Running a Sandbox-style campaign, where the players head out into the world with naught but a sense of adventure? Here are some tips.
Sandbox campaigns are an amazing concept. The idea is that you, the Dungeon Master, prepare and provide a detailed world that is so deeply imagined it draws the players in. And their characters set out into the world, searching for adventure. Going where their whims take them.
But like any campaign style, a Sandbox campaign has its pitfalls. You might find yourself staring at the expectant faces of your players, who can’t seem to figure out that adventure is right there. Or worse yet, you haven’t even started playing yet, and you’re feeling burnt out. But, as is often the case, it just comes down to knowing what you need. And for a Sandbox campaign? You need less than you think; though you do need a different set of specifics than a normal campaign.
You Still Need Plot Hooks
One thing to keep in mind is that a Sandbox campaign is player-driven, yes; but they still need a reason to get in the car. And prepping “plot hooks” is still an important part of the DM’s job, it’s just that a Sandbox plot hook looks a little different. Because it has a different goal. It’s not to get your players to follow a given story; these hooks are meant to pull them deeper into the world and their characters.
Good sandbox-style hooks do one of two things. They either interest the player in exploring the world or in getting into character. Not that it has to be a roleplay hook. Someone playing a Fighter who protects the innocent is going to leap at opportunities to protect the innocent. The Rogue who loves gold will probably want a chance to make some profit.
Or, you give them cool things about the world to explore, like “a group of crimson-cloaked bandits with strange, crystal weapons have been seen attacking travelers in the nearby forest.” A reason to go out into the Sandbox and play. I find it helpful to think of these as prepping short little “situations” that the players might stumble upon. Just true things about the world that happen to invite further play.
Points Of Interest
There’s a meme about sandbox video games, that shows a mini map crammed with collectible items, mystic shrines to attune to, blacksmith shops, minigame opportunities (who doesn’t wanna play gwent) etc. And while yeah, video games have to plan those out almost excessively, your Sandbox campaign still needs them.
But it doesn’t need as much as you think. The important thing is to have something interesting about the world to explore. A ruined tower on the world map. Or a haunted forest that is said to hold a treasure. You don’t need to map out everything about them; that’s what playing is for. You discover the world as you play, but you need the idea of “hey there’s this cool thing over here if you want to go see it”.
Random Encounter Tables
Perhaps one of the most important things about a Sandbox campaign aside from “having a reason to head out into the world,” is “having interesting things happen on the way.” And for that, we have Random Encounters.
Again, you don’t have to plan them out completely. What I love to do is come up with a bunch of encounters, and by encounters I mean everything from running into monsters for combat, sure, but also friendly NPCs, weird geographical features that let me say something cool about the world or one of the characters. An encounter can be an event, a fight, an opportunity to buy stuff. A big part of the fun of this for a DM is giving yourself something to be surprised by when the PCs are heading to the ruined tower, or out looking for the bandits. You don’t need all the stat blocks, just enough to give yourself a runway.
Interesting People In The World
Even if you are running the grittiest, most realistic, Kingdom Come: Deliverance style game, where most of the people are just peasants, you gotta give the players interesting people to bounce off of. NPCs, for sure. But you also need factions.
Factions help your world feel dynamic. Because if the Empire goes to war with the Kingdom, and the Federation is caught up in the middle, it feels like the world has forces greater than an individual pushing on it. It gives players and their characters something dynamic to react to.
A Small Town, Village, Or The Like To Start In
You can tie all of the above together with a town. I like to have PCs start in a smaller town for a Sandbox campaign. It comes with the perception of like a ‘limited space’ that makes leaving it easy. And also you don’t have to figure out a ton of info about a village.
Especially since all you need for a Sandbox campaign is a place to start (and rest) at least one dungeon/interesting place to explore nearby, and some plot hooks, random encounters, and rumors as to the above.
Hopefully these tips can help your Sandbox campaign avoid the pitfalls of the genre!
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Source: Bell of Lost Souls
