Sandbox D&D Campaign (part 3)

 

Ok, we've gone through part 1 and part 2.  Let's dive into part 3...

At this point, you've been running the game for awhile, somewhere between 7 and 10 sessions.  It's time to gear up for the climax.  Yeah, I'm assuming this campaign will last until session 20.  That's a Herculean effort, be proud of that!  

If you're a beginner DM, I wouldn't try to go over... not until you've been doing this for years.  And even then, I feel like a 20-session campaign is a good place to stop.  One day, I'm going to run a campaign that continues for years, but even I'm not ready for that - too many responsibilities!

  

     I. Bring Together

          A. Story Forge - As the GM, you didn't craft a story (plot) before the adventuring took place.  Now that the PCs are mid-level, the half-told story can start to be understood.

          B. Tying disparate threads together - The thing your 3rd henchman said about the azure spider might have something to do with the blue webbed caves of Aza'akeen.  Find patterns and sew seemingly random elements together.

          C. PC backstory - Up until now, I hope you've mostly ignored whatever history the player-characters have been yammering about.  But this is when it starts to matter - use something from their past to either complicate the present or make it more dramatic.

     II. Godlike Power

          A. Special Abilities - As the PCs have reached mid-level, it's time they started REALLY kicking ass!  Don't feel you need to go all-out "new school" with feats, prestige classes, and class-based talents up the wa'azoo.  Nevertheless, as the GM, you should dole out something kind of awesome to reward players and their characters for sticking it out this long.

          B. Artifacts & Relics - Somewhere in the realm, or outside of it, there's got to be an unbelievable magic item, piece of high-tech, or super-science contraption.  The PCs can quest for it before they invade the Big Bad in his lair.

          C. Evil has its own ultimate weapons - The monsters and deadly NPCs pitted against the adventurers also have godlike powers.  Unleash them upon the PCs, or at least threaten to rip into them.

     III. New Is Always Better

          A. Non-standard - If you've been relying on stuff you've read, watched, or stolen from other campaign settings, that shit ends here.  It's time to create your own content - new monsters, new traps, new magic items, new treasure, new places, new NPCs, etc.

          B. Shocking reveal - There's something that's always been nagging you from the very beginning about this campaign setting.  Remember the waterfall mist and time/space doorway from Land of the Lost?  That's what I'm talking about. Time to turn things on their head - what the PCs accepted as true suddenly proves to be an utter lie!  Revel in your revelations!!!

          C. Big Bad in his lair - The final confrontation is just around the corner.  Gearing up for that confrontation will take a couple sessions and then actually storming The Beast's black fortress (or whatever) will probably also take multiple sessions.

__________

Hope you enjoyed all 3 parts, hoss.  Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing!  

VS

D&D Sandbox (part 2)

 

Sandbox play is one of the greatest styles of D&D (or any other RPG) campaigns because it relies on self-governance, rather than the GM making all major decisions.

Create your own sandbox campaign using this outline along with my follow-up here...

     I. Traveling 

          A. Wandering monsters - create a random table for PCs traveling from place to place

          B. Hazards - come up with some sticky situations the PCs might encounter in their travels.

          C. NPCs - who will the PCs meet along the way?

     II. Noteworthy NPCs

          A. Flesh out prominent NPCs in the realm - King, Queen, other royalty and nobility.

          B. Lower-class patrons, mentors, merchants, and faction leaders who the PCs may interact with on a regular basis.

          C. Nemeses!  The PCs will have enemies pitted against them and their causes, thwarting PC goals, and possibly trying to kill them.

     III. New Details

          A. More information about places the PCs already know, like the small dungeon you told them about in the 1st session.

          B. Further reaches - what's over the mountain or beyond the barrier or below the surface?

          C. Weird shit!  Now that the PCs feel rather comfortable and "at home" with the campaign setting, it's time to throw in a few curve balls.  What gives that giant floating crystal the right to mind-control everyone who steps foot inside the obsidian labyrinth?

_________

That's it for now.  I might come up with part 3 in a few days.  If you have a suggestion, question, or comment, please post something below.  

Thanks,

VS

p.s. I made a video where I talk about this blog post.

DIY Sandbox D&D Campaign

 

The following is just a quick tutorial on making your own D&D sandbox.  What's presented her should give you the bare bones to jumpstart a long-term campaign.

     I. Locations

          A. Starting location such as a city, village, settlement, etc.  Wherever the PCs come from.

          B. Handful of small locations of interest - temples, dungeons, tombs, towers, castles, swamp, forest, valley, hills, etc.

          C. The Big Bad location, this is where the PCs aspire to go... eventually.

     II. Factions

          A. Good guys vs bad guys.

          B. Shades of gray (no one is all good nor all evil).

          C. Directly relate to the PCs' background and/or goals.

     III. What's The Deal?

          A. Rumors, myths, and legends.

          B. The immediate micro-hook that initially draws the PCs outside their comfort zone.

          C. The far off, long-term goal or macro-hook that can be pursued when the PCs are ready.

Ok, that's it.  If you want to hear me talk about it, here's the link to my YouTube video.

VS

p.s. Here's the link to part 2.