tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post6653730851041937626..comments2024-03-27T22:32:17.055-05:00Comments on Jeffs Gameblog: Epic sandboxeryJeff Rientshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-7230847310117899052009-08-07T11:11:58.721-05:002009-08-07T11:11:58.721-05:00Cool concept! Especially how it connects the Law v...Cool concept! Especially how it connects the Law vs. Chaos scenario of The Keep on the Borderlands with the Rod's background.jdebetolazahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16268415411507646640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-84678348966534184352009-08-02T14:15:34.892-05:002009-08-02T14:15:34.892-05:00I don't see a huge issue with most of it thoug...I don't see a huge issue with most of it though in terms of a sandbox. Take out the "chosen" part and dial down the consequences if they don't succeed (maybe they are just Wind Nazis) and I think you could still use this in a sandbox.<br /> <br />Just because it is a sandbox doesn't mean there is nothing happening.P_Armstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12374589162025099763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-20913957979186668652009-08-02T09:08:41.236-05:002009-08-02T09:08:41.236-05:00It does indeed! With that in mind, it definitely c...It does indeed! With that in mind, it definitely clicks far more into place. Thank you, sir. :)Allandaroshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-38690277005377592312009-08-02T07:49:07.379-05:002009-08-02T07:49:07.379-05:00Good catch, Allandaros. The point of this exercis...Good catch, Allandaros. The point of this exercise (which in hindsight I should have explained) was to demonstrate an option for use of sandbox-style hexmaps by those DMs not interested (or not ready) in play without an overarching plot.<br /><br />Does that make more sense?Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-50351829120415796432009-08-02T04:24:51.207-05:002009-08-02T04:24:51.207-05:00I have to say, I'm a bit confused as to how th...I have to say, I'm a bit confused as to how this is a sandbox campaign. As I've understood it, sandboxes allow the players as much autonomy and agency as possible. They choose how the campaign plays based on their own ambitions, goals, and whatnot.<br /><br />What you're presenting here sounds badass and awesome and an excellent way to stick it to the damn Vorlons (screw you, Lords of Order!) but it doesn't sound like a sandbox. <br /><br />I'm reminded of Mass Effect and other CRPGs, actually (possibly because I'm in the middle of Mass Effect at the moment) - the characters must accomplish tasks X and Y in order to unlock task Z. They can do task X or task Y first, but they've <i>got</i> to do both, and then <i>got</i> to do task Z. <br /><br />A sandbox lets people build whatever they wish to. What you're presenting here sounds epic and badass, but not sandboxy at all. When the players are the Chosen Ones, spoken ex cathedra by an Elminster tpe, then it seems like the campaign has left the realm of the sandbox. <br /><br />Or perhaps I am missing something big here as to how this campaign setup allows for sandboxy play.Allandaroshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01046079318999891967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-23541075473381373672009-08-01T19:45:36.941-05:002009-08-01T19:45:36.941-05:00I'm always amazed by your creativity. Nice wor...I'm always amazed by your creativity. Nice work again.Brian Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05563309422791320114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-63883072276653586332009-08-01T16:12:51.765-05:002009-08-01T16:12:51.765-05:00As a child of the 80's, I am a huge fan of the...As a child of the 80's, I am a huge fan of the 'find all the parts to X' type quest- though I've never really based an entire campaign around it. Ashamedly, I should point out that part of my love of the 'multi-part' quest is based on all the 80's GI Joe cartoons, where almost ALL of them were based on a race of good vs. bad to get all the parts to the *insert doomsday device here*.<br /><br />Because knowing is half the battle!rologutweinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02186173153359166269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-67052444243967815342009-08-01T12:48:05.919-05:002009-08-01T12:48:05.919-05:00I ran a late 80s 1e campaign with a multi-part amu...I ran a late 80s 1e campaign with a multi-part amulet. The DIRECTIONS to the last part were in the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, and the final piece itself was in a mountainside city which had been buried by lava. I wanted it to be the biggest baddest dungeon ever.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the last session left the party 2/3 of the way through Tsojcanth. We never played that campaign again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-15932050455371862992009-08-01T12:02:15.572-05:002009-08-01T12:02:15.572-05:00I tried the same thing back in the mid-80s (though...I tried the same thing back in the mid-80s (though I called the thing the Rod of Pesh for some reason); thought it was a great artifact to base an entire campaign around.