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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fifth Element" data-source="post: 5948173" data-attributes="member: 48135">Who designed the sandbox then, if not the DM? If it's a published one, who decided to use it in the game?I've seen the claim that sandbox campaigns must include enough information available to the characters in order to make informed decisions about which challenges to take on at a particular time. If there's an ancient red wyrm nearby, the 1st-level party had better avoid it. Of course, it's up to the DM to provide that information in the first place, which again places a great deal of the responsibility on the role.One's own biases and proclivities are generally subconscious. Human beings generally don't even recognize their own biases, or that other people might not see certain things the way they do. Since it's a human thing, it'll come into play when a human DMs.My point is, if other DMs would not agree with the decision, despite them also considering themselves neutral arbiters, then the idea of neutral arbitration is largely an illusion.And again, deciding when you can make a decision is based on the DM. And deciding what the chances are when deciding to "let the dice decide" is also based on the DM.To be clear again, I am arguing against the "I am a completely neutral arbiter as DM" position, which I have seen intoned many times on these boards. It seems you are not making such a statement about your own DMing.</blockquote>