The Good Sandbox Thread [+]

This is what I have found works for my table's sandbox campaign...after many many years of fumbling

The Setting
Select a setting (imagined or established) and have a map of it
The setting could be undergoing change (have 1 or more AP's/modules occurring concurrently)
Introduce a Clock mechanised or via date where something from the AP's/modules will happen.
Through the fiction communicate that Clock and its effects to the PCs.

The Characters
Flesh them out i.e. encourage write-ups not just backgrounds but additional prose, asks questions, expand on the mechanised or non-mechanised character alignment/beliefs/ties/desires/flaws etc
Build a reward system that feeds into the character alignment/beliefs/ties/desires/flaws so it encourages that style of play
Be ever mindful of the above to create tension and to bring it to the fore
Become a fan of the characters

System
Select a system that works for what you are trying to achieve, and if need be tailor it, with the input of the players.
They need to become a fan of the homebrew system they are using so include them in the discussion.
And you can homebrew after session 0, you are not limited to communicating once-off. That mentality should be ever present.
It is a campaign so it is for the long haul, things are going to change, they may have to.
Always get input from the table with regards to adhoc rulings that may need to be made
Introduce to your players interesting techniques/tools from other RPGs for specific scenarios
Introduce free-form narrative play for specific scenarios
The latter two help keep things fresh and engaging and can be just as much fun as a cool engaging NPC.
Do not be afraid to inject player facing mechanics.

Agency
If you're selecting a Sandbox campaign you already are moving towards giving the players more agency in the game
You can increase this Agency, and you can start small, by letting them
(a) describe a killing blow they made, the horse they acquired, the magical item they found...etc
(b) design a long-time friend, downtime contacts/acquaintances in the city, an organisation they belong to
(c) craft, steer them towards the rules the table has established for internal consistency
Let the players steer the direction of the game
If they ignore the overarching plot, you can still have fun with its effects on the setting via the Clock system.

Prep
Know your NPCs (monsters too)
Do not introduce a module/AP as it comes out, wait months, preferably years later so you can scour the web for ideas and experiences from others, they are a tremendous help AND inspiration. This cannot be overstated!
Read just enough of the module/AP to get you by for the session, because it is sandbox play - things will change, and it often does.
As an aside: If there is likely to be no combat in the session, make sure you engage the combat-enthusiast in the group in other ways that requires their participation.

Finally, the best though for me is when you have great table governance which ensures that the table checks each other's math and knowledge and in particular story narration in shaping the shared fiction to ensure internal consistency.
 
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Pirates of Drinax for Traveller is an excellent sci-fi sandbox campaign. A sea of adventures across too many stars to count. Neutral, uncivilized space, sandwiched between two massive empires weary of battling one another. The Travellers are tasked with restoring a fading empire by pirating, applying diplomacy, espionage, exploration of ancient places and tech, and much more.
I have sadly never played Traveller, but if there is any RPG name that embodies Sandbox play it feels like it should be Traveller. :ROFLMAO:
 


Ooh. That Drinax sounds kinda cool
It is indeed. There are a good number of products for it. The first obvious one is the Pirates of Drinax box set. A collection of adventures, ship deck plans, and assortment of rules for running the sandbox, including some specific chargen material. There is a second product called the Drinax companion, that adds even more sub-systems, rules, adventures to use.

Finally, there is a series of adventures that Mongoose put out for the Trojan Reach (the section of space in which PoD takes place in the setting). Many of these are short adventures fit for west marches style play for folks looking to do their own thing. However, they also make for excellent additions to the PoD sandbox campaign.
 

Hmn.
That box set looks sweet
I would run it with a different system as I have never ever got on with Traveller ( that's not being negative honest!;).

I did start writing the Sector Hack as a Spacebox publication. Star box? Stellar Box?!. Is there a sci-fi equivalent to Sandbox

I do like the term Adventure Landscape instead of sandbox
 

Pirates of Drinax for Traveller is an excellent sci-fi sandbox campaign. A sea of adventures across too many stars to count. Neutral, uncivilized space, sandwiched between two massive empires weary of battling one another. The Travellers are tasked with restoring a fading empire by pirating, applying diplomacy, espionage, exploration of ancient places and tech, and much more.

What makes it work as a sandbox? A massive map in which to explore and allow the Travellers to influence, yet a region of space that allows for them to make their actions matter in the face of shifting alliances and agendas. They can become a powerful pirate fleet, a leading force of a massive trading consortium, diplomats of a massive federation of unaligned systems for mutual benefit and defense. Or...all of that. Its up tot he Travellers to decide and find out.

I have always been fascinated by Traveller but intimidated by running games involving space travel. I actually like the genre more than fantasy though. I've generally limited myself to be a player in Traveller, Star Trek and Star Wars campaigns, because of how daunting it seems. At some point I would like to pick up the traveller books for myself and run it (or at least read through them so I have a more comprehensive understanding). If someone wanted to take a look at Pirates of Drinax, do you have a recommendation in terms of which editions and version of traveller to pick up?
 

I'm not sure this thread was strictly necessary, but okay.

I am currently running a sandbox with a strong inciting incident, mostly filled with short adventures from lots of different 5E sources. What I am finding to be a problem is that even short adventures give the PCs lots of XP, and so they are gaining levels quickly without exhausting the vaguely tier-based "zones" I have divided the setting into. As such, I think sandbox adventuring benefits from slower XP progression -- but I do think it needs XP based progression (as opposed to milestones). I want the players to make choices based on their own ideas about perceived risk versus hoped for reward.

What kind of regions did you divide it into?

It wasn't for D&D but for my own system I roughly made it so the closer you to get the heart of the corrupt empire, the more dangerous it is. There are still spikes in power along the way (it isn't like this province is for levels 1-4 and this one for 5-8), but the overall setting gets more dangerous the closer you are to imperial control. One thing that can also work is if the adventures survivable even if the players fail (i.e. having high level enemies who would consider beneath them to kill a party of weak characters)
 

What kind of regions did you divide it into?

It wasn't for D&D but for my own system I roughly made it so the closer you to get the heart of the corrupt empire, the more dangerous it is. There are still spikes in power along the way (it isn't like this province is for levels 1-4 and this one for 5-8), but the overall setting gets more dangerous the closer you are to imperial control. One thing that can also work is if the adventures survivable even if the players fail (i.e. having high level enemies who would consider beneath them to kill a party of weak characters)
I went more with "the starting area is tier one, and the deeper into the map you go in any direction, the worse it gets."
 


I have always been fascinated by Traveller but intimidated by running games involving space travel. I actually like the genre more than fantasy though. I've generally limited myself to be a player in Traveller, Star Trek and Star Wars campaigns, because of how daunting it seems. At some point I would like to pick up the traveller books for myself and run it (or at least read through them so I have a more comprehensive understanding). If someone wanted to take a look at Pirates of Drinax, do you have a recommendation in terms of which editions and version of traveller to pick up?
I like Mongoose Traveller 2E. Its got the foundation of classic Traveller but a few modern touches just where they need them. Traveller doesnt have leveling in the D&D sense, so the system while mildly crunchy, wont change much on you once you got the basics down. If anything, there is an SRD so you can get a free peak at the 1E ruleset.

Hope you check it out, let us know if you do!
 

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