I'm looking for some advice on sandbox gaming.

Back when I started playing 40 years ago, I did plenty of sandbox gaming, because basically that's all I knew.  But then in my grad school days, I found games like WoD and started doing more "story-driven" gaming, which has occupied most of my gaming for 20 years.  Now that I'm planning on making my regular group's game an old-school sandbox, I'm finding that, as I think about it, I'm not sure I know how to best do certain things.

For example, I have my starting area hex map and I've chosen the starting town and placed a fitting "starter dungeon" nearby.  That's all easy.  But how many other plot threads/quest seeds should I throw out right away? Should such things arise only because the players are seeking something that requires me to come up with something or should they arise because the players seem to be floundering? Should the starter dungeon be sufficient, or should more seeds be scattered at the outset? I feel like these questions have easier answers than I think – I pray that I'm overthinking this, and I'm worried that I'll do too much "plotting" from the outset.

I'm also curious about "best practices" at the table.  How do you keep your random tables organized? A laptop or tablet at the table? Or do you keep only hard copies around? Is it OK for the players to realize that you are rolling on a random table in the moment?

What are your favorite sources for such tables?

I probably have more questions, but this will do for now.  Thanks.

My concept of a "sandbox" campaign is one where the players have choice, so I have a few tricks.

(1) When I make a campaign map, I like to put some interesting names on it. Players may say "hey, let's go check out the howling hills" and then I wing it to see what might be there.

(2) I like to have several rumors or possible plotlines worked out. Sometimes I put together something like a newspaper so that they can read and choose options.

(3) If nothing else, I like to drop a big hint that there is a Deep Dungeon full of loot in a certain location. Often they will choose to do that, which becomes a little linear but is their choice. If they go between the dungeon and the starting village, role play it out. Sometimes getting there is as much fun as the actual planned encounter.  :-)

Above all, don't stress. Have a list of cool things they might try, but be ready for them to come up with something you didn't plan on and improvise along the way.

drkrash, starting tomorrow, I'm running a sandbox hexcrawl with my friends using Castles & Crusades.   This will be my first time doing such a game (and one of the few times I've ever gm'ed)  I picked up the d30 Sandbox Companion and like what i see- I'll be using it a bunch.  I'm using Rob Conley's Blackmarsh as a base, and just adding stuff from there.

I'll be peeking in at this thread to see what some of the other folks have to say

Do a rough outline of the area the players are likely to cover, not mapping everything or anything, but just notes for something to think on. Find some random encounter tables, fit the encounters to the outline if you can. If you have 10 strong adventure hooks, lead with the strongest, as the players often will take the first one that comes along, you only really need three or so, as others can be recursive to the first three. Skip boring stuff, like travel through areas where there is no encounter.

estar will have a post filled with extra links on this subject that will help immensely, wait for it.

Otherwise I recommend only a few major things to keep an eye on, and let most of your sandbox stay relatively open for players to putter and poke around in.

First, who's the Holders of Power in the region. Y'know, the ones who can bring armies (or their equivalent) to bear and enforce order. These individuals with their personality set the regional tone, and bat away truly dangerous contenders to their territory (or offer concessions to get them away, compromised, or else to control them).

Two things: first, they don't always show up in the players' lives -- they stay distant until times of major crises, or major rewards. This is to let the players have a chance to enjoy the world, and besides, how often does the everyday person meet with high level Holders of Power? They set the baseline security and attitude and then are conveniently distant until such time things are really, really bad, or really, really good. second, they are not pushovers -- or at the very least their organizational framework is not. If this sentence does not make sense to your sandbox: "I assassinated the Governor! That means I'm now the new governor!", then you have a cogent and lasting Holder of Power organization. This is important because your Holders of Power are not some tissue tiger authorities, to be kicked over as the players chew forth the rest of the scenery -- that way lies reskinned palette swap settings that have no coherent meaning to anyone involved, PCs or NPCs.

Second, you need a Rumor Board of Quests to give PCs alternate things to do besides "The One Main Dungeon." This has its corollary in that just like you should have more than one point of interest, you should have more than one ongoing event in the background. Variety is the spice of life, and it's better to have a buffet where players can take a break from the Main Course now and again.

