RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Let's say you start with the "Lands of Mystery" map from Chris West, or the "Forgotten Realms" map. You set the party in Location A, and let the PCs hear of adventure, and forgotten treasures over in Location B, and court intrigue over in Location C, and a grand villain to oppose in Location D, and some lost civilizations, and so on ... If a player comes up with a character concept that involves some opportunity to resolve an issue in game time, like "I want to find my lost sister" or "I am the rightful Heir of the Principality of Nerond", then that plot is likely to be addressed in the course of the campaign. That's certainly a sandbox.
Let's say you announce to your players that you plan to run the "Age of Worms" Adventure Path. At the beginning of the campaign, you know exactly where the PCs will be when they hit 9th Level. That's certainly not a sandbox.
There's some middle ground. In "Red Hand of Doom", there's an enormous invasion heading towards a major city, and the party has about a month and a half to do whatever they like to slow it down or weaken it. That's not quite a sandbox --no Principality of Nerond for you-- but the module doesn't assume a foregone conclusion as to how the PCs will handle the problem.
I think that the closest we've seen to a sandbox AP chapter is The End of Eternity, and even that has hooks. The campaign setting could be considered a sandbox.
Of course, if you're willing to put in some work you can use adventure paths as setting and let the players game as though they were in a sandbox game. :D My Crimson Throne campaign has the events ticking along in the background and the players occasionally interacting with the plot, but for the most part they're doing their own thing (and even when they do interact with the plot they tend to do it on their own terms instead of as anticipated by the AP).
I think it's a play style as much as anything.
I agree with whats been said. I personally consider a sandbox as any game where theres a world setting and lots of random events happening with or without the pcs involvement like the real world. The action/story follows the pcs whether that means lots of killing of goblins in the local ruins, running packages from kingdom to kingdom, or setting up a merchant shop and selling wares(as boring as that would be). If the pcs are interested its important. I agree though it requires good improv, lots of ready prep to throw in, and most important involved self-motivated players.
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Ok, let's compare two classic adventure modules that are examples for the sandbox style and a plot driven style.
B2 Keep on the Borderlands is the perfect example for a Sandbox style adventure. The adventure covers the description of the keep and some of it's inhabitants and it covers the descriptions of the caves of chaos with it's inhabitants. There is no overarching plot or deeper elements to this set-piece. It is up to the DM and players to create a story out of these, in itself lifeless, elements. Cretive players might try to play the various races of the caves against each other ala Last Man Standing. Or the players might mistrust the Keep inhabitants and try to flush out the perceived traitor. Or they might just go, kill things and take their stuff. Or they just leave and go in search of the unknown...
In essence, in a sandbox adventure/campaign there is not plot and the players drive the adventure/campaign by creating the their own story.
On the other hand, I6 Ravenlost is the perfect example of a non-sandbox plot driven adventure. This adventure module not only provides a setpiece, the legendary Castle Ravenloft and it's inhabitants. It also provides an overarching backstory and a tight knit plot that fits with the story. Once the PCs are inside the mists of Ravenloft, they have to follow a certain path to finish the adventure and be able to leave Barovia. In this style of adventure, the plot somehow limits what the players can do but also provides clear motivations to follow this plot.
Please not that this constitutes no judgement of either style as both have their ups and downs.
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A game where the PCs have been shrunken to fine size and must fight giant ants and toddlers to protect the legendary sand-castle. Beware for what's buried in the sandbox is rarely considered "treasure".
Oh wait...
A sandbox is a mythical game where the PCs are put on a map and given the option of exploring anywhere and doing anything. Which usually results in the PCs burning down the town and getting TPK'd by the town guard then complaining about the DM not putting enough work into the story.
As opposed to the Path style campaign, which is where the PCs are railroaded, cajoled, bribed and threatened into following a predetermined plot-path in the hopes of creating a cohesive and interesting plot. It usually ends with the PCs burning down the town and getting TPK'd by the town guard and complaining the DM didn't give the PCs enough freedom.
This post is highly critical of both methods of role-playing, just to remain fair and balanced.
It's an open world. So instead of following plots, the PCs are free to roam about a chunk of world.
The term "chunk of world" is important. That's the "box" part of "sandbox" -- the campaign creator sets up a certain area with plenty of detail, with the tacit agreement that the players will confine their adventures to that area (mostly).
That's not always the case Hogarth. In the case of my campaigns, no areas except the PC's home towns are outlined before the game begins, and then they are free to go wherever and do whatever (or be drawn into whatever by circumstances) and everything evolves in play.It's an open world. So instead of following plots, the PCs are free to roam about a chunk of world.The term "chunk of world" is important. That's the "box" part of "sandbox" -- the campaign creator sets up a certain area with plenty of detail, with the tacit agreement that the players will confine their adventures to that area (mostly).
I wouldn't call that a "sandbox" game, though. Maybe "improvisational" or "free-form".
YTMV. (Your Terminology May Vary)
EDIT: Here's what Wikipedia has to say about sandbox games. The "Elder Scrolls" and "Grand Theft Auto" series are two popular examples.
I'm going to do the hideous and bring up video games in a tabletop RP discussion, but I find these analogies help. Please take them for what they are: analogies.
Anyway, if you're familiar with the Elder Scrolls series---those are largely "sandbox" games. There's stuff going on in a fleshed out world, but you can basically wander around and do what you like, and the world will just respond accordingly. There's very little you can do "wrong" but NPCs will react accordingly to you depending on your actions. (EDIT: ARGH! Ninjaed by Hogarth)
(Obviously I'm going with the definition where the DM does prepare, but in terms of worldbuilding and less so in terms of plot, or at least the players can ignore the plot and do what they like. I suppose the difference is whether it's the DM's sandbox or the players'.)
The other end of the spectrum would be something like Final Fantasy games where you have a very strictly linear plot and very narrow, one-directional room for character development--but the story that's there, railroad that it is, is pretty complex. Like, if you were running out of a pre-published module and read the narrative text exactly with no adaptations of your own.
Most DMs aim for "Baldur's Gate" or "Torment" style games in terms of having a generally linear storyline (at some point you will encounter certain people at certain times and usually fight... or chat with... a big boss at the end) but a lot of how you get to key locations or who you ally with is up to you.
And of course on the tabletop things very far more widely due to the all-important human element, but I hope the comparison is useful.
On the tabletop, sandbox games can be fun, but you need 1) very experienced players who are proactive and willing to take matters into their own hands (I tried to run a sandbox urban adventure, and ended up with my players staring at me as if to say, "So, where's the dungeon and the treasure and the big bad already?"), and 2) a very experienced GM (I make no claims to being one, which might be why my experiment didn't work) who is able to react on the fly to the players' decisions. Even with a preprepared gameworld, there's often a lot of quick decision making a DM has to make in a sandbox style game.
If this is your game's BBEG, it's a sandbox game.
Pack up, DB won the thread, time to go home.
PS: You owe me a soda.
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If this is your game's BBEG, it's a sandbox game.Pack up, DB won the thread, time to go home.
PS: You owe me a soda.
*bows*
Thank you, thank you.