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<blockquote data-quote="Pickles JG" data-source="post: 5402247" data-attributes="member: 61501">This strikes me as the very worst type of setting to use for a sandbox. The agents in a police procedural have no choice about what cases they take on &amp; are ultimately reactive both in the fiction &amp; in the real world (except the Mentalist who almost turns down the odd case).The setting as described in BotEs later post sounds great. I guess is suits something like the Wire meets Miami Vice where there issome freedom of action but they are still solving other peoples plots. (As an aside the Wire has great characterisation &amp; ongoing plots but terrible resolutions most seasons are very anticlimactic - is this an issue with sandboxes they are great for tootling along but less good at big finishes?)&nbsp;&nbsp;I don't think I have ever played an very sandboxy game (in a lot of years), the closest was probably shared GMing Ars Magica, which started out much like the OP scenario, yet I hate when my characters are forced into courses action at the whim of the GM, or GMs narrate my actions. I feel characters I play are like the protagonists in the stories I read - mostly murder mysteries/crime fiction. Most characters in fiction are reactive carrying taking part in stories that they do not instigate themselves.&nbsp;These characters can do what they like but the plot happens independently of them. The murder is carried out or the evil scheme to take over the world is taking place &amp; the our heroes are there to stop it.&nbsp;&nbsp; I am not sure how this sort of thing would be dealt with in a sandbox? Group design would seem to be out - as mystery is part of the point.&nbsp;I got a bit rambly here &amp; also suck at endings</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Pickles JG, post: 5402247, member: 61501"] This strikes me as the very worst type of setting to use for a sandbox. The agents in a police procedural have no choice about what cases they take on & are ultimately reactive both in the fiction & in the real world (except the Mentalist who [I]almost[/I] turns down the odd case). The setting as described in BotEs later post sounds great. I guess is suits something like the Wire meets Miami Vice where there issome freedom of action but they are still solving other peoples plots. (As an aside the Wire has great characterisation & ongoing plots but terrible resolutions most seasons are very anticlimactic - is this an issue with sandboxes they are great for tootling along but less good at big finishes?) I don't think I have ever played an very sandboxy game (in a lot of years), the closest was probably shared GMing Ars Magica, which started out much like the OP scenario, yet I hate when my characters are forced into courses action at the whim of the GM, or GMs narrate my actions. I feel characters I play are like the protagonists in the stories I read - mostly murder mysteries/crime fiction. Most characters in fiction are reactive carrying taking part in stories that they do not instigate themselves. These characters can do what they like but the plot happens independently of them. The murder is carried out or the evil scheme to take over the world is taking place & the our heroes are there to stop it. I am not sure how this sort of thing would be dealt with in a sandbox? Group design would seem to be out - as mystery is part of the point. I got a bit rambly here & also suck at endings [/QUOTE]

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