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<blockquote data-quote="Joe Liker" data-source="post: 6356449" data-attributes="member: 6777505">I've only ever run one sandbox campaign. It went better than I ever could have dreamed, but it took a little while to get off the ground. I hadn't read the seven guidelines mentioned upthread, but I did manage to come up with most of them on my own, entirely by accident.By FAR, the hardest part was training the players to take the initiative and set their own goals. Video games and linear adventures have people so used to being led by the nose, it's like pulling teeth to get them engaged in creating their own story. I set so many hooks and points of interest, but they still seemed to expect me to tell them what to do.For a couple of sessions, I thought I was being too subtle, so the hooks became so blatant that it was basically no different from the average railroad campaign. Then I realized this was NOT the way to get them in the spirit of the thing.Eventually, I just sat there in silence. As they stared blankly back, I said, &quot;So I guess you guys are just going to hang out around the campfire today, huh?&quot; It was so weird seeing the light bulb come on over their heads -- OH! This really is a sandbox campaign! (Even though I'd described it as such in no uncertain terms.)They went on to explore with relish, develop those hooks into meaty plotlines, and come up with all kinds of amazing plans for reaching some very interesting goals. Hmm ... I really should run another sandbox sometime.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Joe Liker, post: 6356449, member: 6777505"] I've only ever run one sandbox campaign. It went better than I ever could have dreamed, but it took a little while to get off the ground. I hadn't read the seven guidelines mentioned upthread, but I did manage to come up with most of them on my own, entirely by accident. By FAR, the hardest part was training the players to take the initiative and set their own goals. Video games and linear adventures have people so used to being led by the nose, it's like pulling teeth to get them engaged in creating their own story. I set so many hooks and points of interest, but they still seemed to expect me to tell them what to do. For a couple of sessions, I thought I was being too subtle, so the hooks became so blatant that it was basically no different from the average railroad campaign. Then I realized this was NOT the way to get them in the spirit of the thing. Eventually, I just sat there in silence. As they stared blankly back, I said, "So I guess you guys are just going to hang out around the campfire today, huh?" It was so weird seeing the light bulb come on over their heads -- OH! This really is a sandbox campaign! (Even though I'd described it as such in no uncertain terms.) They went on to explore with relish, develop those hooks into meaty plotlines, and come up with all kinds of amazing plans for reaching some very interesting goals. Hmm ... I really should run another sandbox sometime. [/QUOTE]

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