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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jorunkun" data-source="post: 4018089" data-attributes="member: 57929">Before you read any further, I suggest you check out <a href="http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/81/grand-experiments-west-marches-part-4-death-danger/" target="_blank">an excellent series of posts over on the Ars Ludi blog.</a> . It describes in great detail the design theory of and learnings from the author’s “West Marches” campaign, a sandbox setting that ran for over two years, with some 20 (!) players.Inspired by this, I’m now in the process of building my own sandbox campaign, for when 4e launches. My core design tenets are these:1. “Wilderness as a dungeon”The most basic sandbox campaign is an outdoor map and a random encounter table – it’s all you need for the PCs to freely move, explore and get into trouble. I figure that the more detailed this map and the more region-appropriate and varied the encounter tables, the more interesting the game will be at its heart. This is why I have built out a huge 80 x 120 mile map, at a scale of 1mile per square.Essentially, I’m treating every micro-region as I would treat a room in a dungeon, setting down some specific detail for every part. It’s quite a bit of up-front work, but I think it is time well spent, as players will go back and forth on the map, so these “rooms” will see lots of re-use.Also, since the wilderness will be the main setting of this campaign, I intend to really play out the mechanics of overland travel, including seasons and weather effects, climbing, tracking, boating and riding, finding food and shelter etc.2. Top down, inward-out encounter planningNext, I am dividing up the map between the most powerful entities of the world - individual monsters or groups. I see these like radio towers, broadcasting their presence into further-away squares in proportion to their power. I am dividing up the related encounters into three types: Random-encounter/information, set piece, dungeon.For example, the most powerful entity on the map is going to be an evil red dragon, who lives in a volcano and is worshipped as a god by a clan of dragonborn. The closer players get to its lair, the more likely it is that they will see signs of the dragon and his followers (scorched earth etc) and run into related random encounters (ie. Dragonborn patrols). If they proceed, they will find (pre-placed) outliers; small dungeons or scripted encounters like in the Book of Lairs. Further in still, and there will be a full fledged dungeon; a substantial map with the dragon and its treasure at the centre.As the players move about the map, they will be exposed to overlapping, different-strength signals, allowing them to make informed decisions about where (not) to go.3. Parallel, emergent plotsThe biggest difference between my previous campaigns and the sandbox design will be the absence of a scripted plot. Having run plot-heavy, custom-tailored episodic campaigns for the last twenty years, I’m really excited about trying out a more simulationist/game-ist approach next.Essentially, there will be half a dozen or so competing factions (cities or organizations) on the map, that the players can work with or against. The more powerful they become, the more influential their support will be for their chosen faction and the state of the world. I am hoping to come up with a sort of meta-game for this that gives rise to a plot, much like a game of Civilization does.Obviously, I would love to compare notes or collaborate here, if anyone is interested.J.</blockquote>

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