Comments on: You Can Use Your Sandbox Too

By: David Reese

David Reese — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:03:47 +0000

Back when I was running a more episodic-type game, there was one session where we were waiting for one of the players to arrive. To pass the time, I let the players play out whatever their pc's happened to be doing in town that day. It was great fun, and set the seeds for some great moments later on. (Also, the orc that one of my players conned into indentured servitude was quite helpful when the adventure for the night finally did begin.) I liked having some sandbox time before the official start of the planned adventure for the session.

By: whateley23

whateley23 — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:25:36 +0000

@Walt Ciechanowski - So, then, something like the capsule adventure seeds that S. John Ross used in his Big List of RPG Plots, plus specific details as needed?

By: Scott Martin

Scott Martin — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:17:03 +0000

@dmmagic - If that style really isn't something you enjoy, speak with them about it. Leaping to "railroad" may cause them violent fits if they are used to no plot at all.

By: Walt Ciechanowski

Walt Ciechanowski — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:26:12 +0000

@whateley23 - Sorry, I used a personal slang term there. Whenever I start designing an adventure, I write a quick blurb at the beginning that describes its basic premise and a few stray thoughts. Since I continually refer to it while drafting, I call it my "mission statement."

By: whateley23

whateley23 — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:53:24 +0000

I'm not sure what, exactly, you mean by "looked at them through the lens of my mission statement". Could you give an example of what a mission statement used for this purpose might look like?

By: dmmagic

dmmagic — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:29:01 +0000

In editions 3 and 3.5, my players were a big fan of the Chaotic Neutral alignment. It let them do pretty much whatever they want, and it made my life miserable, so it was a win-win for them. As such, I had to be ready for everything, and I did that by learning how to improvise 100%. I got to the point where I hardly ever prepped in advance beyond sitting and thinking for 30 minutes to an hour, flipping to a random monster or three, and waiting to see what they'd do. I think I'm going to be a bit more railroading in 4th ed >_>

By: nolandda

nolandda — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:17:34 +0000

The origin of the phrase "in a pickle" is described here. Zinzarin is correct in his analysis.

By: deadlytoque

deadlytoque — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:07:51 +0000

This is more-or-less how I run all my games. I come up with a few interesting NPCs, and I ask the players to do the same between sessions. Recently, I’ve started putting index cards on the table, and anybody can grab one and fill it out with a Who-What-When-Where-Why, introducing an already-populated location brimming with plot hooks; in order to encourage players to do it, I reward them with small experience bonuses (I run mostly White Wolf, so I give out 1 xp for a long-term game, or 5 in a short-term game).

I use the first session or two to just let the PCs wander their environment and find their feet, pursuing personal goals. Between sessions, I look at all the NPCs and locations I have, and try to figure out how they could be used for interesting drama. Then I just start hinting at what might be going on under the surface and let the player’s chase what leads they are interested in. Often I’ll tie it all together as the game nears its end, making it look like all the disparate plots were part of a huge Xanatos Gambit (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/XanatosGambit).

By: John Arcadian

John Arcadian — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:06:33 +0000

I tend to be one of those winging it type of GMs, so I definitely use the sandbox. The important thing to remember about sandboxes, is they have some structure to them. Too big of an area to play in and the players get confused and aren't sure where to go. Too little space and they feel like their is no point to it. I like the way you were willing to drop elements if they weren't working. It's always hard to put something in the trash that you've prepped and planned for, or were excited about doing.

By: zinzarin

zinzarin — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 04:44:05 +0000

"In a pickle" comes from Shakespeare's "The Tempest," and it means pretty much what you'd think: it stinks to be immersed in brine, thus it stinks to be in a pickle.