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jayem
2018-04-13, 04:36 AM
This is a thread to create a small sandbox world, (in the process discussing bits of it in relationship to the issues).

At some point we may want to test players interaction. In theory we should be able to roleplay multiple players in a roleplay, but I think that might be confusing for some. So it may be worth some people reserving themselves as players (they can of course do PC creation in the time the others are being the split-personality-DM).

Things that are obvious about the setting are to be in plain text. Things that are a bit more subtle are in spoilers (so they can be ignored by the 'players'). Things you really don't want the players to know are to be ciphered using vigenere and an easy phrase/word (this means we can verify after the fact), obviously toy need to watch out for that time.

Vaguely D&D setting in a standard medievel fantasy world.
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Starting in a farming village near a big city.
The big city is a near the end of a huge estuary (think some of the inland dutch cities on the Rhine/Rjin). Large ships can get there but with difficulty, the next city downstream is the preferred port.
The village is on the main road to the city. Among other things it contains a mill. Like all stereotype Millers. Robert the Miller exploits a local monopoly, giving short measure, and worse.

He doesn't work for himself. Some of this extra money goes to (TBC when there's more NPC's).


This is completely optional, ATM, the miller doesn't really care about the players.


So want general details of the wider world, and specific details of the local village and city. (and then a bit of general theoretical discussion about it)

Segev
2018-04-13, 11:21 AM
I'm not sure what you're looking for here in the way of responses. What do you want people to contribute to this thread?

jayem
2018-04-13, 04:54 PM
I'm not sure what you're looking for here in the way of responses. What do you want people to contribute to this thread?
Short term, basically the sort of thing that belongs on the worldbuilding thread and (a bit later on) the game threads. Places, factions/NPC's, interesting features, things I can't think of yet.

However unlike those threads, I'm really not interested in the world being built. What matters is the considerations that the GM (and to a lesser extent the players) are having to take into account. What bits are naturally more linear and more sandboxy or designed that way? How much agency do the players have (and how can it be changed)? Does it devolve in a random mess, is the GM the players slave? How do you get players to interact with the NPC's?

So I'm hoping fairly soon there will be interesting tangents, and slightly different approaches and that as soon as there are enough concrete, shared&experimental, examples that they are also discussed theoretically.
However I don't want the examples to be fully built retrospectively to suit the theory. E.g. starting from wanting a quantum ogre example and then working backwards to find situations where they may be good or bad, believable or unbelievable (a little nudge might be relevant to help the discussion start).

Anyhow to add a little more
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The city has 5 gates (though it may have expanded outside them in some directions). These gates are locked at night, to prevent untaxed liquor entering and weapons arriving, minimalise night burglary, etc... During the day guards inspect incomers and leavers for the same reasons.

Needless to say other people have resolved this, some, but not all, of the guards are corrupt, some smugglers have secret ways in (TBC)


Needless to say the players will be forced to deal with the gates/walls in some fashion every time they enter/leave the city. Most of the time waiting it out and obeying all the rules will be an option.