tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post8267758103499658779..comments2024-03-29T07:44:02.365-04:00Comments on Dreams in the Lich House: The Sandbox TriangleJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18031181424520125213noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-73834847894369301642013-11-20T23:24:49.263-05:002013-11-20T23:24:49.263-05:00I definitely have the NPCs potter about and change...I definitely have the NPCs potter about and change things, much to my player's chagrin. There they are expecting things to wait patiently for them when things spring off! It's one of the reasons why they don't like having multiple missions placed in front of them because they normally try to figure out how to do all of them in a few days rather than risk one resolving itself or being resolved by someone else.Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00456068019298922261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-4955988777172976212012-02-26T14:41:47.971-05:002012-02-26T14:41:47.971-05:00"Where do you plan to go next week?" was..."Where do you plan to go next week?" was absolutely critical in the sandbox Traveller game I ran last spring. Arguably an idea which should be more common in the sandboxing literature.jedavishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08586249502818922886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-53944060137062817602011-07-25T09:00:31.156-04:002011-07-25T09:00:31.156-04:00I'm with you. A cool thing I blogged about a ...I'm with you. A cool thing I blogged about a month or so ago, was how Gygax ran Castle Greyhawk - I have post on it here <a href="http://dreamsinthelichhouse.blogspot.com/2011/06/improvisation-and-greyhawk.html" rel="nofollow">Improvisation and Greyhawk</a>. Really amazing. Put together some barebones notes, use a lot of improv where necessary, and like you said - let the players direct where they want the spot light to shine, and stay just ahead of the players in prep.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18031181424520125213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-13122439609256131802011-07-23T11:22:30.893-04:002011-07-23T11:22:30.893-04:00I think that you and I are in the same ballpark in...I think that you and I are in the same ballpark in regard to sandboxes. This assumption that such settings are entirely static without player intervention is baffling to me.<br /><br />One technique (which you sort of refer to here) that can help a lot with prep time is what James Maliszewski calls "Just In Time" prep. That is to say, the Referee preps the main area, but only preps any detail on those areas which the players choose to explore. For instance, in his Dwimmermount, he started with little more than the first level or two of the eponymous megadungeon, some notes on the other nearby areas, and some notes on the city and town nearest to Dwimmermount. As the players explored, they would indicate in which direction they intended to go, and JM proceeded to flesh out those things. In addition to that, a lot of his prep was done at the game table - when the players asked a question about something new, he'd either just make up the answer then and there or roll on a table. That resulted in some of his most interesting creations, such as the animal kings.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.com