Sandbox campaign logs?

[Yora]

You always read a lot about the benefits of sandbox play, but I've never seen any discriptions of how it actually plays out in practice, when done well.
Does anyone know of any good campaign logs?

[inexorabletruth]

Hm... I don't have any campaign logs, but I only run sandbox campaigns on the PbP forum right here on GiTP and people say nice things about the ones I run. Feeling a little awkward now... But anyway, if you'd like, you can follow the links on my DM registry and the active campaign in my signature.

I find it's best to run sandbox campaigns over PbP because it allows the DM time to thoroughly read a post, compare it with any notes the DM already has and really think about the consequences of a PC's actions before replying. Over table-top or voice/video chat, DM's have to think quickly and make a lot of snap judgments which, unless you really know your stuff, can sometimes results in bad calls, or railroading. I think it's important for a DM of a sandbox game to create a world that feels alive, organic, and completely open-ended without feeling chaotic and impractical.

It means, for me anyway, a lot of hours pouring over character sheets and back stories, rule books, online research, NPC backstories and maps, but I think the players deserve my best effort, and they usually reward me with amazing role playing. ^_^

[hymer]

My players write synopses sometimes, but I'm afraid I've never done a campaign log. I'm always iffy about writing them up, as their point would be to keep everyone updated and as a note tool. But I believe the players should write them, as the DM will tend to give things away, clear things up that shouldn't have been, and emphasize things that will prove important later because of her/his unique perspective.
Just keeping the thread alive, I guess; a good campaign log would be interesting to me too.

[Thrudd]

You always read a lot about the benefits of sandbox play, but I've never seen any discriptions of how it actually plays out in practice, when done well.
Does anyone know of any good campaign logs?

There's some good logs over at autarch's forums for ACKS. This one was worth the read, it took three threads.

http://www.autarch.co/forums/actual-...du-ch%C3%A2tel
http://www.autarch.co/forums/actual-...m-fist-part-ii
http://www.autarch.co/forums/actual-...-fist-part-iii

[TheCountAlucard]

Given my tendency to go off on random tangents, I can't call any of my campaign logs good, but I did a campaign log of a sandbox game of Exalted a few years back, in which the player characters were freshly-empowered Green Sun Princes. "Rise of the Green Sun Princes" was the name, it's here on GitP if you dig for it.

[Radar]

Well, there was this solo campaign about a lowly Commoner trying to get by. I think it could be seen as sandbox, since there was no overarching plot or anything like that:
Joe Wood

The story was complied on this site, but I'm not sure, if it's all of it.

[Kaun]

Well, there was this solo campaign about a lowly Commoner trying to get by. I think it could be seen as sandbox, since there was no overarching plot or anything like that:
Joe Wood

The story was complied on this site, but I'm not sure, if it's all of it.

I think you can do an overarching plot and a sandbox at the same time. If the players can decided how they interact with the plot (if at all) then i still think it counts as sand box.

[Comet]

The Black City Project is a lot of weird fun and the guy behind it has a lot to say about sandbox D&D in particular. Definitely a good read.