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<blockquote data-quote="rounser" data-source="post: 5401766" data-attributes="member: 1106">I don't think that necessarily has to be the case.&nbsp; For example, Baldurs Gate 2 sets up a scenario whereby you have to earn some huge amount of money in order to ransom a hostage of the thieves guild.&nbsp; How you earn that money is up to you, and is bouyed by a choice of many adventure hooks to select from and little restriction on when and where you go (i.e. a sandbox), but there is still an overall campaign arc that it ultimately supports.&nbsp; &quot;Earn the money&quot; is a hook that supports many other hooks.&nbsp; Along the way, some of these other adventures provide clues to the main story arc.&nbsp; 50 adventures later (note: IMO this BG2 amount of sandbox depth is totally impractical in 3E and 4E because the combats take far too long at the tabletop), you have the money, it's time for the third act, choice begins to dial down, and the climax of the campaign begins, with the BBEG awaiting smackdown.So that's the best of both worlds - campaign arc tying the threads together, and sandbox choice and exploration.I think where people go wrong is that they assume that player choice means they no longer have to present adventure hooks and mini-scenarios, that players just go wandering around in a world of vacuum.&nbsp; This could not be further from the truth, IMO.&nbsp; Sandboxes IMO require a lot more work than railroads, not less, which is why they're so rarely done well (if at all).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="rounser, post: 5401766, member: 1106"] I don't think that necessarily has to be the case. For example, Baldurs Gate 2 sets up a scenario whereby you have to earn some huge amount of money in order to ransom a hostage of the thieves guild. How you earn that money is up to you, and is bouyed by a choice of many adventure hooks to select from and little restriction on when and where you go (i.e. a sandbox), but there is still an overall campaign arc that it ultimately supports. "Earn the money" is a hook that supports many other hooks. Along the way, some of these other adventures provide clues to the main story arc. 50 adventures later (note: IMO this BG2 amount of sandbox depth is totally impractical in 3E and 4E because the combats take far too long at the tabletop), you have the money, it's time for the third act, choice begins to dial down, and the climax of the campaign begins, with the BBEG awaiting smackdown. So that's the best of both worlds - campaign arc tying the threads together, and sandbox choice and exploration. I think where people go wrong is that they assume that player choice means they no longer have to present adventure hooks and mini-scenarios, that players just go wandering around in a world of vacuum. This could not be further from the truth, IMO. Sandboxes IMO require a lot [i]more[/i] work than railroads, not less, which is why they're so rarely done well (if at all). [/QUOTE]

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