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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 5180370" data-attributes="member: 4937">Apparantly.Just because you can't imagine it, doesn't mean it isn't possible.  It takes some discipline to do it, and a lot of talent to pull off something other than a row boat among the stars (where lots of actions take place, but none of it accomplishes anything) but I can at least see how it could be done.  Personally, I can't stomach more than a couple of sessions as a player, and find that I can't keep players entertained doing it for more than a session or two (because most players IME like to ride the railroad), but there are some real attractions to the approach in small doses and you should try it some time.Well designed random tables help alot.Try this:0) Let the players determine thier own goals.  One good starting point is asking them were in the game world they want to start out.  Obviously, you need self-motivated players to manage this.1) Randomly select an encounter with an NPC.  If its a humanoid, you'll need a random profession subtable appropriate to the race.2) Randomly determine the creature's hostility level.  If the PC's interact, faithfully follow diplomacy rules for modifying creature hostility.  Don't decide whether the monster is an ally or an enemy.3) Decide on the spot what the creature is doing here.  4) Repeat.If you do this long enough, the players ideally become immersed in the setting.  Typically, you end up with players who are scheming rather than thwarting schemes.  The PC wants to conduct a cattle drive, rob a bank, go on a crusade, organize a war party to plunder the tribe on the other side of the river, etc.  It puts the PC's in a position to be active rather than merely proactive.  As the DM, you've got no idea how the story is going to work out.  You don't prep a story.  You don't even prep NPC motivations.  You end up with something more like SimCity and less like 'Balder's Gate' or 'Knights of the Old Republic'.I'm sure The Shaman can tell you more about the techniques than I can.  I only do this really for travel between hooks and plot points, but at one time this sort of emmergent story telling I considered nearly ideal.  (Since that time I've decided that it has a problem with story pacing.  I'm hoping this time to use hooks to drag players along a path until they get to the point they can sandbox.)</blockquote>

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