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<blockquote data-quote="S'mon" data-source="post: 5883328" data-attributes="member: 463"><p>I know what you mean. I agree to some extent - eg I don't much like complex 'dominion' games that are basically completely different games to D&D, that you have to start playing when you reach a certain level and found a domain, thieves' guild etc. I like the Mentzer Companion Set domain & warfare rules as they support rather than replace regular play.</p><p></p><p>I also agree that (to a lesser degree) it can be odd to be playing "This is the dungeon of the week, you're at the entrance, what now?" Basic D&D, then at 4th level transition to "You're in town, what now?" sandbox Expert D&D. </p><p></p><p>In practice, some GMs start the game sandboxy from level 1, others stick with dungeon of the week for the whole campaign (Adventure Path play does that, with the AP linking the dungeons). But I think that the fragility of low level PCs in pre-4e D&D mitigates against status quo sandbox play; tailored Moldvay style newbie dungeons give PCs a chance to level up and get tough enough to engage the actual sandbox wilderness from around 4th level.</p><p></p><p>In my current campaigns I've taken a variety of approaches. </p><p></p><p>My online AD&D Yggsburgh game is pure sandbox from 1st level, but I gave PCs max hp and I down-powered the status quo encounters; they are written assuming PCs start at 4th and play the sandbox to ca 9th. I adapted it to more like 1st-6th, though at 1st many fights were still knife-edge survival. As an online & city-focused game it's also heavy on the roleplay/character interaction/talky stuff.</p><p></p><p>Conversely, my tabletop Pathfinder Beginner Box game is set around Yggsburgh too, but is very much designed as Moldvay-style tailored dungeon-of-the-week. The PBB seems to take its cue from the Moldvay approach so this is the default mode presented there anyway, though it could be used for low-powered sandboxing. I do it this way because it's an open access game designed to accommodate whoever turns up, so I need a framing mechanism (all PCs are guild sellswords for hire) and I aim for a complete adventure of ca 10-12 encounters in 1 4 hour session.</p><p></p><p>My 4e campaigns have been somewhere in between, something like dungeon of the week but with much more player direction than in the PBB game, and more of a dramatic/story element emergent from the gameplay.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="S'mon, post: 5883328, member: 463"] I know what you mean. I agree to some extent - eg I don't much like complex 'dominion' games that are basically completely different games to D&D, that you have to start playing when you reach a certain level and found a domain, thieves' guild etc. I like the Mentzer Companion Set domain & warfare rules as they support rather than replace regular play. I also agree that (to a lesser degree) it can be odd to be playing "This is the dungeon of the week, you're at the entrance, what now?" Basic D&D, then at 4th level transition to "You're in town, what now?" sandbox Expert D&D. In practice, some GMs start the game sandboxy from level 1, others stick with dungeon of the week for the whole campaign (Adventure Path play does that, with the AP linking the dungeons). But I think that the fragility of low level PCs in pre-4e D&D mitigates against status quo sandbox play; tailored Moldvay style newbie dungeons give PCs a chance to level up and get tough enough to engage the actual sandbox wilderness from around 4th level. In my current campaigns I've taken a variety of approaches. My online AD&D Yggsburgh game is pure sandbox from 1st level, but I gave PCs max hp and I down-powered the status quo encounters; they are written assuming PCs start at 4th and play the sandbox to ca 9th. I adapted it to more like 1st-6th, though at 1st many fights were still knife-edge survival. As an online & city-focused game it's also heavy on the roleplay/character interaction/talky stuff. Conversely, my tabletop Pathfinder Beginner Box game is set around Yggsburgh too, but is very much designed as Moldvay-style tailored dungeon-of-the-week. The PBB seems to take its cue from the Moldvay approach so this is the default mode presented there anyway, though it could be used for low-powered sandboxing. I do it this way because it's an open access game designed to accommodate whoever turns up, so I need a framing mechanism (all PCs are guild sellswords for hire) and I aim for a complete adventure of ca 10-12 encounters in 1 4 hour session. My 4e campaigns have been somewhere in between, something like dungeon of the week but with much more player direction than in the PBB game, and more of a dramatic/story element emergent from the gameplay. [/QUOTE]
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