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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 9735535" data-attributes="member: 6785785">In my experience, it means where the goals of play are chosen by the players. Or if there’s a goal of play determined by the premise of the game, then it's broad enough to allow players to choose how to achieve that goal. I think that notion is mistaken. I think that sandbox play can indeed be subject to GM force. Honestly, in a way it may be worse because it’s less obvious… so players may think their choices matter more than they do. Most sandboxes still rely on heavy GM prep. The focus of play is often still going to be the material the GM has created. So while this material may not be presented in a linear manner, it’s still largely pre-determined. It’s more like a menu of GM material, and the players choose what they’d to engage with. There may be some more freedom within this structure than in a linear adventure, but it’s not really any less susceptible to GM force. Well, the beginning is there to get things started. I’m fine with a module that just starts off with a situation that demands attention. Why beat around the bush? Then, as you say, it opens up quite a bit in the middle. I think this is why the module is highly regarded. It gives the GM enough guidance to handle the material, but doesn’t dictate how the players must engage with it. Again, compare the reaction to this module to that of the Tyranny of Dragons books and  I think the distinction is obvious. That’s fine! I don’t know if that’s quite what was being said. However, as I just said above, I don’t think that “sandbox” play is automatically a better option, or somehow exempt from GM force. I think the only way you can have a game where GM force becomes obvious is one where the players truly are free to declare what they want to do and how they want to do it. If that’s the expectation, and if the game functions that way, it becomes incredibly obvious when the GM tries to force anything.</blockquote>

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