Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Azgulor" data-source="post: 5764141" data-attributes="member: 14291">While I agree with this, many GMs do not do well with spontaneously coming up with setting details on the fly, especially if the setting is in a ficitonal setting or even a city which the GM isn't familiar with -- NY neighborhoods/districts are just names to me, for example.I think a sandbox for a superhero game looks much different than a fantasy-RPG wilderness or city map.I actually learned the value of this in something unrelated to RPGs.&nbsp; Back in the 90s, I was heavily into comic collecting and an avid Bat-title buyer/reader.&nbsp; One of the comic mags (now-defunct Wizard, I think?) had a Batman-focused issue.&nbsp; My primary reason for purchasing the comic was the inclusion of a map of Gotham City -- a reproduction of the one used by the Bat-writers at DC.&nbsp; Suddenly, my immersion &amp; appreciation of individual issues increased dramatically, b/c I could see where stories were placed, why the Batmobile traversed a bridge, when the Batboat was a viable vehicle choice, etc.As a comics reader was it necessary?&nbsp; Hell, no.&nbsp; But if I were a GM running a game set in Gotham City, hell YES.Also, as evidenced by the success of products like Paizo's Kingmaker and video games like Arkham City &amp; Skyrim, I think more and more gamers of all stripes are seeking more open world and less (dare I say it) &quot;railroad&quot;-story driven games.It's also been my personal experience that modern, sci-fi, and super RPGs almost require a more open-ended sandbox approach.&nbsp; There are just too many possible ways to tackle a problem given the advanatages of technology, computers, vehicles, etc.&nbsp; When I've tried to &quot;stick to the plot&quot;, my players react to it much like they react to the podracer scene in SW:epI --&quot;why the hell are the Jedi going down this road, again when they could do any of the following...?&quot;YMMV.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Azgulor, post: 5764141, member: 14291"] While I agree with this, many GMs do not do well with spontaneously coming up with setting details on the fly, especially if the setting is in a ficitonal setting or even a city which the GM isn't familiar with -- NY neighborhoods/districts are just names to me, for example. I think a sandbox for a superhero game looks much different than a fantasy-RPG wilderness or city map. I actually learned the value of this in something unrelated to RPGs. Back in the 90s, I was heavily into comic collecting and an avid Bat-title buyer/reader. One of the comic mags (now-defunct Wizard, I think?) had a Batman-focused issue. My primary reason for purchasing the comic was the inclusion of a map of Gotham City -- a reproduction of the one used by the Bat-writers at DC. Suddenly, my immersion & appreciation of individual issues increased dramatically, b/c I could see where stories were placed, why the Batmobile traversed a bridge, when the Batboat was a viable vehicle choice, etc. As a comics reader was it necessary? Hell, no. But if I were a GM running a game set in Gotham City, hell YES. Also, as evidenced by the success of products like Paizo's Kingmaker and video games like Arkham City & Skyrim, I think more and more gamers of all stripes are seeking more open world and less (dare I say it) "railroad"-story driven games. It's also been my personal experience that modern, sci-fi, and super RPGs almost require a more open-ended sandbox approach. There are just too many possible ways to tackle a problem given the advanatages of technology, computers, vehicles, etc. When I've tried to "stick to the plot", my players react to it much like they react to the podracer scene in SW:epI --"why the hell are the Jedi going down this road, again when they could do any of the following...?" YMMV. [/QUOTE]

Verification