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*Dungeons & Dragons
Not Railroad, Not Sandbox ... What else is there?
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<blockquote data-quote="Mordhau" data-source="post: 8515836" data-attributes="member: 7032137"><p>Where this basically becomes a sandbox is when the cards are not all discrete options but mere threads of an entagled web that can be pulled on.</p><p></p><p>Eg.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A merchant wants to hire some adventurers to rescue his daughter that was kidnapped by bandits.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Some Inquisitors are wandering around town asking questions about an escaped rebel leader who was seen in these parts.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">An Owlbear is menacing some farms on the edge of the forest.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There are rumours that are locally abandoned tower has recently been occupied by some very dangerous men.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Spider people from the forest have been seen peering into people's windows at night.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The local alchemist will pay good money for any exotic creatures you might bring to him alive.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The town mine has recently been closed after they broke through into some old ruins.</li> </ul><p></p><p>Next rather than think of them as separate missions you consider how they might be related to each other.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The spider men are ettercaps who are looking for a lost family member. The missing ettercap is locked in the alchemist basement where he plans to run some experiments.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Merchant's daughter has not been kidnapped she has run off willingly with the lieutenant of the bandit leader (who is the escaped rebel the inquisitors are looking for).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Three nasty smugglers have occupied the tower. They are sneaking into the forest to steal Owlbear eggs (a delicacy for nobles) and this is the reason the Owlbear is leaving the forest.</li> </ul><p></p><p>Even better if some of these things have interactions with emergent elements too. The alchemist being willing to pay for exotic creatures alive means a random encounter can suddenly turn into something much more interesting than a random combat to the death.</p><p></p><p>The thread with the rebel leader and the inquisitors also has potential to expand into geopolitics over a larger area.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mordhau, post: 8515836, member: 7032137"] Where this basically becomes a sandbox is when the cards are not all discrete options but mere threads of an entagled web that can be pulled on. Eg. [LIST] [*]A merchant wants to hire some adventurers to rescue his daughter that was kidnapped by bandits. [*]Some Inquisitors are wandering around town asking questions about an escaped rebel leader who was seen in these parts. [*]An Owlbear is menacing some farms on the edge of the forest. [*]There are rumours that are locally abandoned tower has recently been occupied by some very dangerous men. [*]Spider people from the forest have been seen peering into people's windows at night. [*]The local alchemist will pay good money for any exotic creatures you might bring to him alive. [*]The town mine has recently been closed after they broke through into some old ruins. [/LIST] Next rather than think of them as separate missions you consider how they might be related to each other. [LIST] [*]The spider men are ettercaps who are looking for a lost family member. The missing ettercap is locked in the alchemist basement where he plans to run some experiments. [*]The Merchant's daughter has not been kidnapped she has run off willingly with the lieutenant of the bandit leader (who is the escaped rebel the inquisitors are looking for). [*]Three nasty smugglers have occupied the tower. They are sneaking into the forest to steal Owlbear eggs (a delicacy for nobles) and this is the reason the Owlbear is leaving the forest. [/LIST] Even better if some of these things have interactions with emergent elements too. The alchemist being willing to pay for exotic creatures alive means a random encounter can suddenly turn into something much more interesting than a random combat to the death. The thread with the rebel leader and the inquisitors also has potential to expand into geopolitics over a larger area. [/QUOTE]
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