my current campaign:

The early game was linear/railroad.
Since we've started Isle of Dread, it's been a sandbox (limited to the Isle of Dread).

 

[payn]

Well I always create railroads, but their secret is not let the players know they are in a railroad - you need better obfuscation skills. If my party ventures off the wrong direction, I move the encounter in front of them anyway, my locales aren't necessarily locked into the setting ahead of time. If I want my PCs to find the border keep, no matter which way they go - they find it. Railroads are supposed to guide the game, not show themselves.

In before the quantum ogre...

 

[éxypnos]

What if your megadungeon looks like this

View attachment 152196

Doesn't matter. The shape of the physical obstacles isn't what defines it. It is do the PCs have a choice of going into any said place, direction, or are the FORCED into that dungeon you drew? E.g. PCs come to 3rd room and decide they don't like it,looks like a trap. So they leave the dungeon and head off to somewhere else. If they can do that it is NOT a railroad.

 

[Carlsen Chris]

It isn't story telling at all. It is simply moving about in the world as you wish with the GM having the world react in a logical manner. A story is: (an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment.). Someone may MAKE a story of the happening AFTER the events. But partaking in the events in real time is NOT story telling. If you are playing a story you are NOT sand boxing. Your definition is an oxymoron by definition.

Strict rules about what a story is or isn't are utterly pointless.