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Message: <blockquote data-quote="masshysteria" data-source="post: 5642430" data-attributes="member: 16055">I think one of the answers any product like this needs to answer is "How much time does the GM need to invest in preparation?"Paizo's adventure paths try to limit the time needed by provided a fleshed out campaign with villians and set pieces and encounters. However, options are a lot more limited as to where the players must go. Eventually, you must get on the rails. Or maybe better put, you have to come back the main narrative of the AP.Contrast that with something like Ptolus, which is a bit more a Sandbox-y. All the locations and mover's-and-shaker's and antagonists are detailed, but it is up to the GM to draw them all together into a plot and campaign. For some people this is a huge time sink. If the players decide to go in a different direction, the GM may know what is behind Door Number 2 but needs to modify the narrative to adjust for the change.Neither answer is wrong, but you'll be looking at different audiences.  Which makes me wonder if you can combine both. Create a rich meta-plot setting. By default the PC are major players in the meta plot, but even if they ignore the meta-plot things are still changing around them. Maybe some sort of setting flow chart that shows possible outcomes for the linchpin moments in the campaign?</blockquote>