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Increased risk offers more reward. The choices of the players are reflected in their XP totals. Players have more control over how fast they level up. Players have more control of the direction of the game.

I have Vornheim on my desk from yesterday's game of (some strange version of) D&D, so I'm going to use it to create four NPCs who are leaders of various factions. Roles NPC1: Chief Advisor to the Regent NPC2: Current Regent NPC3: The cavalry is loyal to her above all others NPC4: Chief of...

You might want to check out this blog post: http://hillcantons.blogspot.ca/2012/08/ad-apocalypse-and-hereafter.html and the others under the same label. I found them interesting. A snippet: “When the Invoked Devastation came upon the Baklunish, their own magi brought down the Rain of...

That sounds like a nice, workable solution. Two things: 1. I think trying to pick a lock in combat and trying to pick a lock out of combat are two different tasks. In combat you're basically jamming your picks in there and hoping it pops open. Out of combat you can take more time. Just...

I think it'd be more appropriate to say that the system is "If you don't succeed, give up on doing it until you get better tools or improve your skill." In such a system, the die roll resolves "trying to open the lock", not "spending 6 seconds trying to open the lock". If, however, the die...

I agree that flanking adds tactical depth. I don't agree that you need a battle mat to make use of it. I'm surprised that most of the commenters on this thread don't find it odd (and possibly immersion-breaking) that you can't attack someone from behind; or, if you can, that there is no...

Sounds like The Dying Earth.

Re-reading my post now, I see that it's quite hostile. Sorry about that. My point is that some abstract combat systems (such as D&D) can become inconsistent if you narrate exactly what happened from HP loss. For me personally I'd rather avoid narration if it doesn't have any impact on...

Hirelings?

D&D combat is too abstract to provide descriptions. "You lose 13 HP" is all you want to do. If you say, "You stab him in the leg and he takes 13 HP damage", does that mean that he moves more slowly now? Nope. So don't do it Accept the system or make your own.

There are living statues in Basic. You could convert them over. 3 types - crystal, iron, rock AC 4/2/4 HD 3/4/5 Move 30'/10'/20' Atk 2 slams 1d6/2 slams 1d8/2 magma streams 2d6 each When iron statues are hit by non-magical metal weapons they have a chance to get stuck (save vs. spells; stuck...

Yeah. I think random encounters have a place in your typical sandbox, but I don't think they're a good stand-in for a lack of content. When I play I make a wandering monster check every four hours in the wilderness (1 in 6 chance). The PC in the game set up a camp in a forest hex. She used...

Run it like you would like to run it. You don't need to do anything out of the ordinary. Let your wife make the PC she would like to make. Help her out here. Make sure that your son knows how the game is played - what the rules are, even if those rules are "rule zero". Don't pander to...

I think one of the keys to running a good sandbox is that the players need to have a lot of information. They need to be able to make decisions. If the forest, mountains, desert, and cities are dangerous, the DM needs to inform the players of the situation. Then, perhaps, they will take to...

4 different "types" of ruins - one for each suit, since I use cards to seed the world. (dangerous, tranquil, treasure trove, military - spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs) You're right: tranquil ruins could fit under the same set of hints, but I find it helpful to have a different set to get my...

That looks great. I'm assuming that {A} would be a list of descriptors for wild dogs? (Or maybe animals/beasts in general - that would cut down on the work.) Something like 'unfriendly, friendly, starving, terrified, cursed, intelligent'? This value might influence {B}, but that seriously...

I have a couple hex maps set up already and I haven't had to create a new one for a while. I used the "single line" method for the first one, but it was a pretty big setting and took a long time to fill everything in (I still haven't!). The method I used the second time is set up for a 10x10...

Interesting. I wrote up some one-liners like this for natural terrain features. Let me see if I can find the link. Nope, doesn't look like there's a link. I'll throw them here instead. 1d20 Plains 1 A small bog. The water is poisonous; animal skeletons abound. Source of necrotic...

My thoughts echo most of the above. * Strategic resources: stat them up as magic items (probably Artifacts that grow in power as the PCs do specific things). e.g. One of the powers for the inn is that a sage rents out a room as his residence and you can use it to add a bonus on...

I like to look at the D&D setting as post-apocalyptic (western science-) fantasy. Magic items were made in the past when they had the knowledge (and desire), but it's been lost. The magic is still out there: buried in dungeons guarded by vicious traps and dragons. The NPCs you mention...