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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Black Ferret" data-source="post: 7331003" data-attributes="member: 6935532">I think it can be done. I played in a Rolemaster campaign that had an over-reaching goal of defeating an evil sorcerer, with certain things that needed to be done to do it, but was otherwise a sandbox game. It sounds like you are going for a specific series of events leading up to the climax. The trick, in my view, is to make it so that the players, even if they agreed to play along and follow the narrative, feel they have some control over it, other than just making the die rolls. Make multiple paths to the goal, or to each major plot point in the story, and let them choose how to get there. Or give them specific events/goals that need to happen to lead up to the climax, but let them decide in what order to do them in. This tactic can also provide a safeguard against certain story events going badly due to bad die rolls or major player mistakes, in that you have a backup to fix it and keep the story going. Actually, the narrative format of some of the better CRPGS, like the Elder Scrolls, the better Final Fantasy games, Grandia, et al, might provide a decent overview to this type of game. They are designed to further the plot at specific points or events, but also give the players freedom to do it at their pace or sometimes even in different order of events.</blockquote>