tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904133056957353312.post1485883078251606127..comments2024-03-01T11:52:44.729-05:00Comments on Bat in the Attic: A Fantasy Sandbox in Detail Part XIXRobert Conleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03863009007381185340noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904133056957353312.post-4397118940389483342016-08-31T13:07:38.210-04:002016-08-31T13:07:38.210-04:00@Scott Anderson, I use the random tables that I li...@Scott Anderson, I use the random tables that I linked too in the article. There is a zip file you can download that has files compatible with inspiration pad pro from nbos.<br /><br />@Anarchy Dice, not sure what you mean by the first question. If I understand it correctly, what I do is try to look at two things about the character that I think the player would be interested in do work on and weave them that into the campaign. Like the A plot, B plot that many Star Trek episodes have. If you mean how much stuff should go into a city? I would work towards a dozen or so locations/factions/groups. Make sure half of them cover the bases like the local inn, local shop, healing, guard, rules, etc. The other half do whatever make sense for your campaign. <br /><br />As for your second question that is straightforward. You have a player version of the city map in the center of the table. When the players go somewhere, I point to what street they are on, then point to various building and call out the shops they see along the way.<br /><br />"OK you turn onto Haggle Street, and pass the Sailfish Bar, A smithy, a brothel, a fruit market, and a guard barrack before turning onto Regal Street."<br /><br />I use random encounters so that would go like. <br /><br />"OK you turn onto Haggle Street, and pass the Sailfish Bar, A smithy, a brothel. OK you see a scribe moving quickly across the street and a piece of paper slips out of his arm."<br /><br />IF they ignore that then I would continue with "You move on and see a fruit market, and a guard barrack before turning to Regal Street."<br /><br />Granted it not quite as fast just saying you get there. But it way faster then sketching anything. <br /><br />Some players at first try to take careful notes but realize they should treat it like they would if they were actually visiting and only note things that are interesting to them.<br />Robert Conleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03863009007381185340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904133056957353312.post-77500228062175383992016-08-31T09:09:46.480-04:002016-08-31T09:09:46.480-04:00Glad to see the series make a return! When I was g...Glad to see the series make a return! When I was getting my first sandbox off the ground, your series was a major resource. I'll have to go back and reread the series now that I'm going to be starting up a new one...<br /><br />Looking forward to you expanding on this city, as cities are still tough for me to create. How do you balance a respectable number of options against player agency? How do you present these locations to the players so they can make meaningful choices?AnarchyDicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00098113863647319878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904133056957353312.post-42058233747643044442016-08-30T14:35:54.584-04:002016-08-30T14:35:54.584-04:00How long, do you think, did it take you to come up...How long, do you think, did it take you to come up with those NPCs and guilds? Do you have random tables for them or some other way of determining their characteristics?<br /><br />And I'm totally not a robotScott Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067161332003628237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904133056957353312.post-28458721540414722392016-08-30T11:40:15.236-04:002016-08-30T11:40:15.236-04:00What changed the most that now I pay attention to ...What changed the most that now I pay attention to how I make the elements that go in to each step. If you asked me then most of my replies would have been a variation of "It comes to me in a dream" or "I sit back, zen out, and then it comes to me."<br /><br />The main reason the series stalled out was that I realized that people to get more use out of my series that I will need to give them a better tool. Well I think I have a tool that works as a starting point. Which boil down "Use the dozen or so ideas you have first, and a good random set of tables as idea generators." Which leads to "OK what is a good set of random tables." <br /><br />This is particularly important because the next couple of steps deal with NPCs i.e. people. Robert Conleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03863009007381185340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904133056957353312.post-16412091337294861082016-08-30T11:04:11.396-04:002016-08-30T11:04:11.396-04:00First of all, welcome back to this series! It'...First of all, welcome back to this series! It's weird to see something that I used in making my own sandbox at last get an update, but it's welcome and will always help refine things further.<br /><br />Is there anything you've learnt in the last six years that has clarified or changed your thinking on the first 26 steps?Charles Saegerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00368131505593336249noreply@blogger.com