<br /><br />However, I did not have the "evil Wind Duke" twist. Oh...and my campaign ended even before the 3rd piece got found.<br /><br />With hindsight, I'd make it a straight 6-8 adventure campaign to prevent interest from being lost (the last adventure would be the "close the portal" deal). Sometimes more than 1 piece might be found in a particular dungeon.<br /><br />O course, you'd want to keep applying the pressure from session to session (disasters wracking the world and such)...<br />; )JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08532311924539491087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-10267574358231506492009-08-01T09:43:13.062-05:002009-08-01T09:43:13.062-05:00You remind me of the Sixfold Crystal campaign I ra...You remind me of the Sixfold Crystal campaign I ran back in 1991, which ripped off the Doctor Who season 18 Key To Time storyline, and had the party trekking all over a 1,000 x 1,000 mile wilderness area... the fifth segment, as I recall, was located back in the Basic dungeon where the campaign started. I even managed to rip out bits of the Time Of Troubles modules and insert them at dramatically appropriate moments.<br /><br />*sigh* Now you've done it - I have no further excuse for not resurrecting my campaign world!!<br /><br />Especially since I've been eying KOTB and wondering where iny my world to place it ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-88520840463085037412009-07-31T18:43:45.838-05:002009-07-31T18:43:45.838-05:00This is a seriously cool idea! I may just steal i...This is a seriously cool idea! I may just steal it.<br /><br />"<i>...just place each of five segments of the Rod in Wildland, Southland, Borderland, the Golden Shores, Amacui, and/or the Misty Isles...</i>"<br /><br />Wildland, Southland, and Borderland are located in different points of history in PoL. However, if you go with the "time travel" idea, that's not a problem!<br /><br />Word verification: "bargain"! Just like this cool idea! :)Akrasiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08734103159691571156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-53106849532384365302009-07-31T18:13:41.078-05:002009-07-31T18:13:41.078-05:00Wow....now I'm worried that you're reading...Wow....now I'm worried that you're reading my mind. I'm currently writing up a sandbox game for my D&D group with this idea. It's in the Wilderlands and they are the Chosen Ones. However, here's where we differ. The Elminster-type will be Anaxagoras, the Great Red Wyrm who contacts them and let's them know what's going on. An even greater evil dracolich has unleashed a contagion which is mutating all the dragons in the Wilderlands. Only the Rod, once complete, can reset the damage done. This allows me to really mess with how the dragons look and act (thus using material from Fight On!) as well as James Raggi's Random Esoteric Creature Generator.Balrog62https://www.blogger.com/profile/10524223991891502964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-37430238513293405352009-07-31T16:33:42.862-05:002009-07-31T16:33:42.862-05:00Oh Jeff...
My recent skype B/X experiment went so ...Oh Jeff...<br />My recent skype B/X experiment went so well (with JB, Mike D. and Meepo) that it has turned into an ongoing thing. I am using Doomstones in Wilderlands and you just completely stole my idea ;)P_Armstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12374589162025099763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-69681676558569705292009-07-31T16:18:03.106-05:002009-07-31T16:18:03.106-05:00Ryan: If you're going to use D&D and MF fo...Ryan: If you're going to use D&D and MF for such an outing, may I suggest buying the next issue of <i>Fight On</i>? It will have a small MF sandbox written by yours truly.Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-67974436430883606342009-07-31T15:54:56.391-05:002009-07-31T15:54:56.391-05:00LOVE it. This actually sort of jives with a Law vs...LOVE it. This actually sort of jives with a Law vs. Chaos planar insanity game I had in mind for Cyclopedic D&D/Mutant Future. <br /><br />@Zak- Yes yes YES on adding time travel. <br /><br />The awesomeness of this post has redeemed this week in the blogverse.DMWieghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03682249561077936507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-43240713747470848182009-07-31T15:36:44.569-05:002009-07-31T15:36:44.569-05:00Rockin' Jeff. I want to run that campaign.Rockin' Jeff. I want to run that campaign.elricshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14995533984654256255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-82570049936812017282009-07-31T15:23:55.766-05:002009-07-31T15:23:55.766-05:00...and for super-kitchen-sink-lunacy, also have th......and for super-kitchen-sink-lunacy, also have the last 3 parts buried in different eras, so you have to time-travel to get them.Zak S.http://www.roadofknives.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7652921.post-32155007115646371102009-07-31T14:47:52.748-05:002009-07-31T14:47:52.748-05:00Awesome. Simply awesome.Awesome. Simply awesome.Mike D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13199531732115178349noreply@blogger.com