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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Echohawk" data-source="post: 9556223" data-attributes="member: 9849">I don't run a sandbox campaign, but I try to give my players a bit of choice over their story arcs. I'm currently running a Spelljammer campaign, with a massive galactic conflict as the back story and an alliance of space-faring nations serving as the group's patrons. Once they finish one adventure arc, I give them a choice of new missions offered by their patrons. For example, they might choose between: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A short diplomatic sortie, to cement co-operation from the planet's reclusive neighbors in this Wildspace system. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A risky visit to a Wildspace system currently under attack to gather intelligence about their common enemy. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A potentially prolonged search for an ancient race that has not been seen for centuries, but which could be a valuable ally. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A journey to escort an experimental dimensional device to a remote weapons testing site operated by the navy. </li> </ul> I make sure that, off camera, other adventuring groups deal with the missions they don't pick, so when they return from whichever one they chose, they'll discover that diplomatic ties have been established with the reclusive neighbors, and that the team sent to investigate the system under attack disappeared without a trace. Importantly, they make the decision in our group chat between games, so I don't have to prepare all the possible adventures at once. This approach is not by any means a sandbox, but it does empower the players a bit, and it gives me really useful feedback on the style of adventures that interest them the most and the types of stories they want the campaign to tell. And yes, of course, they picked the experimental weapon mission.</blockquote>

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