Bedrockgames
I post in the voice of Christopher Walken
This is a thread for posting about how you run and prepare for sandbox games, what style GMing you bring to the table, etc. If you have experience and thoughts on sandbox campaigns, post away!
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D&D General How do you sandbox ?
- Thread starter Bedrockgames
- Start date
payn
Glory to Marik
I dont know where I heard this, or who came up with it, but I like the onion model. You start by detailing a well defined center. This is the starting place of the sandbox and has a lot of info the players start. Many elements are within the PC's reach. Then, you begin to add layers that are less dense and as you move away from the center. Basic ideas that become fuller and more dense like the center as the additional layers are explored. That's how I start and progress in my sandboxes.
This was pretty much covered recently by this thread, but it depends on your definition of sandbox. I do sort-of-sandbox in that the PCs are always free to do whatever they want. On the other hand, I always give them a set of options before they move on to the next arc (at the end of a session) on what they want to do next so that I can prepare those scenarios.
However, I keep the scenarios pretty open. I know who the actors are, what their goal are, what the high level conflicts are and so on. Then if the PCs go off the rails I just improvise and either add a new actor or pull one in the PCs may or may not know.
So at the end of session, I let them know they have choices A, B, C and mystery bag whatever they want to do that I didn't think to include. So I prep for that. If, during session where they tell me they wanted to do B and then they go off the rails completely, I'll revise pre-planned encounters (I always do high level prep on an extra encounter or two) and go with it.
For example, I had the PCs travelling from one city to another and they had stopped in kind of a shady town, reputedly run by criminals bandits. I hadn't really fleshed out the town because they were just supposed to be there overnight, the description came from some general notes that I just threw in for flavor. Well, the rogue decided to try to make a bit of profit in town without telling anyone else, the entire party was soon involve due to some bad rolls. The next thing I know it's a battle in the streets with burning warehouses, breaking down the walls into a brothel to escape the flames and the group is taking on one of the crime bosses. Totally unplanned.
I handled it by changing the fluff on some of the monsters so they were human, using my handy list of randomly pre-generated names I always have handy and a lot of improv. Then I added the criminal organization to my "actors" log with a note of enmity to the group.
So that's how I handle it. Most of the time I ask what direction they want to go next with enough time for me to do prep work but I'm also willing to improvise and make things up on the fly. More difficult to do online than in person, but the same concept applies.
*Actors is general. Could be an individual, an organization, a political faction or even a nation. Human or monster, doesn't matter.
However, I keep the scenarios pretty open. I know who the actors are, what their goal are, what the high level conflicts are and so on. Then if the PCs go off the rails I just improvise and either add a new actor or pull one in the PCs may or may not know.
So at the end of session, I let them know they have choices A, B, C and mystery bag whatever they want to do that I didn't think to include. So I prep for that. If, during session where they tell me they wanted to do B and then they go off the rails completely, I'll revise pre-planned encounters (I always do high level prep on an extra encounter or two) and go with it.
For example, I had the PCs travelling from one city to another and they had stopped in kind of a shady town, reputedly run by criminals bandits. I hadn't really fleshed out the town because they were just supposed to be there overnight, the description came from some general notes that I just threw in for flavor. Well, the rogue decided to try to make a bit of profit in town without telling anyone else, the entire party was soon involve due to some bad rolls. The next thing I know it's a battle in the streets with burning warehouses, breaking down the walls into a brothel to escape the flames and the group is taking on one of the crime bosses. Totally unplanned.
I handled it by changing the fluff on some of the monsters so they were human, using my handy list of randomly pre-generated names I always have handy and a lot of improv. Then I added the criminal organization to my "actors" log with a note of enmity to the group.
So that's how I handle it. Most of the time I ask what direction they want to go next with enough time for me to do prep work but I'm also willing to improvise and make things up on the fly. More difficult to do online than in person, but the same concept applies.
*Actors is general. Could be an individual, an organization, a political faction or even a nation. Human or monster, doesn't matter.
iserith
Magic Wordsmith
I start with determining how much real time I expect we'll play in the sandbox. Usually that's 20 to 30 four-hour sessions, tops, which equates to about 1 to 1.5 years. This helps me determine the size and scope of what I need to prepare.
Then I think about the theme and genre, soliciting player input on this to ensure that they are interested in the concept. This will inform what sort of rules variants or house rules I want to employ, plus character creation rules. It's important that the rules and options all play into the central theme and genre so it's all sort of self-reinforcing.
I will typically use a hex crawl or point crawl design, depending on whether it's pure wilderness exploration or settled lands (or mix). I create lots of tables for random generation of encounters and a process by which that is resolved during play, plus a number of fixed, dynamic adventure locations and factions. I will put all of this into a VTT (maps, handouts, monsters, and macros) to make it all easy to manage.
