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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 5021453" data-attributes="member: 22779">My idea of sandbox seems to jive with how you describe it.  The world is created in big hexes and various adventure locations seeded throughout.  However, I think where I might be going wrong is that I assumed that those adventure locations are static in that they don't change dependent upon the characters being played.  If the DM places "Spooky Castle" on Hex A7, then that will always be a spooky castle.  It won't suddenly morph into a castle inhabited by living people with a serving baron controlling the local countryside.  It's going to be an "undead (or something suitably creepy) adventure location".So, if my party, consisting of any PC's, arrives at Hex A7, then they will see a spooky castle.  That castle will not change (well, until the PC's actually interact with it of course - killing the baddies and taking it over is always an option. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> ) whether I have a LG group of paladins or a NE group of assassins.Apparently this is where I'm getting things wrong.Now, my question again is, if sandbox elements can change depending on the characters, then why do they change?  If I go to Cave C in the Caves of Chaos and the inhabitants there are based on the group that I bring with me, why?  Why do the inhabitants change from orcs to dopplegangers (as an example)?Which is pretty close to how I play as well.---------------------An anology (and a non-food one at that <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> ) comes to mind.  I see sandbox play like Lego.  You have the elements - blocks, flat pieces, whatever, at the start and the players along with the GM work together to build something.  What they build is pretty much unknown at the start.  There are some limitations, of course, since Lego only comes in certain shapes, but, the goal of play is to build something.I see story based play, or "Limited Scenario" ( a term that Ariosto uses that I think fits perfectly) as closer to building puzzles.  You have pieces at the beginning and you have a pretty good idea of what it should look like at the end.  However, how you get from A to Z is up to the players and the GM.  You could build the outside first, you could sort the pieces, you could just place them as you go.  That's up to the players.  But, your final picture is pretty much completely known at the outset.  The goal here is the process of building that picture, not the picture itself.Note, that neither activity is better than the other.  Just the focus tends to be different.  Lego builds organically with each person adding what they think is interesting.  The process is fun but the end result is fairly unknown which can result in your Lego tower being unstable and crashing to the ground.Puzzles can be fun as well, but, can suffer from too much structure, (too much railroading) and can be terribly confining.  Me?  Personally, sometimes I like puzzles and sometimes I like Lego.</blockquote>

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