Now, I do something a little differently from my experience of embedding Missions and Quests within a Sandbox. I offer an array of potential quest directions in the following session -- based on the consequences of the previous ones, naturally -- and let players select what their character would like to pursue in the future. In this way I am not over-preparing for every single hook and burning myself out. If the PCs induce heavy consequences, or have a Patron they need to keep happy, Quests can become Missions where they are assigned to the PCs and often need to be accomplished before too many free funtime quests are done.

Third, as for Best Practices & Random Tables, any method in which you feel most comfortable makes sense. Some people love their tablets. Some games are so gamebook heavy, PDF laden tablets seem like a necessity. Some dig index cards, paper, and folders. I keep my random tables inside my computer and print them out to be collected in a folder. That way I can edit or jot notes on the random table as necessary and later go back to update my files on the computer. It's just less things to carry and I don't have to worry about battery length, or any other CPU issue that can crop up.

As for it being OK for players to realize you are rolling a random table at the moment? Why would they overly care? Besides, I also use a GM Screen (I recommend making your own tailored to your campaign) and I don't tell players what I'm rolling the dice for at every moment -- sometimes I just like to roll dice, because reasons.

I'm running a RQ6 sandbox campaign now. One key item that I use is a list of rumors that the PCs overhear in a bar. Make up a list of stuff, some true, some not, that the PCs can pursue. Not just for the local area but far afield too.

1. The Priests of Orbo are looking for someone to investigate the ruins of an Orbo temple.
2. Drought has decreased grain yields in Brown Provence by 40%.
3. Princess Gwendy of House Thudder has gone missing. The Count is in a panic.
4. A convoy of 6 merchant vessels was attacked by something at sea, only 2 made it away.
Etc... add 20 more.

People seem to find my articles on how to make a fantasy sandbox useful. Also in Blackmarsh I wrote some basic tips for managing a sandbox campaign/

How to Make a Fantasy Sandbox
Blackmarsh

Both are free to download.

There are a couple of approaches.

1: A mapped out region with things actively going on in the background wether the PCs interact with or not and will likely change based on any PC impacts on such ongoing activities.

2: A mapped out region and some starter quests for the PCs. But things develop on the fly from there based on what the PCs show interest in.

From the OPs description though one suggestion are NPCs that mention the locale. Or consider wether knowledge of this dungeon is common knowledge. Something one or more of the PCs would allready know? Other options are an encounter and the PCs can find a map or some notes on one of the bodies. Or rescue an NPC who has such info. And so on.

3: Totally on the fly, even the map develops from play.

4: Random gen for map or adventures or whatever. This style often melds into any of the above as needed.

Quote from: drkrash;897105I feel like these questions have easier answers than I think – I pray that I’m overthinking this, and I'm worried that I'll do too much "plotting" from the outset.

You're right when you think so, bro.

There's no such thing as hard numbers carved in stone, and even if they were, chances are that people you're gonna play with are "different". In fact, in addition to your own capabilities they are the most important factor determining the majority of "whats" and "whens".

Relax. Start easy. Don't plan much ahead. Have a few building blocks (events, NPCs, random encounters - some with no specific meaning and outcome) ready and use them every now and then. Observe reactions. Evolve the story into what seems to be most promising direction.

Everything's gonna be alright.

You don't want too much stuff at the start in terms of plot threads, but you do want an explorable environment.
What I found worked very well for me was a 1 mile/hex starter map set in a 15 miles/hex campaign setting (Wilderlands in this case) with a starter town containing the basics (NPCs, a lord, a temple, an inn, a market) and TWO large dungeons within a half day's travel (I used Caverns of Thracia & Dyson's Delve), with a bit of info on both, so right away the players had the idea it was up to them to choose where to go. Add some simple wandering monster/random encounter tables should the PCs go wandering overland.

I definitely think sandboxing is easier if you have a developed large-scale setting to put it in; World of Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Primeval Thule, Mystara etc. But nearly all actual play will occur in a much smaller area. For that area you need (1) encounter tables, (2) dungeons and (3) some detailed NPCs. Everything else can develop from those; in particular plots & plans should develop upward from the NPCs - and from the PCs - not scripted as 'this is the campaign theme'.

Estar's links are gold, and required reading for anyone interested in sandboxing.

Here's another approach, more "quick-and-dirty":
https://alexschroeder.ch/wiki/Microlite_Campaign

Building on that:
http://www.welshpiper.com/hex-based-campaign-design-part-1/
http://www.welshpiper.com/hex-based-campaign-design-part-2/

Must-read: West Marches
http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/78/grand-experiments-west-marches/
(I don't remember if this gets mentioned in Estar's links...)

