I wouldn’t say that the campaign up until this point has been a railroad job, but there was definitely a track of some sort involved. I guess they could have chosen not to save the world from the douche emperor. So with the end of the campaign arc last session I have decided to mix things up a bit and do more of a sandboxy type deal. There is one slight catch; I haven’t really done something like this before which leaves me fumbling a bit with how to go about things
At first blush it does seem a little more labor intensive than running a module or having a specific plotline that the players are following, and you know how I feel about “labor” given my lazy bastard default setting. Plus I find that the more ambiguous things are the less focused I get which results in less activity and a little avoidance as I struggle with conceptualizing things in my head.
What I have begun to do is create more NPC’s/organizations for the characters to interact with and then tying certain adventure/plot options to them. The players are then free to pick up on the adventure seed or not or pursue something of their own. My one concern is that they are a bit conditioned and I am worried they will just automatically follow the first adventure seed they come upon, and assume this is what I have planned for them. I have been openly stating for a while there will be multiple options as well as a need for them to drive what they want to do, so well see how it shakes loose.
I have a sense of where some for the players might want to take things and have been planning accordingly. For example, I am pretty sure that the Paladin is going to want to hunt down his former man-at-arms who shanked him in the back and left him for dead, funny how something like that will stick with a guy. So I have been thinking a lot about where good ole Sultan Griss might be and the shenanigans he and the splinter faction “the blazing suns” are up too. I think I am going to have him spotted in Neverwinter so I can make use of the cool setting book put out by WOTC. This is one of the things I struggle with as the campaign setting is not supper defined and a bit of a mish mash of generic fantasy. I am not so much a world builder as I am a world pilferer.
Another possible plotline involves the cleric’s desire to build a church, so I have been struggling a bit in conceptualizing what might be involved in that and what complications or challenges to have him overcome. I am thinking some kind of corruption/hoop jumping and religious conflict. I think there is some definite potential for adventure from having parishioners.
So we shall see how it goes. I plan on milking the last bit of the heroic tier for a while. If I get in to trouble and are unprepared for the direction they set of in, well then hey this is 4th edition and you can always eat a lot of time in a surprise combat 
Sandbox games are supposed to be the holy grail of gaming but I think it’s really an overhyped concept. It sounds good on paper, and for some it can really work but I tend to think it’s just a method of having a much less fulfilling game with a lot more work revolved around it.
I’m not saying your game should be strictly linear or too tightly story based but, the way sandbox is often portrayed suggests to me that the DM would have to devote a second jobs worth of effort into making it work.
That’s not to say you can’t have sandbox elements, and this might be your intention what I’m about to describe. I like the idea of having a game with a very structured plot and timeline but with the openness to give the players a chance to effect the outcome of each ‘stage’ of the plot and then adjust accordingly. That at least seems like a much more doable amount of work then trying to open up your world completely.
Paizo came out with the ‘adventure path’ named Kingmaker that attempts to be sandbox. Most reviews are positive in general but there are some criticisms over how dull the series gets towards the end and that the final ‘end game’ even is very slapped on.
yah I think it will be more similar to what your talking about with sandbox elements. I was thinking having some plot elements that they can choose to follow or something they want to have happen or do. I ran Kingmaker for a bit, it was not bad, i could see where some of the criticisms were coming from
At the risk of looking like a spambot, if you really want to run a game that has more player choice and less DM work for the same or better play experience as D&D, then take a look at Dungeon World (google it). It’s in beta right now and you can download the basic rules from their site for free. It’s easy to pick up and learn quickly as long as you leave your D&D baggage at the door. (That’s the hardest part.)
My hardcore 4e group has been playing this for the last couple months and it has been great. It’s less work for me (the DM) and the players feel very much empowered to do what they want. What’s more, the DM gets to play to see what happens rather than, as you say, keep things on a track or do all the work of setting up a “sandbox” game. I’ve even run the same adventure I wrote for two different groups and the outcomes were vastly different and both very fun. Combats are quick, exciting, and interesting.
Give it a look before you put a bunch more effort into what you’re doing. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Thanks for the comment, I will check it out. I have recently been reading Castle and Crusades and may work it into my current campaign. the players have henchmen and I was thinking of running some one shots with the players playing them and maybe use a different rule system for variety.
Sorry, I’m a bit late to the game on this one. Have you seen the 5×5 method of adventure design that was posted on the Critical-Hits blog a few years back? (http://critical-hits.com/2009/06/02/the-5×5-method/) The basic premise is to take five adventures, break them down into five major sections, then assign each section to a location, preferably having various quests overlap in various locations giving the players choices all along the way. (The article does a better job of explaining it than I do.)
While I haven’t had the opportunity to use it (been in a gaming dry spell for a long time, my thirst only partially slated via blogs like this one), it seems like it would work well with what you have set up. That way, even if your players simply jump on the first quest they are offered, you could still work in references to other available quests in places where they overlap.
And if they don’t bite, then you can hardly be accused of railroading when they are the ones driving the train.
Z
hey thanks for the comment. I have seen the 5 by 5 method before. i actually tried a bit earlier in the campaign but one player kept changing his character and another player kind of dropped out so it kind of streamlined things a bit down to a 2×2 method. i am kind of setting things up along those lines currently so we shall see how things go. the other difficulty is playing every month or so makes it difficult to explore multiple story lines.
that sucks that you don’t have a game. is it a lack of games in your area? or a lack of time? if it is the latter have you considered playing online? may fill that itch. I may restart an online game after I write the MCAT this month if you want I can keep you in mind.
Jason
I live in a pretty major city in the deep, deep south, and there are gamers around, just not in the particular area of the city I’m in. It’s just me and one other guy, and we’d have to drive at least 30 minutes to the other side of town to find a game.
That coupled with time constraints that prevent me from playing on the weekends (oh how I miss the marathon weekend sessions of my youth!) preclude me from the opportunities that are out there.
I have played online (play-by-post on Roleplay Market), but it just doesn’t quite scratch the itch in the same way that sitting around a table does.
Speaking of play-by-post, I just remembered that I did something similar to what you are doing now in an online game I was running. I had the group meet in a bar run by a former adventurer (but it was a really cool bar, honestly!) where I had planted seeds for 6-7 adventures (each a different adventure from Necromancer games) and let them decide through RP which one(s) they wanted to pursue. It wasn’t exactly the 5×5 method, but then with PBP, you have a lot more time to prepare for and accommodate unexpected character/player actions.
I think you’re on the right track with what you are doing now with the NPCs/organiztions. And if your group does happen to simply bite at the first hook you toss their way, then you could use something like the surprise combat you mentioned to introduce another hook. (“Why do they always say they’er not the ones we’re looking for? Heartshank ain’t dumb. He knows who owes him money, and he says you do and he says we’re to convince you to repay him. Now.”)
As for the online game you mentioned, judging by the PC goals you mentioned above it sounds like you run a fun game. You have my email address and my interest, so feel free to drop me a line.
Z