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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 9509780" data-attributes="member: 29398">Problem, or feature?If I have 1000 pieces of Meccano but don't have the specific piece I need to build whatever I'm trying to build, then obviously I have to test my creativity by building something else instead.I'm not touching this analogy with a 10-foot pole.For these purposes let's assume we're the only people in the Disney park today and thus won't be spending all day waiting in lines. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />A sandbox game is a bit like a Disney park, only you don't know exactly what each ride might entail other than vague generalities and perhaps some "You really should be this tall..." signs.  One major difference would be that a Disney park has borders beyond which are nothing but hotels and parking lots, while a true sandbox always has more "rides" if you keep going.To me, this isn't a railroad.  The players get to choose which rides they engage with (if any!), the manner of that engagement, and the outcome they intend to work toward through said engagement.  Never mind that after a while they'll become experienced enough to start building their own rides.  Put 10 different groups of players into the same sandbox and you're going to get 10 completely different sets and sequences of events leading to the logging ot 10 completely different stories.  And to me that's the opposite of a railroad.Here's an actual example.  Earlier today my DM sent around a highly detailed map - right down to the house-by-house level includng the footprint of each house - of his setting's version of Rome.Now, if I'm a player looking to engage with that city - let's say my PC wants to buy a house there - then I can approach it in one of two ways:1. I can complain that the rigidity of the map precludes me from envisioning where my house will be in the city* or what its footprint will be or how much land it'll have etc. - in other words I can see it as an arbitrary bunch of DM-imposed limits - or2. I can use the map as a guide to decide where within the city I'm going to try to locate my PC and to inform myself what kind of neighbours my PC will likely have - in other words I can use it as an aid to play.I'll take option 2, thanks.* - in this case my PC already has a house there; I'd always thought of it as being kind of in the southeast part of the city for some reason, but the map puts it on the northern edge.  Fine with me - at least now I know where the damn thing is! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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