Starting a Sandbox
I'm writing this to go along with Improv Night Featuring the Quantum Ogre because so many folks get worked up about preparing in a way that is consistent with blorb and keeps the quantum ogre away. So I thought I'd share how I would tell anyone to start a game that they can build from that is just enough.
Before we begin though, you should augment anything I recommend with your own sense of strengths and weaknesses. For example, you won't need as much prep with monsters if you're already very comfortable with them. I struggle with NPCs so I spend more time preparing them than other things. Prep around your weaknesses so you're ready to go.
Also, everyone has an opinion about what "enough" is. I'm keeping this to a very thin version of it. Your minimum will grow as you become more comfortable with this style of prep and play. Don't let the internet convince you that you're doing a bad job if you don't do what they say.
If folks have fun, it's enough.
Big Three
There are three things I'll say most classic adventures need: A town, wilderness, and a dungeon.
Yes, you can riff on all of this but I'm giving a recipe to learn from.
The town is where the party starts, where they rest somewhat safely, buy and sell, and learn about the world around them.
The wilderness is the area they can explore and get lost in.
The dungeon might be a literal dungeon or anything that requires us to "zoom-in" to the dungeon exploration rules that operate in 10 minute turns, track torch burn, etc.
Prepping Your Town
Essential Prep
Your town needs a name. It also needs a rumor leading them to the dungeon. It's a rumor and not a classic hook because the players' choice to engage and the terms they engage matter. They're allowed to ignore the dungeon.
Good Prep
A rumor table is one of the backbones of exploration games. Writing rumor tables is one of the first things I do because it is creative, and helps me flesh out the world in a practical way.
You don't need many rumors, 3-5 is plenty. The rumors are things the party will learn about as they interact with folks in town. They can be anything from petty disputes amongst townsfolk, false gossip, myth, and interesting encounters.
Your rumor table needs to have at least one for the dungeon. For the rest, have fun coming up with stuff. You can put them into the wilderness nearby or decide they're false and lead nowhere.
As players interact with NPCs, you can roll on which rumor they learn, mark it off, and role-play or inform them of what they learn.
Optional
This is far from an exhaustive list of things that add depth to your game but are in no way required.
- Prominent NPCs
- Shop Names
- Inn Name
- Prices for lodging, food, etc.
- Unique foods, items that can be acquired
- Festivals or holidays
- Taboos
The Wilderness
A big part of games is allowing the party to explore and get lost. Putting a little effort into creating an area for them to go into accomplishes this.
Essential
- A map of the town and a 4-6 hex radius around the town. I prefer 6-mile hexes.
- Terrain for each hex
- Wandering monster tables
Good Prep
- A list of up to 6 things that they could find in the hex like ruins, food, anomalies, small population centers, etc.
- Landmarks, placed in advance. Use these sparingly. They are visible from within their hex and help the party navigate.
Optional
- Unique wandering monsters for the "Region" you've created
- Unique plants and animals to encounter
- Lairs for monsters
- Amended encounter roll for monster sign instead of monsters
- Treasure maps
The Dungeon
Here's the real meat of the prep. Dungeons benefit from precise preparation because of the risk that comes with it. Having said that, you can prep dozens of rooms in a dungeon in an hour with some practice.
Essential
- Map
- Wandering monsters
- Stocked rooms with a key
- Empty, Monster, Trap, Unique and what is there
Good Prep
- Elements of lore to be uncovered
- Factions within the dungeon
- Things you can talk to
- Stuck, locked, fancy, and magical doors
Optional
- Unique room descriptions
- Vertical movement
- Hallway stocking and descriptions
- Sights, smells, sounds
- Patrols
- Other adventuring parties alive or otherwise
How I'd Do This
Here's a more precise example of the prep I'd do starting off and it is very similar to what I did when I started Blightlands.
The Town
Prep In Advance: The town name, and 5 rumors, at least 1 pointing to the dungeon. Name of the inn, and a unique dish and cost.
Tables for play: NPC Names
The Wilderness
Prep In Advance: A radius of 6-mile hexes around the town with terrain assigned, the dungeon placed, and 2 landmarks placed, and any rumors placed.
Tables for Play: Wandering monsters, and things they could find in the hex while exploring.
The Dungeon
Prep In Advance: A map, stocked, and keyed.
Tables for Play: Treasure generation, door condition, wandering monsters, what kind of room is it
In Practice
So what do we actually have?
I have a named town with 5 rumors pointing to things in hexes and the dungeon, an inn and unique dish. This might take 10-15 minutes.
I have a wilderness, with terrain and keyed to rumors and the dungeon. I also have a wandering monster table and a table of other interesting things to find. This might take 30 or so minutes.
I have a dungeon, mapped and keyed plus treasure tables, door tables, monster tables, and a table to help me figure out what the room is. This might take an hour.
What do I get for this 1 hour and 45 minutes? This amount of prep could easily lead to 3-5 sessions of play.
I can build out from here by expanding terrain, adding towns, creating tables to speed up elements that are consistent with the world in my head. As the essential prep becomes easy and quick I can add more layers of detail and interest by incorporating more optional things. It adds depth and interest, but I just add it in as it gets easier so I don't get overwhelmed. If you'd like to read a bit more about that you can with Building Blightlands.