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<blockquote data-quote="Emerikol" data-source="post: 8234682" data-attributes="member: 6698278">I think there are many DMs who have an agenda but I think a true sandbox DM does not have an agenda.&nbsp; He has the truth yes but that truth is vast and varied and what the players do with it is up to them.&nbsp; So the DM is not really trying to get the players to do anything.&nbsp; He is providing information about what is true in the world.&nbsp; The players decide what to do from that.&nbsp;&nbsp; Now it is absolutely true that if the players up and decide to steal and ship and sail it to a non-existent island they won't succeed at finding an island.&nbsp; They could have just as easily hired on as caravan guards or looked for rumors in the local tavern.&nbsp;&nbsp; Lots of things are going on in the world.It is part of what I would call skilled play.&nbsp; Good players do all of that.&nbsp; Good players also equip resources to accomplish the mission.&nbsp; So yes there is a payoff to doing things well.&nbsp; You are far more likely to succeed and the satisfaction of a great plan coming together is very fun.&nbsp; At least for me.I think it is a fine descriptor but it is not the primary purpose of the campaign.&nbsp; Players will set goals and advance those goals by doing actions in the campaign.&nbsp; Obviously knowledge is power so they will try to gather the knowledge they need to overcome whatever obstacles block their path.&nbsp;&nbsp; For example, a player may want revenge against the man who murdered his father and usurped the throne forcing his mother into a marriage.&nbsp;&nbsp; That is a goal that will not be accomplished on day one of a campaign.&nbsp; But they player will build his strength and one day he will return.&nbsp;&nbsp; This is fun for a lot of people.I am very much in the campaign where the very best campaign was when I didn't know a single monster in the monster manual and everything was mysterious.&nbsp;&nbsp; I didn't know all the magic items.&nbsp; I was truly exploring not only the world but the very creatures within it.&nbsp; That is hard to maintain after many campaigns but that sense of wonder is the very best to me.&nbsp; So yeah absolutely I want to maintain a sense of wonder about the game.&nbsp; It is why I often create my own monsters, spells, and magic items.&nbsp; Wonder is a big part of the game.Usually, the barkeep is detailed as to his life and those who interacts with on a regular basis.&nbsp; That knowledge would inform any answers.&nbsp; Often I have a personality matrix of some sort to guide how he'd interact.&nbsp; There is some improv here.&nbsp; I have not yet written an AI that can predetermine every possible answer to every possible question.&nbsp;&nbsp; I do know though that it rained a lot last week and if the group asks about the weather the barkeep will tell them how the rains have kept business slow or something like that.I am very uncertain that I could assemble any combination of players who play in my campaigns and this turn out well.&nbsp; The world would go to pot quick.&nbsp; It would be a mishmash of discordant ideas and fanciful sidepaths.&nbsp; Note I didn't say that your group would be this way.&nbsp; I don't doubt that some of you have great groups for this style of play.&nbsp; I just don't think many around me are pulling it off that I know about.&nbsp; In fact,&nbsp; I'm not sure I know of anyone even trying.It's less mystery.&nbsp; It's more consistency and verisimilitude.&nbsp; I think you see the GM though controlling the flow of the game far more than I see the GM doing that.&nbsp; Perhaps you are thinking of a GM who basically just runs APs all the time and uses a world like Golarion.&nbsp;&nbsp; Nothing wrong with that style either but it is not my style.&nbsp;&nbsp; I'd find such a style about as much fun as I'd find your style.&nbsp;&nbsp; Meaning with the right people I'd try it once like I would play most any boardgame once.&nbsp;&nbsp; A one off is a small commitment.&nbsp; I don't think though for me I'd want to invest years of my gaming time doing it.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Emerikol, post: 8234682, member: 6698278"] I think there are many DMs who have an agenda but I think a true sandbox DM does not have an agenda. He has the truth yes but that truth is vast and varied and what the players do with it is up to them. So the DM is not really trying to get the players to do anything. He is providing information about what is true in the world. The players decide what to do from that. Now it is absolutely true that if the players up and decide to steal and ship and sail it to a non-existent island they won't succeed at finding an island. They could have just as easily hired on as caravan guards or looked for rumors in the local tavern. Lots of things are going on in the world. It is part of what I would call skilled play. Good players do all of that. Good players also equip resources to accomplish the mission. So yes there is a payoff to doing things well. You are far more likely to succeed and the satisfaction of a great plan coming together is very fun. At least for me. I think it is a fine descriptor but it is not the primary purpose of the campaign. Players will set goals and advance those goals by doing actions in the campaign. Obviously knowledge is power so they will try to gather the knowledge they need to overcome whatever obstacles block their path. For example, a player may want revenge against the man who murdered his father and usurped the throne forcing his mother into a marriage. That is a goal that will not be accomplished on day one of a campaign. But they player will build his strength and one day he will return. This is fun for a lot of people. I am very much in the campaign where the very best campaign was when I didn't know a single monster in the monster manual and everything was mysterious. I didn't know all the magic items. I was truly exploring not only the world but the very creatures within it. That is hard to maintain after many campaigns but that sense of wonder is the very best to me. So yeah absolutely I want to maintain a sense of wonder about the game. It is why I often create my own monsters, spells, and magic items. Wonder is a big part of the game. Usually, the barkeep is detailed as to his life and those who interacts with on a regular basis. That knowledge would inform any answers. Often I have a personality matrix of some sort to guide how he'd interact. There is some improv here. I have not yet written an AI that can predetermine every possible answer to every possible question. I do know though that it rained a lot last week and if the group asks about the weather the barkeep will tell them how the rains have kept business slow or something like that. I am very uncertain that I could assemble any combination of players who play in my campaigns and this turn out well. The world would go to pot quick. It would be a mishmash of discordant ideas and fanciful sidepaths. Note I didn't say that your group would be this way. I don't doubt that some of you have great groups for this style of play. I just don't think many around me are pulling it off that I know about. In fact, I'm not sure I know of anyone even trying. It's less mystery. It's more consistency and verisimilitude. I think you see the GM though controlling the flow of the game far more than I see the GM doing that. Perhaps you are thinking of a GM who basically just runs APs all the time and uses a world like Golarion. Nothing wrong with that style either but it is not my style. I'd find such a style about as much fun as I'd find your style. Meaning with the right people I'd try it once like I would play most any boardgame once. A one off is a small commitment. I don't think though for me I'd want to invest years of my gaming time doing it. [/QUOTE]

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