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<blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 4691617" data-attributes="member: 467">Absolutely 100% wrong. A sandbox is a wide open field in which the PCs have freedom to do what they wish, and is generally designed with verisimilitude and simulation in mind. The drainage pipe exists because it has to -- the construction of the keep or castle demands some way to get the glacial melt or whatever out (lest its inhabitants drown and/or erosion causes the place to fall down). The PCs found it and decided&nbsp; to explore it.&nbsp; that the DM allowed them to do so is the perfect example of sandbox DMing -- the players make the choices and the DM relates the situation and/or setting.And, quite frankly, I find it more than a little distressing that anyone would say the DM did the wrong thing here. While it *might* have led to a more entertaining evening if the DM had some encounter occur in the tunnels are just &quot;let them&quot; get through and into the castle, it sets a bad precedent. A) It obviates the importance of player choices by removing consequences for those choices, and b) encourages the DM to ignore verisimilitude and good sense and do whatever, whenever - -which can just as easily be very unfair to the players as it can benefit them.Of course, I am not suggesting the players did anything wrong, either.&nbsp; It was a good plan -- go in the back door. But they shouldn't have been expecting the door to just be open for them. Maybe they should have scouted, realized the situation, then withdrew to replan or acquire resources that would allow them to take advantage of the back door.&nbsp; But no player should expect a &quot;gimme&quot; just because they chose to spend many real-world hours on an activity.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Reynard, post: 4691617, member: 467"] Absolutely 100% wrong. A sandbox is a wide open field in which the PCs have freedom to do what they wish, and is generally designed with verisimilitude and simulation in mind. The drainage pipe exists because it has to -- the construction of the keep or castle demands some way to get the glacial melt or whatever out (lest its inhabitants drown and/or erosion causes the place to fall down). The PCs found it and decided to explore it. that the DM allowed them to do so is the perfect example of sandbox DMing -- the players make the choices and the DM relates the situation and/or setting. And, quite frankly, I find it more than a little distressing that anyone would say the DM did the wrong thing here. While it *might* have led to a more entertaining evening if the DM had some encounter occur in the tunnels are just "let them" get through and into the castle, it sets a bad precedent. A) It obviates the importance of player choices by removing consequences for those choices, and b) encourages the DM to ignore verisimilitude and good sense and do whatever, whenever - -which can just as easily be very unfair to the players as it can benefit them. Of course, I am not suggesting the players did anything wrong, either. It was a good plan -- go in the back door. But they shouldn't have been expecting the door to just be open for them. Maybe they should have scouted, realized the situation, then withdrew to replan or acquire resources that would allow them to take advantage of the back door. But no player should expect a "gimme" just because they chose to spend many real-world hours on an activity. [/QUOTE]

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