Quote from: Opaopajr;897112estar will have a post filled with extra links on this subject that will help immensely, wait for it.

Nice one, I didn't even see this when I made my post.

So people don't have to dig though my Blackmarsh this is the relevant section which concisely summarizes much of what I say on sandbox campaigns.

Introduction
At the dawn of roleplaying, the campaign and its setting were already established.  One could say it preceded the RPG itself, as Dave Arneson adapted the ideas of Major David Wesely’s Braustein game for his Blackmoor campaign.  Slightly later, Gary Gygax created Greyhawk.  From the experience gained with these campaigns, the first roleplaying game was written.  In all the years since, the campaign has been the centerpiece.  Yet few roleplaying games included a fully useable campaign setting with their rules.  

The limits of roleplaying games are only bound by the collective imagination of the referee and his players.  But first time referees are often daunted not only by the effort needed to master the game rules, but also having to create a campaign setting.  Many have given the advice to start out small, to detail a town or village near a dungeon as the initial focus of the campaign.  As the referee gains experience, he can later expand into the surrounding wilderness, fleshing out the campaign setting with as much detail as he wishes.

As good as that advice is, it would help to have examples of what a fleshed out campaign would look like.  Blackmarsh is not meant to define the limits of older editions, but rather their possibilities, to show referees a way of organizing their own campaigns and finally as a source of inspiration.

Blackmarsh was designed to evoke the earliest campaigns of the world’s most popular roleplaying game.  It takes place amid a wilderness full of danger and the possibility of great treasure.  It is organized as a numbered hex grid with locales keyed to specific hexes.  Locales are described briefly in a paragraph or two.  Most locales are meant to serve as a springboard for the referee to create his own details.  In addition, geographical entities, organizations, and realms that span multiple hexes are described as well.  

The Hex Map
A grid of hexes, arranged in columns, make up the map.  The hex numbers are given in a four-digit format (1213, 0114, etc).  For example, 0211 means that it is in the "02" column (the 2nd column of the map) and is 11 hexes down.  Sometimes the hex number will not be clear because of the terrain in the hex.  In this case, you will need to count the hexes.  Each map hex is 5 miles.  

This system of using hex numbers allows a referee to quickly find the locales on the map and what is near a location.  This helps keep the map uncluttered and easy to read.  Geographical features are composed of multiple hexes and are labeled directly on the map.  They are listed alphabetically in that map’s chapter.

Adventuring Advice
This format is designed to make it easy to referee players as they explore the world.  With a list of locales, it is easy for the referee to determine what is over the next hill and what possible challenges the players might face.  In addition, since the players can largely be left to their own devices, this format allows the referee more time to focus on the core adventures in his campaign.

Not every hex location has a description, and the background information is only meant to be a loose framework.  Referees are encouraged to add material and make the setting unique to their campaigns.

It is suggested that to get maximum use of this setting that the referee look over the locales, then chose the ones that best suit the campaign.  Note the NPCs and their circumstances.  Develop a timeline of events as if the characters are not involved.  Detail important locales and add new ones of your own design.  Do the same for the NPCs, and make notes on their motivations and personalities.

After each session of the campaign, review what the players did.  Look at your original timeline of events, see what impact their actions had, and make the needed changes.  Sometimes the players’ actions will lead to a new and unexpected chain of events.  

The creativity of the referee comes by not forcing his players to follow a predetermined story, but to develop new and interesting consequences based on the players’ actions.  Use the NPC’s motivations and personalities to decide which consequences are the most likely and pick the most interesting.

The result is a campaign where the players feel they are forging their character’s destiny within a living, breathing world.  It will not only be fun and adventurous, but also filled with surprises.  Consequences will accumulate and spin the campaign into unexpected directions.

That helps because I wasn't able to DL Blackmarsh.  I have a lot of reading to do! (And then probably more questions.)

Quote from: drkrash;897178That helps because I wasn't able to DL Blackmarsh.  I have a lot of reading to do! (And then probably more questions.)

Mmmm, interesting oh well you can get it for free at RPGNow. And if you wind up liking it a lot I have a print version up there as well. But that not free but pretty darn inexpensive.
http://www.rpgnow.com/product/89944/Blackmarsh