Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bedrockgames" data-source="post: 8646876" data-attributes="member: 85555">For me the idea of like a platonic sandbox, is one where you let the players set any goal they want (they might be able to achieve that goal if the dice turn against them, but they can try). Towards that end your sandbox should be varied if you are really looking to run a full open sandbox. But you can also adapt the material and setting to the goals the players develop if you need. If I don't know what direction a campaign in a sandbox is going to go, and even if I do, I try to flesh out not just places to explore but stuff like politics, trade, conflicts, power groups, etc. Still the players can throw you a curve ball, and if they do it is pretty easy to start work on building up aspects of the setting you need as the campaign grows To be clear I don't think this is the only way a sandbox can be run. I tend to run pretty focused sandboxes but I let the players steer away from that focus if they want to into other things. My point is mainly that in terms of prep, I don't think, if you are running a sandbox, you can bank on the players sticking to dungeons. Part of the appeal of sandboxes to players is they can strike off on whatever goal or direction they want, even if that goes against what it looks like what was assumed for the campaign. Also from the GM side, one of the interesting and fun things is players doing the unexpected and things moving in directions you had never even considered. This is also why I think improvisation is important in a sandbox. Not everything has to be created before hand. A lot should be. But eventually the players go somewhere or look in some nook you hadn't prepared for. This happens in every single type of campaign but is even more common in a sandbox (even in the most linear of adventures, a player can ask something like "Whose the owner of that house over there" and you have to come up with an explanation on the fly).</blockquote>

Verification