Now the players create characters and set about playing, picking up on hooks as it makes sense to reveal them or discovering things just by exploring. It pretty much runs itself. As we approach the real time limit of the campaign, hopefully things have escalated enough where there is some kind of climactic drama and a good resolution for everyone.
Then I think about the theme and genre, soliciting player input on this to ensure that they are interested in the concept. This will inform what sort of rules variants or house rules I want to employ, plus character creation rules. It's important that the rules and options all play into the central theme and genre so it's all sort of self-reinforcing.
I will typically use a hex crawl or point crawl design, depending on whether it's pure wilderness exploration or settled lands (or mix). I create lots of tables for random generation of encounters and a process by which that is resolved during play, plus a number of fixed, dynamic adventure locations and factions. I will put all of this into a VTT (maps, handouts, monsters, and macros) to make it all easy to manage.
Now the players create characters and set about playing, picking up on hooks as it makes sense to reveal them or discovering things just by exploring. It pretty much runs itself. As we approach the real time limit of the campaign, hopefully things have escalated enough where there is some kind of climactic drama and a good resolution for everyone.
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overgeeked
Open-World Sandbox
Start with a bang and do targeted prep for a few of the various options they might immediately pursue, but be ready for them to wander wherever they want. That's the point. They wander into some entirely too high level area for their current level, they can bug out or die fighting. Seed the game with hooks they can pick up on but don't force anything. If they can't follow any lead (or no leads) you present, then it's not a true sandbox. Ask them where they're planning to go next after each session and do the same targeted prep for various options in the direction they indicated. It's good to begin with a fairly well fleshed out starting area, like a small town or village. Matt Colville and DungeonCraft have good videos on running sandbox games. Sly Flourish's Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master has a lot of really great advice, too.
DeviousQuail
Hero
This is my general method as well. As long as I know what needs preparing for the next session or two then the players can choose to do almost whatever they want.
There are a ton of sources for sandbox design so I'll just say this; don't do too much ahead of time. This isn't homework, it's a fun game. Prep what you need, have some contingencies, and then let things develop as you go.
Ath'kethin
Elder Thing
I string together short(er) modules as a rule, which gives me a lot of flexibility in terms of what we are doing next and how it's happening. I work in NPCs that are relevant to the party and always keep the background of the world moving around and behind everything that's going on.
That way, I can adapt to what the players want to do and how they want their PCs to develop while still benefiting from the time-saving nature of running prewritten adventures.
Now, I don't really think of this approach as a sandbox exactly, but many of my players have referred to it that way.
That way, I can adapt to what the players want to do and how they want their PCs to develop while still benefiting from the time-saving nature of running prewritten adventures.
Now, I don't really think of this approach as a sandbox exactly, but many of my players have referred to it that way.
jgsugden
Legend
I build a foundation. Then I talk to the player about what they want to play. Then I weave.
My foundation will have two to five storylines. At least one of them will run from levels 1 to 20. The others will run for just a few levels, and might be planned to start at first level, or much higher levels. The key features of these storylines is that they are externally driven. There are things already in motion that will spring events into play, regardless of what the PCs do. There might be a Demon Lord locked behind a door that will open at a specific date. There might be a natural disaster that will bring about a conflict between two nations. Some of these are more of a railroad, but others just move around all the puzzle pieces and create a new normal for the PCs to explore.
Then I talk to the players about the PCs they want to play. I ask them about their favorite stories. I collect raw elements from them that I can either interweave into my foundations, or weave into additional stories that will develop out of their contributions. For these, I don't usually have a conclusion in mind. Instead, I let the story tell itself. Usually, I take the elements the players give me, and I twist them in an unexpected way so that the story tends towards a direction they do not expect. However, sometimes I dive right into what they set up and run it straight at the PCs just as they'd expect.
Often, the start of a sandbox is a railroad. That railroad will take the PCs to a place they do not know, leaving them in unfamiliar lands, with no contacts and emerging objectives. Then, the floor drops out and they get to decide what options they wish to explore. There is no way they have time to do everything. Some things they don't touch go bad and feed future stories. Others get addressed by other hero types. Then, when the time is right, we upset the applecart with those later developing foundation storylines. By the time we get to ~17th level, the field of options begins to narrow again until the ultimate foundational storyline that has been foreshadowed, developed and threatened for the entire campaign busts open and carries them to the finish line.
My foundation will have two to five storylines. At least one of them will run from levels 1 to 20. The others will run for just a few levels, and might be planned to start at first level, or much higher levels. The key features of these storylines is that they are externally driven. There are things already in motion that will spring events into play, regardless of what the PCs do. There might be a Demon Lord locked behind a door that will open at a specific date. There might be a natural disaster that will bring about a conflict between two nations. Some of these are more of a railroad, but others just move around all the puzzle pieces and create a new normal for the PCs to explore.
