Miskatonic University Podcast 14- Sandbox or Published?

Dr. Gerard · Post by **Dr. Gerard** » Fri Sep 14, 2012 8:12 pm

trevlix wrote:So this may be a dumb question, but I was talking to someone about this today and wanted to make sure I was using the term correctly.

A "sandboxed" scenario is one in which the location is defined, along with perhaps some events, and leaves it up to the players to travel anywhere within that location with the GM filling in the details as they go.

This is as opposed to a linear scenario which defines the events and locations along with the order they should happen in.

I'd say that pretty much covers it.

But most scenarios fall somewhere in between the extremes. In an extreme "railroad" scenario, players might feel like their choices don't have a significant effect on the story. In a completely open "sandbox," players might wander around with no cohesive goal. I think it's fair to say that one looks for a balance that fits the particular tastes of the group members, including the Keeper.

Post by **Keeper Dan** » Sat Sep 15, 2012 10:48 pm

Think of it like this... In a sandbox type campaign, the players are welcome to make radical choices in where they go and what they do. The GM will offer hooks for different plots, but the players are welcome to ignore them and, say, go off to California or Japan instead of the scenario laid out for them.
In video game terms, it's the difference between Grand Theft Auto (sandbox) vs. Doom or Quake (linear).

Dr. Gerard · Post by **Dr. Gerard** » Wed Sep 19, 2012 3:11 pm

Keeper Dan wrote:Grand Theft Auto (sandbox) vs. Doom or Quake (linear).

Nicely said!

Atari Raiders of the Lost Arc vs. Atari Zaxxon.

Legend of Zelda vs. Dragon's Lair

Minecraft vs. Minesweeper.

WiseWolf · Post by **WiseWolf** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 4:12 pm

Very good show indeed. I just finished it this morning. I want to jump in and recommend Tremulus. It is currently going through a Kick Starter and it has just a few days left. The game is based on the Apocalypse World Engine, and it has a strong Lovecraftian feeling to it. It is a huge Sandbox IMO and it is really really good. In a similar way as Fiasco, it allows the players to work out what kind of scenario they want to play at the very beginning of the game and moves from there. The Keeper has all the info of the world, so based on that he will be creating the scenario. The kickstarter is about to finish so I recommend you to take a look at it before it finishes:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/122 ... video.html

Dr. Gerard · Post by **Dr. Gerard** » Fri Sep 21, 2012 10:06 pm

WiseWolf wrote:Very good show indeed. I just finished it this morning. I want to jump in and recommend Tremulus. It is currently going through a Kick Starter and it has just a few days left. The game is based on the Apocalypse World Engine, and it has a strong Lovecraftian feeling to it. It is a huge Sandbox IMO and it is really really good. In a similar way as Fiasco, it allows the players to work out what kind of scenario they want to play at the very beginning of the game and moves from there. The Keeper has all the info of the world, so based on that he will be creating the scenario. The kickstarter is about to finish so I recommend you to take a look at it before it finishes:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/122 ... video.html

Sounds great!

jovial1 · Post by **jovial1** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 9:29 am

I wanted to thank you guys - I think this is the relevant episode - for mentioning the various Actual Plays of Masks of Nyarlathotep. I was considering trying to start in on this campaign. Considering I've run precisely one scenario, though, I'm thinking it'll be better to listen to these first and try sticking to shorter experiences to start with.

In regards to sand boxing vs. per-written stuff, I think a game master for any game needs to be somewhat prepared for things to go off the rails at any time. But I'm going to try to take to heart the notion that each investigative scene needs one clue that will be provided without a roll. (Provided the investigators are actually looking. If they aren't searching this library, they don't find the journal sitting in the desk drawer.)

As always, I love the podcast!

Jason

Scriven · Post by **Scriven** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:10 pm

jovial1 wrote:In regards to sand boxing vs. per-written stuff, I think a game master for any game needs to be somewhat prepared for things to go off the rails at any time. But I'm going to try to take to heart the notion that each investigative scene needs one clue that will be provided without a roll. (Provided the investigators are actually looking. If they aren't searching this library, they don't find the journal sitting in the desk drawer.)

Agreed. As far as doling out clues is concerned, I also believe that Keepers should reward players who ask intelligent or perceptive questions, or roleplay a scene exceptionally well, with higher quality information and leads without necessarily requiring a roll. This was indeed one of my favorite MUP episodes -- great discussion. BTW, Jason, I just moved away from Columbia this past October. Are you in touch with the good folks at the Columbia Gamers Guild?

Michael

jovial1 · Post by **jovial1** » Fri Apr 12, 2013 7:19 pm

Scriven wrote:
jovial1 wrote:In regards to sand boxing vs. per-written stuff, I think a game master for any game needs to be somewhat prepared for things to go off the rails at any time. But I'm going to try to take to heart the notion that each investigative scene needs one clue that will be provided without a roll. (Provided the investigators are actually looking. If they aren't searching this library, they don't find the journal sitting in the desk drawer.)
Agreed. As far as doling out clues is concerned, I also believe that Keepers should reward players who ask intelligent or perceptive questions, or roleplay a scene exceptionally well, with higher quality information and leads without necessarily requiring a roll. This was indeed one of my favorite MUP episodes -- great discussion. BTW, Jason, I just moved away from Columbia this past October. Are you in touch with the good folks at the Columbia Gamers Guild?

Michael

I'm not, actually. A couple friends used to be associated with RoundCon, but group politics have led them to another organization. I'll have to look them up, though.

It must be a challenge to work in additional information for characters that role-play well, or ask smart questions but I can see where the dividends would pay out in the long run. I'll have to keep that in mind as I start to plan my own scenarios.

fox01313 · Post by **fox01313** » Mon Nov 04, 2013 3:06 am

Great topic as there's plenty of adventures where the group will wind up doing something a little wacky where a published scenario might wind up having a few open sandbox sections as the keeper has to adjust to something that's either not in the scenario at all or barely detailed. Just because the trail of breadcrumbs goes off a cliff, it still would be hard to predict when the group will be finding a safe path down the cliffside, taking the long scenic route or just getting on a truck that's on fire shooting at cultists in a nearby truck while both trucks go off the cliff into the river below.

While the audio is quite rough for the audio play of The Lock-In from the other audio plays I've listen to from that same convention, the story was rather interesting & thought the red herring in here for the continuing players is a good one that can be used in quite a few other scenarios as treasure spell effectively. Won't spoil the scenario but just never found what mythos elements in the adventure to be something I never read up on all that much (as just seemed a bit silly & not as threatening as other things). The cast of characters in this one though is rather odd collection but seems to work out well for a group. So like other one-shot audio plays I wouldn't mind hearing a few other groups trying this one to see what other combinations might happen with it.