D&D General Sandbox Campaigns should have a Default Action.

[Jacob Lewis]

If your players need to take action in order to find a story, motive, etc., I'd say the campaign (regardless of classification) needs a better hook.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

If your players need to take action in order to find a story, motive, etc., I'd say the campaign (regardless of classification) needs a better hook.

I don't know... even the most 'on the rails' game can't survive PCs sitting and doing nothing

 

[Jacob Lewis]

I don't know... even the most 'on the rails' game can't survive PCs sitting and doing nothing

I've never encountered players sitting around doing nothing during a game. I've had players who just want to be part of the game group and will do whatever others tell them, or just wait for the action to start so they can take their "turn" during the key parts that interest them the most (i.e. combat). I'm fine with that, and I don't mind bringing the adventure to players that want to go hunting for the adventure. But I won't leave players sitting at the table struggling to find the game we're supposed to be playing and having fun.

 

[Reynard]

I don't know... even the most 'on the rails' game can't survive PCs sitting and doing nothing

Players not wanting to play is a weird problem.

 

[Charlaquin]

What's the default action in a dungeon?

Attack the darkness

 

[MGibster]

I've never encountered players sitting around doing nothing during a game. I've had players who just want to be part of the game group and will do whatever others tell them, or just wait for the action to start so they can take their "turn" during the key parts that interest them the most (i.e. combat).

I've seen it happen on occasion. Usually it's one of two things in my experience. The first is the players don't know what to do, either because they are overwhelmed with choice or the GM has thrown them into a "Okay, you're at the fair" type situation. Or they're just not that interested in the game.

 

[Boitata]

Good job OP, as a reader of the Alexandrian I'm familiar with what you said, and I think you explained your points in a very comprehensive manner.

I'm not a fan of the "default action" as it's just another way of the DM telling the players what to do.

Nothing further from the truth. The "default", as in the players will default upon if no others are thought upon, is good to have as a failsafe, if they can't come up with any other action.

 

[aia_2]

Excuse me but i believe that the main unanswered point is not the sandbox campaign itself rather than the experience* of both DM and players... If the DM presents this question, it is clear he is missing smtg in terms of game mastery and the same works for players: they likely need to run a more structured experience like an adventure module the DM will offer them with a couple of hooks, that's all.
Let me add a last note: that could be a situation the DM will never get away... There is also the possibility that the group ofplayers wants to be railroaded, always!

* Edit: the term experience here is not the one related to the longevity of play or the accumulated know how... It is the word related to the taste that both dm and players are looking for from the game!

 

[Remathilis]

Like the railroad thread, I see the badwrongfun is strong in this one as well.

I think the rookie mistake of many sandbox games is the mismatched assumptions of players and DM. Particularly, the assumption that the other is going to drive the game. The DM is waiting for the players to declare the plot (we head to the Keep of Doom to fight goblin bandits) while the players, who lack sufficient information and/or motivation, sit in the tavern until the plot shows up. Eventually, one of these forces will move (the DM will send a mysterious stranger to hire the PCs to clear out Doom Keep, or the PCs will loot and burn the tavern to get something going).

A default action sounds a bit like a weak theme: it's what you're doing when you don't know what to do. You're mercenaries always looking for the next fist full of gold. You're monster hunters seeking out things they go bump in the night. You're neer do wells looking for your next big score. You're adventurers testing your mettle against the most dangerous places in history. It gives the PCs something to look for until other interesting things take precedent.

Because sometimes the PCs need some reason to look for hooks and sometimes a DM needs a quick hook to get them out of a quagmire. The promise of a pile of gold or a dangerous monster to slay can unstick a game lost in indecision and when PCs ask the barkeep for rumors, they have a goal in mind beyond "what's the plot this week?"

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I've never encountered players sitting around doing nothing during a game.

sigh I wish that was true for me. It is super rare, between 1995 when I started RPGs and now it has only happened a handful of times (and of the 4 I can remember only once in D&D) but each time it ground the campaign to a halt (2 in old WoD, and 1 in a Mutants and Masterminds campaign if you care) although all 4 of those I was the DM... and I can name 4 MORE (2 D&D, one old deadlands, and 1 old WoD) where I was a player and I was pushing the other players to do things to avoid this... but even saying I only remember half of them and I remember 8 times and so it was really 16... out of all the campaigns I ran/played that is a minority. (Yes if you want examples I can give them... the deadlands one I played in I could give the most detaisl, but the 1 D&D game I ran for 3-5 weeks that died do to it will be provided as best as I can remember if asked)

I've had players who just want to be part of the game group and will do whatever others tell them, or just wait for the action to start so they can take their "turn" during the key parts that interest them the most (i.e. combat).

yeah... I have those too over the years. A group of all those players COULD fall into this, but I find normally those players will bite any hook that 'gets them to the fun part' so you can hire them to kill goblins and be off and running.

I'm fine with that, and I don't mind bringing the adventure to players that want to go hunting for the adventure. But I won't leave players sitting at the table struggling to find the game we're supposed to be playing and having fun.

okay but I'm not talking 'leaving them hanging' I'm not even talking of the (much worse) 'i am going to go out of my way to avoid the hooks' I mean they just don't start or do anything...