Is Old-School Really "Easier" than New School?

Spinachcat · May 26, 2018, 07:12:50 PM

There is also a LOT of territory between "sandbox" and "railroad", both are terms with too much baggage.

DeadUematsu · May 26, 2018, 08:00:13 PM

My experience is that players like having a overarching situation but the freedom to approach it however they want. Neither Sandbox or railroad describes it.

Tod13 · May 29, 2018, 09:59:37 AM

Quote from: DeadUematsu;1040752My experience is that players like having a overarching situation but the freedom to approach it however they want. Neither Sandbox or railroad describes it.

My players are like this. They like having a mission. Sometimes the first step in a mission is to convince the other characters to participate.

PrometheanVigil · May 29, 2018, 10:29:54 AM

Quote from: DeadUematsu;1040752My experience is that players like having a overarching situation but the freedom to approach it however they want. Neither Sandbox or railroad describes it.

Take a page from computer game design: "freeform" and "non-linear". You can railroad the shit out of your players but so long as you offer them multiple ways to finish the scenario, they won't give a crap. Or, you can present your players with a metric shit-ton of possible missions... but all of them have to be solved in a specific way -- again, you could do this and your players will be cool since they get to choose the one they do.

I personally favor the former approach but so long as I'm doing either of these or a blend, I'm doing my game and my players justice. I tend to stay away from the term "sandbox": this isn't the X-series or GTA, we're playing fucking vampgames.

Willie the Duck · May 29, 2018, 10:31:50 AM

You know, if they are:

free to choose their mission
define their own 'success'
abort said mission if it no longer suits their motivation
you the DM will not steer them or the world in such a way as to get them back into the mission if they deviate from it, and
the rest of the world keeps going on as it would outside of the mission (although probably with less high-resolution/thought put into it)

then I don't see how that is not compatible with the concept of sandbox gaming.

Apparition · May 29, 2018, 11:53:59 AM

Quote from: DeadUematsu;1040752My experience is that players like having a overarching situation but the freedom to approach it however they want. Neither Sandbox or railroad describes it.

"Sandpark" is the term I've heard most used for that. Not quite a sandbox, not quite a themepark.

Christopher Brady · May 29, 2018, 12:02:17 PM

Quote from: DeadUematsu;1040752My experience is that players like having a overarching situation but the freedom to approach it however they want. Neither Sandbox or railroad describes it.

Same, actually. May players grew up on Lord of The Rings and it's Adventure Coupon style of adventure, but like you say, they want the freedom to approach it anyway they can.

Krimson · May 29, 2018, 12:10:48 PM

Quote from: Spinachcat;1040746There is also a LOT of territory between "sandbox" and "railroad", both are terms with too much baggage.

My general rule is that if I am going to railroad the characters, the adventure has to take place on a train.

Christopher Brady · May 29, 2018, 12:22:29 PM

Quote from: Krimson;1041115My general rule is that if I am going to railroad the characters, the adventure has to take place on a train.

Well played! May I steal steal that?

Krimson · May 29, 2018, 12:26:58 PM

Quote from: Christopher Brady;1041122Well played! May I steal steal that?

Sure. Adventures on trains can be great fun. You can have preplanned encounters and players are fine with it.

Christopher Brady · May 29, 2018, 12:32:02 PM

Quote from: Krimson;1041124Sure. Adventures on trains can be great fun. You can have preplanned encounters and players are fine with it.

Running a Savage Worlds Rippers game, and the players had to deal with a murder on the Orient Express, a month ago? I think.

Krimson · May 29, 2018, 12:39:31 PM

Quote from: Christopher Brady;1041127Running a Savage Worlds Rippers game, and the players had to deal with a murder on the Orient Express, a month ago? I think.

The last Forgotten Realms game I ran had players who were very well versed in the novels. I threw them for a loop by starting the game at the Waterdeep Station in around 1850 DR, and the train was the Kara Tur Express.

Mike the Mage · May 29, 2018, 01:00:18 PM

Awesome! I could see some amazing FR/FFVII mash up right there!

RPGPundit · June 02, 2018, 06:48:57 AM

Quote from: Willie the Duck;1040577Clearly. And I am clearly in one (over in the 'how to play a supergenius' thread not long ago, I determined that I overestimated how many of us here were overcompensated, underchallenged IT nerds). Still, I am just a little amazed (and maybe even a little incredulous, thanks people for not getting offended).

I was an undercompensated underchallenged Humanities nerd.