Comments on: How to Run a Non-Linear Game You Can Be Proud Of

By: gull2112

gull2112 — Sun, 10 May 2009 22:13:41 +0000

My goal is to have the campaign “feel” like it is open ended and non-linear, but actually have it much more linear in actuality. That gives the players the feeling that they are in the driver’s seat and allows me to present them with well planned and thought out adventure sequences.
At the simplest level this means that no matter where they go they will run into a NPC with the information they need. The art in DMing is making that feel like a stroke of luck or (better yet) player brilliance.

By: John

John — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:34:23 +0000

When i DM i pretty much just let the PC’s go werever and eventually they find something to do. I have country maps town maps and tons of notes on every one of them so i pretty much always know were he is and what he’ll run into. (of course to make all of my maps and notes it probably took about a month)

By: phycoshane

phycoshane — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 01:37:13 +0000

i was the same as you apart from with eldar scrolls 3 morowind good times i have moved on to oblivion and its amazing the most detailed game ive ever played but i think the map is actually smaller than morowind even though it look bigger but it dosent matter because instead of nightmareish rocky mountains infested with cliff racers theirs trap lined,bandit occupied dungeons

By: Janna

Janna — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:08:56 +0000

My group just kicked off a sandbox-style 4e game this weekend, and a lot of fun was had by all. I think my favorite aspect of this style is the potential for free exploration, followed closely by the collaborative spirit of the game. The PCs’ actions help shape the world, for better or for worse. That creates a good deal of player morale and enthusiasm – always good things to have.

By: LordVreeg

LordVreeg — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:16:06 +0000

I posted this on Gnome Stew…
Then decided to follow the thread to the original genesis point. Then I figured I’d post here as well.
The funniest thing is how much this mirors posts I am alos mking on the CBG…

And Yax, I played Morrowind and still enjoy it, but Oblivion had a stupid levelling mechanic I hated from minute one and could not play anymore.
____________________________________________________
Alright.
I am victim of work, so I am posting late, in the ‘No one will ever read’ area. I’m even posting after Snargash’s latest casting of his ‘Wall of Text’ spell.

However, I’ve run a sandbox campaign for 25 years. I just finished describing on a CBG post how the orginal players (3 of who are still with Celtricia, a quarter century later) helped create the basal setting notes. So I have some feedback here.

The first note is that like life and politics, setting design is almost never black and white, but a shade of grey somewhere on a continuum. I bring this up first after reading a few people trying to pigeonhole their settings in the terms of the title. Linear and freeform are two extremes on a continuum, much like freemarket and socialisation. And going completely to one side or the other too far makes an unworkable situation. Understanding where on the continuum you’d place your setting is more useful than trying to pigeonhole it. Celtricia, my burden, my world, is about 88% ‘freeform’, or ‘Sandbox’ style.

The second point I want to make has to do with the player maturity level necessary. A facet of Sandbox that has been mentioned in terms of gameplay but not foccused on my itself is the PC integration level. In a thematic setting, or a linear one, the PC’s are trying to accomplish something. This is why they are adventuring.
In a non-linear game, the reason behind why the PC’s are adventuring is often much more the decision of the Players, and must be carefully designed into the game by the GM upon inception.
The political or social growth potential normally has a lot to do with it, but that is a whole post in and of itself.

The third major point will probably meet with some dissaproval, but it is part of my whole, “Make the system match the setting, or the setting WILL morph into matching the system.” In this case, I ma saying that combat is a riot and a good time in any setting,. but systems that are combat oriented without a corresponding focus on social skills will become a lot more boring and will end a ’sandbox’ style game more quickly. If Players are trying to socially advance and ingratiate themselves in the political spectrum of a well-realised’ setting, a system that promotes a, “Let’s get back to killing stuff” mentality is a near-critical handicap.

By: Steve-o

Steve-o — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:52:30 +0000

This will be the first time in a long while that I am DMing a non-linear campaign. I’ve pretty much done most of the suggestions here, but it always helps to know that you are going on the right track. I was really bad with railroading on the last campaign, but hopefully I have fixed this for the new campaign. I had all the players start from the same hometown and have thrown out a bunch of adventures for them to pick and choose from. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and I definitely got pretty good with going on the fly.

By: Yax

Yax — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:54:31 +0000

Elder Scrolls contributed to the downfall of a relationship… And I’m still happy I spent hours playing that game.

Has anyone played Oblivion? I haven’t had a chance…

By: kaeosdad

kaeosdad — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:16:19 +0000

@ Nicholas: I think that one of the strengths of 4e is that encounters are fairly quick to build. Just make a list of the monsters, traps, and hazards you want to use, or better yet make some stat cards and include XP costs. Then decide on the difficulty of the encounter(total XP based on party level) to build the encounter. Simple two steps. Even customizing monsters shouldn’t take longer then five minutes before hand. It gets quicker when you get more familiar with the range of powers and abilities available in the monster manual.

By: PatrickWR

PatrickWR — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:49:10 +0000

I’m running a sandbox campaign using Savage Worlds right now, and it’s great fun for all involved. Particularly for the players — it’s refreshing to break free of the “level-specific encounter” paradigm that defines a lot of D&D gameplay. There’s no such balance in my sandbox setting.

By: Nicholas

Nicholas — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:49:23 +0000

I love running non-linear games but I don’t use D&D to do it, takes too long to plan encounters on the fly.

My non-linear game of choice is Burning Wheel. What Tommi said about having players write strong goals is built into the system. The GM challenges the players on those goals and rewards the players for going after them. In the interest of full disclosure I should tell you that I am currently applying for a job with Burning Wheel HQ, take it how you will.