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

[Lanefan]

It's group dependent and I find that the larger the group the worse it is. Playing online also seems to make it worse for some reason.

That reason being twofold:

a) it quickly becomes obvious when playing online how much work the DM has to put in preparing maps and encounters etc. and so there's a certain degree of soft-edged pressure to go along with it
b) corollary to this, it also quickly becomes obvious that if-when the players do go somewhere unprepped the online systems don't lend themselves well to drawing quickie maps on the fly such as one can do on a chalkboard or whiteboard

(side question: do any of the online RPG platforms yet support using a digital art tablet in real time to draw maps, such that what the DM draws on the tablet immediately appears on the players' screen? Relevant in that it's light-years easier to draw with a pen than with a mouse).

 

[SkidAce]

That reason being twofold:

a) it quickly becomes obvious when playing online how much work the DM has to put in preparing maps and encounters etc. and so there's a certain degree of soft-edged pressure to go along with it
b) corollary to this, it also quickly becomes obvious that if-when the players do go somewhere unprepped the online systems don't lend themselves well to drawing quickie maps on the fly such as one can do on a chalkboard or whiteboard

(side question: do any of the online RPG platforms yet support using a digital art tablet in real time to draw maps, such that what the DM draws on the tablet immediately appears on the players' screen? Relevant in that it's light-years easier to draw with a pen than with a mouse).

Yes, roll 20 allows for the creation of a blank square/hex map that you can draw on with lines and shapes.

I even use it on my preplanned maps to mark off the area of effect, say where someone knocked a hole in the wall, or where the swarm of bugs is, just like a table top.

 

[Oofta]

That reason being twofold:

a) it quickly becomes obvious when playing online how much work the DM has to put in preparing maps and encounters etc. and so there's a certain degree of soft-edged pressure to go along with it
b) corollary to this, it also quickly becomes obvious that if-when the players do go somewhere unprepped the online systems don't lend themselves well to drawing quickie maps on the fly such as one can do on a chalkboard or whiteboard

(side question: do any of the online RPG platforms yet support using a digital art tablet in real time to draw maps, such that what the DM draws on the tablet immediately appears on the players' screen? Relevant in that it's light-years easier to draw with a pen than with a mouse).

Quick drawing maps is supported by the tools I've used (I used Roll20, played around with Maps) but you get this weird dichotomy where something that works perfectly well during an in-person game on a mat is not really enough for an online.

 

[Lanefan]

Yes, roll 20 allows for the creation of a blank square/hex map that you can draw on with lines and shapes.

Using the draw functions embedded in roll20, yes.

But that means drawing with a mouse for anything freehand*, which is (for nearly everyone) somewhere between difficult and hopeless; and you can't trace an image you already have on paper.

I'm after something that supports one of those digital art tablets (there's a term for them that I don't know) where you draw with a pen (well, stylus) and what you draw on the tablet instantly appears on the screen. If roll20 supported this it would allow you to, say, put a paper map on the tablet and trace the image onto your (edit: and your players') screen in real time as the PCs arrive at the location.

* - or if you're using a touchscreen, drawing with your finger, which is usually worse.

I even use it on my preplanned maps to mark off the area of effect, say where someone knocked a hole in the wall, or where the swarm of bugs is, just like a table top.

We do the same during play, I'm after something more versatile.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Some people also hate puppies and rainbows.

Yeah, that's basically the same thing.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

One of the reasons 4e didn't feel like D&D. You do realise lots of people don't actually like story now?

"Has the ability" =/= "is inherently and automatically forced to do that and absolutely nothing else."

But I'm sure you'll continue spouting off how horrible awful badwrongfun it was and how the WotC game ninjas came in and destroyed your campaign notes every time you tried to do something different.

 

[Lanefan]

"Has the ability" =/= "is inherently and automatically forced to do that and absolutely nothing else."

Agreed. These are but two points on a spectrum which might look something like:

"Can't use it for this no matter what anyone says, thinks, or does about it; it's specifically designed not to do this"
"Can use it for this with effort but you're fighting the design or intent at every turn"
"Can use it for this but it's not ideal, it's intended for something else"
"As designed, has the ability to do this - and as many other things as people can think of - more or less equally well"
"Is intended for numerous different uses but pushes gently toward this one"
"Is intended specifically for this use and pushes hard toward it"
"Forces this use and cannot be used for anything else"

Ideally, a big-tent system like D&D would - one would think - want to get as close to the middle of that list as it can. In reality, however, that's not the case and hasn't really been during the WotC era.

 

[FrozenNorth]

I'm not sure why you would need hirlings either, but 2024 DMG brings them back anyway.

Gasp! Then maybe the 2024 DMG does support sandbox play!

 

[Micah Sweet]

"Has the ability" =/= "is inherently and automatically forced to do that and absolutely nothing else."

But I'm sure you'll continue spouting off how horrible awful badwrongfun it was and how the WotC game ninjas came in and destroyed your campaign notes every time you tried to do something different.

People are allowed to not like Story Now, just as much as they're allowed to dislike what I enjoy. He wasn't saying anything more than that.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Gasp! Then maybe the 2024 DMG does support sandbox play!

Turns out it doesn't, not in the classic sense I was excited for.

The sarcasm was not appreciated.