[gurps] sandbox / open world campaigns

[Victor J. Raymond]

> >>> Are there any guides for creating sandbox / open world campaigns?
> 
> I'm not very good at this, but the other GM in our group is.  Based on  
> my observations of him, I'd advise the following.  Be aware this  
> advice comes 2nd hand.
> 
> 1. Expend to spend significant amounts of time and effort fleshing out  
> your campaign world.

This is not necessarily true; you simply have to have enough plotted out ahead
of time to interact with your players.  Mind you, this doesn't mean you can't
plot out lots of stuff ahead because you enjoy doing so.

> 2. Come up with several big threads/arcs that are affecting the game  
> world allow them to come to the attention of your PCs.

Except, and this is a big philosophical discussion, that if you plot TOO much,
it ends up not being a "sandbox" campaign - you've simply done a really BIG
story-arc campaign.  So plot enough that there are things going on, but don't
plot so much that there's a railroad station around every corner.

> 3. Provide your players with lots of background material so that they  
> can make informed decisions.

Again, only as much as the characters themselves would be aware of - that's all
that's necessary.  A good example of this would be the introductory scenario for
Empire of the Petal Throne:  you are all starting off as barbarians from another
place, recently arrived in a highly-stratified, caste-conscious society - you
don't know much and the locals think you're at the bottom of the barrel.  Your
goal?  Learn about the society and get ahead!

> 4. Get your PCs to decide what they want to do next (e.g. via e-mail)  
> *before* the next gaming session.

That helps, but again, it isn't completely necessary.

> 5. Have ideas in place to force the action if they seem bored or  
> unsure about what to do next.

This *used* to be referred to as "rolling for wandering monsters" - but
seriously, watch the railroading aspect of it all.  If the players aren't sure
what to do, present them with something, but don't turn it into a plot you
already know where it is going.

> 6. Have some exciting (random?) encounters at the ready to slow them  
> down if they start down a path you're not ready for yet.
> 7. The motives of your NPCs is of paramount concern; you should alway  
> be confident about who your NPCs will react to any situation.

Both of these make a good deal of sense.

There's been a lot of discussion about sandbox campaigns in relation to "old
school" D&D gaming.  One place where some of this discussion has taken place is
the ODD74 discussion board - www.odd74.proboards76.com - if it might help, you
might go there to see what people have been talking about.

One more note: while "sandbox play" might be how it is referred to in CRPGs,
it's definitely a much OLDER form of play, and did not originate there.  The
original D&D campaigns, Greyhawk and Blackmoor, were very much of this sort.

Victor Raymond
vraymond at iastate.edu