Then I talk to the players about the PCs they want to play. I ask them about their favorite stories. I collect raw elements from them that I can either interweave into my foundations, or weave into additional stories that will develop out of their contributions. For these, I don't usually have a conclusion in mind. Instead, I let the story tell itself. Usually, I take the elements the players give me, and I twist them in an unexpected way so that the story tends towards a direction they do not expect. However, sometimes I dive right into what they set up and run it straight at the PCs just as they'd expect.
Often, the start of a sandbox is a railroad. That railroad will take the PCs to a place they do not know, leaving them in unfamiliar lands, with no contacts and emerging objectives. Then, the floor drops out and they get to decide what options they wish to explore. There is no way they have time to do everything. Some things they don't touch go bad and feed future stories. Others get addressed by other hero types. Then, when the time is right, we upset the applecart with those later developing foundation storylines. By the time we get to ~17th level, the field of options begins to narrow again until the ultimate foundational storyline that has been foreshadowed, developed and threatened for the entire campaign busts open and carries them to the finish line.
I set the parameters of the sandbox, usually focusing on a home base and surrounding region. I detail the major players in the town, plus any major locations I want. Then I design about a dozen or so adventure hooks to drop to the party. The plot hooks not taken will resolve as they would without player interference, showing the players that their actions and inaction has consequences. As the campaign progresses, I'll expand the size of the sandbox to include more adventure opportunities. I generally don't have any overarching storyline, unless one evolves over the course of play.
I’m running a sandbox *crawl. The Alexandrian has been influential in how I go about managing that, though Apocalypse World has also been influential in inspiring me to be mindful of my agenda and principles. When we started our current campaign, I pitched an idea (PCs are part of an expedition exploring an uncharted region) and then built up what I needed around that.
My two primary documents are my hex map and its key. I’m in the process of transitioning to a new scale (from 12 miles to 6 miles), so the key is getting reworked. I originally tried to key every hex, but I’m only keying a subset because keying 484 hexes is too onerous. The PCs have a primary base of operations, and they set out from there to explore. I also have documents on settlements and dungeons, which get detailed as necessary.
I didn’t have any particular plots in mind when we started, and I still don’t (about 30 sessions into the campaign). Everything that’s happened (from finding their initial base camp, to moving it to a new location, and what and where to explore, etc) has happened at the PCs’ instigation. I keep a timeline of events and as well as a list of things that will seek out or interact with the PCs to change the status quo (“bangs”). Even if the PCs ignore what’s happening, the world carries on without them (e.g., they’re opted not to help with a bulette problem, so the town is trying to handle it, and that’ll result in shifts in power as factions come together against a common foe).
One thing I try to do (and this is part of the Apocalypse World influence) is name every NPC and try to create relationships between them and the PCs. When the PCs went to recruit retainers a few sessions ago, they all had details and personalities. Alas, the PCs’ subsequent mission ended in a rout, so they’ve decided to part ways with the surviving retainers. However, they’re part of the world, and I’m sure they’ll show up at times in the future.
Because of the sheer scope (especially since this is a homebrew setting), a lot of my prep is just-in-time. I feel pretty comfortable improvising though, and if something does get too screwed up, we can fix (retcon) it. That’s not really been necessary though. The biggest challenge has been getting concrete plans out of my PCs. They’ll say they want to do one thing and then go do the opposite. Last session, they had a great plan for attacking a pack of ghouls, which they abandoned (causing the previously mentioned rout).
My two primary documents are my hex map and its key. I’m in the process of transitioning to a new scale (from 12 miles to 6 miles), so the key is getting reworked. I originally tried to key every hex, but I’m only keying a subset because keying 484 hexes is too onerous. The PCs have a primary base of operations, and they set out from there to explore. I also have documents on settlements and dungeons, which get detailed as necessary.
I didn’t have any particular plots in mind when we started, and I still don’t (about 30 sessions into the campaign). Everything that’s happened (from finding their initial base camp, to moving it to a new location, and what and where to explore, etc) has happened at the PCs’ instigation. I keep a timeline of events and as well as a list of things that will seek out or interact with the PCs to change the status quo (“bangs”). Even if the PCs ignore what’s happening, the world carries on without them (e.g., they’re opted not to help with a bulette problem, so the town is trying to handle it, and that’ll result in shifts in power as factions come together against a common foe).
One thing I try to do (and this is part of the Apocalypse World influence) is name every NPC and try to create relationships between them and the PCs. When the PCs went to recruit retainers a few sessions ago, they all had details and personalities. Alas, the PCs’ subsequent mission ended in a rout, so they’ve decided to part ways with the surviving retainers. However, they’re part of the world, and I’m sure they’ll show up at times in the future.
Because of the sheer scope (especially since this is a homebrew setting), a lot of my prep is just-in-time. I feel pretty comfortable improvising though, and if something does get too screwed up, we can fix (retcon) it. That’s not really been necessary though. The biggest challenge has been getting concrete plans out of my PCs. They’ll say they want to do one thing and then go do the opposite. Last session, they had a great plan for attacking a pack of ghouls, which they abandoned (causing the previously mentioned rout).
