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<blockquote data-quote="JohnSnow" data-source="post: 3893936" data-attributes="member: 32164">The other thing worth pointing out is that a true sandbox campaign requires an incredibly experienced DM. It should be marked &quot;for advanced DMs only&quot; and is NOT a suitable style to try to introduce to beginning DMs.That's because no matter how detailed you make your setting, there's always the chance the PCs will decide to do &quot;something else.&quot; A campaign that has a series of adventure options, (like three or four) at any given time, has the illusion of being a sandbox campaign, but isn't really. However, it can certainly seem like one to the players.A true sandbox means that the DM is DMing &quot;off the cuff,&quot; which is extremely difficult to do. Truth to tell, most DMs, even when they're going &quot;off the cuff&quot; have a series of pre-prepared adventure locales and encounters. The players may get to determine where those things take place, but the adventure is still, in one sense, a railroad. By contrast, the number of DMs who will fully detail each adventure possibility in reach at any given time, or make up a totally new adventure as the session plays out, can probably be counted on two hands.Like many DMs, I like to present the illusion of a &quot;sandbox&quot; or &quot;living world,&quot; but the truth is that even if I've pre-detailed 4 (or even 10!) options, it's still JUST an illusion.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="JohnSnow, post: 3893936, member: 32164"] The other thing worth pointing out is that a true sandbox campaign requires an incredibly experienced DM. It should be marked "for advanced DMs only" and is NOT a suitable style to try to introduce to beginning DMs. That's because no matter how detailed you make your setting, there's always the chance the PCs will decide to do "something else." A campaign that has a series of adventure options, (like three or four) at any given time, has the illusion of being a sandbox campaign, but isn't really. However, it can certainly seem like one to the players. A true sandbox means that the DM is DMing "off the cuff," which is extremely difficult to do. Truth to tell, most DMs, even when they're going "off the cuff" have a series of pre-prepared adventure locales and encounters. The players may get to determine where those things take place, but the adventure is still, in one sense, a railroad. By contrast, the number of DMs who will fully detail each adventure possibility in reach at any given time, or make up a totally new adventure as the session plays out, can probably be counted on two hands. Like many DMs, I like to present the illusion of a "sandbox" or "living world," but the truth is that even if I've pre-detailed 4 (or even 10!) options, it's still JUST an illusion. [/QUOTE]

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