And I think what you are typing is, in part, my point. What we call sandbox is still linear. Most of the time it's a railroad. Your above example about the strange lights just leaving the plot arc happens all the time in railroading too.
now in my experence it can happen but most things we call railroads would find a way to FORCE the players to investigate the strange lights.
First, I like all of these!
thanks... but in serious it is the biggest complaint I get "man you have some great plot hooks and we can't decide what one to do"
choice paralysis is a thing
You have ten different questlines in one or two play sessions. It seems open, but again, to me, no more open than a regular linear adventure.
if you just look at it in a vacuum, 10 quests listed in order (like in my notes) yeah I can see that. But when we roleplay through it and you hear about things you MIGHT be interested in and then I focus in on what you show interest in it doesn't normally.
imagine you come into town and immediately find out something... it isn;'t a quest yet although it may be the beginning of a hook. You show no interest, so while rping you find out about the town and decide to do something I did not prep for (boy does that happen more often then I like) and we end up going somewhere or to do something I didn't prep. the next town you ignore 2 or 3 things and pick up on the 4th... the story isn't something I made BEFORE the campaign started, but at game 7 I am tying the things you did togather and having the world react... the story still flows...
what also helps is I always have tons of notes about all the places. not detailed until I am sure they are heading there, but rough outlines.
So this group goes back to town and takes on the tryst between the guard's daughter and thieves' guild. Ok. I assume, if they told the DM this the session before they played it out, the DM is going to prep. Maybe have her sneak away and they have to recover? Draw up some of the thieves' guild houses she might be in? Stat block some of the thieves? Maybe prepare a scene where they do find her with her lover as they are getting married on a pirate ship? Whatever it may be, there is some planning. And that runs linearly.
excuse me as I laugh... not at you but so I don't cry with what I am about to tell you...
most likely the way this would run at my game is we talk between the end of game 7 and in between game 7 and 8 and I am working 100% on the thieves guild... I draw up a map, or some stats (assuming I didn't have them already incase they did it game 6 when they took a different lead) my player then go off on some tangent... maybe they forget they are looking for her, maybe they decided to switch to giving the crazy kids a chance... or maybe they just get distracted because that one house has a red roof.
THAT is why I doubt anyone would describe my games as linar... because I can give some guesses but I never know for sure what is going to happen until we get to game. My hours of prep are all so I have things when they go left.
If you insist that the DM makes it all up on the fly. Great. But, I definitely don't think that definition should be sandbox, more like impromptu playing.
yeah that sounds like a better term