D&D (2024) DMG 2024: Is The Sandbox Campaign Dead?

[bedir than]

Doesn't that suggest that the DMG should spend MORE time on it. After all, campaign adventures like Strahd or Rime tell the GM how to run that kind of game. The DMG section on that could be short. But without a official sandbox campaign, the new DM is relying on the DMG.

Oh, I'd spend a paragraph on a few more advanced styles, just so they're mentioned

• sandbox
• shared DMing
• asymmetric/pods (split party almost constantly)
• time jumps

But the basic campaign structures should get the majority of effort within the base product

 

[mamba]

I was reading through the 2024 DMG Adventure and Campaign chapters and something occurred to me: the DMG does not include player driven sandbox campaigning as mode of campaign play.

did the 2014 DMG contain anything about that?

 

[Warpiglet-7]

I just got batrowmaze for 5e as a present for Christmas and found its openness refreshing. I have lost city for 5e by Goodman games.

Third party apparently is the way to
The beach.

All of this time Crawford keeps talking about telling your story and he meant it.

I like some of both but know one won’t be found in the core books.

 

[Lanefan]

Oh, I'd spend a paragraph on a few more advanced styles, just so they're mentioned

• sandbox
• shared DMing
• asymmetric/pods (split party almost constantly)
• time jumps

But the basic campaign structures should get the majority of effort within the base product

Thing is, by calling this "the basic campaign structure" you're doing exactly what WotC wants: allowing that structure to be the default where it doesn't have to be.

All of what you list above, plus more...

--- west-marches style play (i.e. potentially some different players every session and every session ends back at town)
--- how to run long campaigns and keep them fresh and viable
--- how to run multi-party campaigns (as opposed to your "pods" idea where a single party splits)
--- how to run good one-offs and convention games

...should each be given much more than just a paragraph. In combination with how to run adventure paths and short campaigns, this should be a whole chapter.

 

[Mort]

This is a good post, simply as it is another useful reminder (to me at least) that Hasbro is a terrible tender of the garden that is D&D, and that I saved some money completely skipping this book.

Yes, they're so terrible that D&D is doing better than it has EVER done. But I'm sure that's just a big coincidence.

The new DMG is clearly focused on a specific play style. It's a choice, and I'm glad they made one. Otherwise the DMG risks being an unfocused mess and, IMO, that's worse.

There is plenty of 3rd party content out there for anyone who wants a different experience then the one WoTC is offering. And while there was certainly a hiccup with the licensing mess, the end result was a win for the 3rd parties.

 

[Divine2021]

Yes, they're so terrible that D&D is doing better than it has EVER done. But I'm sure that's just a big coincidence.

The new DMG is clearly focused on a specific play style. It's a choice, and I'm glad they made one. Otherwise the DMG risks being an unfocused mess and, IMO, that's worse.

There is plenty of 3rd party content out there for anyone who wants a different experience then the one WoTC is offering. And while there was certainly a hiccup with the licensing mess, the end result was a win for the 3rd parties.

Did you miss the part where I explicitly wrote, “to me at least?” You don’t need to jump to defend the honor of a billion dollar company just cuz some guy thinks D&D 2024 kinda sucks.

 

[Chaltab]

I'd wager there's market research suggesting the majority of players aren't playing a sandbox game, or at least the majority that are actively buying WOTC products. It's a harder sort of game to pull off because it requires a bigger level of investment from the players, and depending on how complex, possibly a lot more work from the DM.

 

[bedir than]

Thing is, by calling this "the basic campaign structure" you're doing exactly what WotC wants: allowing that structure to be the default where it doesn't have to be.

All of what you list above, plus more...

--- west-marches style play (i.e. potentially some different players every session and every session ends back at town)
--- how to run long campaigns and keep them fresh and viable
--- how to run multi-party campaigns (as opposed to your "pods" idea where a single party splits)
--- how to run good one-offs and convention games

...should each be given much more than just a paragraph. In combination with how to run adventure paths and short campaigns, this should be a whole chapter.

My memories of the 1e and 2e DMG aren't that it had 12 different styles of play.

I think the DMG should focus on 2-4 styles of play and mention others. It should be a beginning not a totality.

 

[JEB]

did the 2014 DMG contain anything about that?

From a quick perusal: There are a number of campaign design tools useful for sandbox play in the 2014 DMG, but near as I can tell they don't have a section that explicitly endorses sandbox play. That said, they're also pretty loose on playstyle guidance generally, whereas it sounds like 2024 has more default assumptions built in re: playstyle.

Could be missing something in both cases, of course!

 

[mamba]

From a quick perusal: There are a number of campaign design tools useful for sandbox play in the 2014 DMG,

yes

but near as I can tell they don't have a section that explicitly endorses sandbox play.

or even explains what it is / how it works. Did not find anything either, but it was just a quick check

So not really something that is new in the 2024 DMG