Christer Enfors

Let's try another #TTRPGDiscussion, it's been a while since the last one.

I'm writing an article about how to organically build a #TTRPG #Sandbox using a method I call Hexes and Triagles Prep (#HATPrep). For that, I need six important aspects of sandboxes that one can iterate over and add to. So far I have these aspects:

1. Starting location
2. Situations (read: adventure)
3. NPCs & Factions
4. Locations
5. Items
6. Lore

Do you agree with these categories, or do you have other suggestions?

Nov 19, 2023 at 1:26pmWeb
Show threadChrister EnforsNov 19, 2023
Obviously you need more than this for a campaign, but the idea is that these six categories (triangles) are put together to create a campaign (a hex). Then, you can iterate over it, adding more in each category as additional triangles outside the original hex, making the hex (read: the campaign) larger over time, by adding more contents to it.
Show threaddreamupNov 19, 2023
@enfors Adventure locations and items seems oriented towards explore and loot games. Maybe you can lean a bit more into it, seems like you want to help with building a hexcrawl.
Show threadChrister EnforsNov 19, 2023
@dreamup Hmm, yes, well spotted. I do like hexcrawls, so I do intend to support building such elements into these campaigns.
Show threadMadisonMonkeyNov 19, 2023
@[email protected] topic TTRPG is a young field and still needs a lot of things kind of 🤔 self analyzed. It’s not like poetry which has been ripped apart for centuries or even film whose structure is pretty well established.
As for this specific question, it depends on what kind of TTRPG, I would generally follow Ben riggs encounter theory myself
Show threadBrandon WebsterNov 20, 2023
@enfors that’s not too far off of the basic sandbox ideas I’ve been writing about as well (https://archstonepress.com/tag/sandbox/). My breakdown is:
1. Setting (includes locations, but also things like culture, magic, etc. Worldbuilding, basically)
2. NPCs
3. Factions + Domains
4. Problems (aka situations)
My sandboxes are more about faction play than exploration and looting dungeons, so a different emphasis. I think your categories make sense for a more traditional hexcrawl though!
sandbox – Archstone Press

Show threadChrister EnforsNov 20, 2023
@bwebster Hmm, faction play, you say? That's interesting. What does that entail in your case, more specifically? Political intrigue, wars? Territorial conflicts? Domain management? All those are interesting in my view.
Show threadBrandon WebsterNov 20, 2023
@enfors all of the above! My main inspiration is epic fantasy like the Malazan Book of the Fallen, The Black Company, and Game of Thrones. Currently, the players in my campaign have allied with a local resistance faction trying to liberate their home during a war between two large domains. They also recently got involved with some laborers being abused by a powerful mining guild. So political intrigue, mass combat, diplomacy, subterfuge, etc are all things that come up
Show threadChrister EnforsNov 20, 2023
@bwebster That sounds awesome!