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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 7938722" data-attributes="member: 6801286">I approach a sandbox campaign like I do any other campaign. I create a map of the region (not the world), with all the known locations. I then write a brief description of each location, and its local ruler. I also create a basic timeline for the history of the setting. This helps with answering complicated questions, and it ensures that various events line up correctly. I also do a fair bit of research for any campaign. It helps with making the campaign feel realistic. Where my prep differs from prepping a normal campaign, is in all the extra work I do:Prepping a locationI only fully prepare a location if I think the players will be going there in the next session. Now of course the nature of a sandbox is that the players can go anywhere they want. But I make sure that the campaign is confined to a particular region of the world, and I always ask my players to give me a headsup at the end of a session regarding where they intend to go next.When I prep a location, it is like prepping a regular campaign. However, I make sure there are many interconnected plothooks and questhooks that the players can chase. I know that the players won't chase every hint I throw at them, so I make sure there are multiple roads to the same plot beats. Rather than writing everything out, I create a web of situations that are connected, fueled by characters with clear motivations. The players are like a spider in the web, gently pulling at these plot threads, and affecting where the plot goes next.Exploration and random encountersMost of my work goes into prepping random content. I create random encounter tables for exploration on land and at sea. I even make random encounter tables for specific environments. On the map a single square on the grid represents 1 hour of unexplored terrain. Several cities and settlements will be known, and so their location is already fixed on the map. But in between them are vast areas of uncharted land, which the players are free to explore. These can contain anything from hostile encounters, simple obstacles, buildings, settlements and even dungeons. I update the map according to what they discover.To explore uncharted areas, the players indicate the direction they wish to travel. They must then make a navigation check, to see if they actually go in the desired direction. I allow my players to pick which party member will make that check. If they fail, I roll to determine the direction randomly. I then roll for the encounter, from 6 categories which I also roll for.These categories include: Npc/creature encounters, landscape features, terrain obstacles, human settlements, major land features and landmarks. On a 20, any of these can also spawn an exotic encounter, which has its own table.When I roll for these, I always check if the encounter makes narrative, gameplay and logical sense. I give myself the freedom to reroll anything that I feel does not fit.Random weatherWhenever a new day dawns, I roll for the weather for that day. I use the random weather table from the 3.5 book Stormwrack, which also includes random wind directions. Since I am running a pirate campaign, weather and wind direction can have drastic effects on how the players travel by sea, and on any naval combat that could arise from random encounters.World buildingI have a tendency to go into exceedingly precise details, when it comes to creating the world for my players. I prepare a history for the setting, which may come up at some point. I also create lists of food and drinks that the players may encounter on their travels. I also research important setting information, especially when the campaign is set in the real world, or has simularities with the real world. This helps with improvizing stuff when the players venture off into areas I have not fully prepared yet.I find that I feel most comfortable as a DM, when I have overprepared for a sandbox campaign. I do not have to worry too much about players doing unexpected things, since I have all the information I need. All I need to do is improvize some of the details.</blockquote>

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