I have heard the term "sandbox game" a lot.

What does that actually mean?

So in a traditional game, the GM/DM sets the framing and plot.  "You're pirates exploring the archipelago looking for a legendary treasure."  And everyone who plays tacitly agrees A) I'm a pirate or at least working with pirates and B) I'm seeking the treasure for X reason.  It allows for a lot of expression but not necessarily a lot of freedom because everything that happens is about A) exploring the archipelago in some capacity or B) seeking the treasure.

The term is an analogy because there's no definitive way to play in a sandbox.  Some people make castles, others dig holes, some draw designs in the sand, etc.  There's not a "right" or "wrong" way to do it per se.

At its best, it's a game where there's no set scenario of any kind, rather the players take on something of a GM role and decide their own "plot".  The GM is naught but a referee or facilitator who resolves how successful they are in their efforts.  For example, a sandbox game might just say "So there's an archipelago, there's pirates, there's ships, there's a legendary treasure, etc."  That's the sandbox.

One player might decide well I'm going to join a crew of pirates and seek the treasure.  Another player may say I'm going to set up a tavern in port and sell rum to the pirates seeking the treasure.  A third player may say I hate islands, I'm going to sail to the mainland and become a glassblower there.  A fourth player may say I hate pirates, I'm going to be a member of the Imperial Navy and hunt pirates.

At its worst, and usually the way it's executed, is the GM isn't actually running a game at all, they just kind of throw it up there, never adjudicate anything and it withers and dies on the vine.  :p

Most games honestly have some sandbox elements.  It's not all or nothing.

Also, there's confusion between sandbox and open world. Like drewalt said, sandbox is largely where the GM lays out the world, history, locations, etc and let's the players go nuts. Unfortunately, drewalt's latter jab is true. More often than not, GM's will start a sandbox game without properly communicating expectations and the games usually die rather quickly due to attrition. However, a sandbox game can be done, and done well, as long as there is a proper Session Zero where the GM explains his expectations and players can discuss their ideas and try to get other players on board.

Personally, I prefer open world. This is pretty much sandbox, except there is a clearly defined goal the party has to achieve. However, it's up to the party how they achieve it, often sidetracking on various side quests along the way. However, this does have the problem of players becoming disinterested or even outright forgetting the main goal all together.

Perhaps I'm slightly confused, but last I checked sandbox and open world were actually not in opposition to storyline or whathave you, but were rather constraints on the size of permission to deviate.

An Open World is one where there either is or isn't a plotline, but the players are free to explore the entire world as they see fit. They can complete objectives as the like, sideline the plot forever if that's their deal, or they can follow along nice and easy. An Open World means, simply, that the world is open.

A Sandbox is an Open World with boundaries. inFamous is a great example of a sandbox video game (last I checked), because while you can go around and do whatever you want, whenever you want, you can't escape the city. You're there, you're free, but there's something which keeps you inside the box, so to speak. In drewalt's example with the archipelago, if the players can completely dismiss the archipelago then it's more of an Open World.

I'm not certain what the terms are for anything below a sandbox, but eventually you get down to the Railroad. The Railroad is where there's a defined path you have to take. No deviation, no exploring, just the line you go through the world in. Railroads are most-often tied directly to the plotline the GM has in mind, but it could be something as simple as "You must follow the Yellow Brick Road" and where you stop along it is your own business.

In short, if the plot is a road, with one end being your house, and the other end being City Hall, an Open World allows you to take a plane to Bangladesh instead. A Sandbox allows you to go offroad, use backstreets, explore the entire city, and miss all of your appointments. A Railroad makes certain there's heavy construction on every side street, so you've really only got one way to go. So, basically, sandboxes and whatnot are just limitations on how far you can go from the plot. They have little to do with whether or not there is a plot that you're expected to follow, though trends would indicate that sandboxes and open worlds are much more prone to not caring about the 'main plot.' I don't know about a sandbox being 'best' when the GM doesn't have her own plot, but that's a matter of opinion.

I hope I'm not terribly confused on something, just how I've always been led to believe the terms work.

Likewise, how I explained it is how I've learned the terms to be defined. I may be wrong as well. Like drewalt said, to me, a sandbox game is where people have an open setting and are allowed to do what they want because there's no central theme. It's like kids in a sanbox; you'll have someone making sandcastles over here, another kid burying his G.I. Joes over there and yet another kid eating the dropped lollipop. Where as with open world, though you can go where you want and how you want, there still is a theme and a purpose to what you are doing.

|   I have never Heard the term "open world" before.
 Though my preference is for a fantasy campaign, it Starts with an area that is some Community Standard System [fantasy style], and exists in some form of proximity to other rules systems. [other planes or meta-realms; Fantasy, Sci-fi, wester, steam punk, etc,(the source of some really cool Summoned "Demons" picture getting an armored personal carrier and crew, instead of a dragon)]
|  And this seperation of metarealms allows the PCs to take part in the battle between these realms patrons as well.
|   I personally think the issue is often that the GM of a sand box expects the Players to bring all the toys. It is quite possible for the GM to place a Toy train in their sand box.  That simply means that the toy can play back, NPCs have plans.
|   A normal story arc in a sand box simply means that the players have decided to take the side of one of those NPC patrons or a group of them and allow themselve to be pushed along the path.  They, the PCs take the risks, get the glory, and the patrons get the job they need done.

| The "story arc" is no more then some masterminds plan, to get something done.
This message was last edited by the user at 00:31, Fri 25 Mar 2016.

Don't forget the all popular Sandpark.

It takes elements of both Sandbox and Themepark.
Most RPers are familiar with the Themepark Idea. This is the definition of the old D&D modules. You and your group are "Stuck" and you can not leave until you finish.

Most of the old Ravenloft Modules are this type of game.

Then you have the Sandbox. As stated before the group is stuck somewhere (it can be as small as a town or as large as a planet. The group is "free" to do what they want, as long as it is in the confines of the "play area".

What is a Sandpark?
The definition however is stuck with personal perception.

As I see it the Sandpark is the play area of a Sandbox, BUT there is some overarching "Destiny". You can ignore the marauding goblins all you want and simply concentrate on your own trading empire like in a sandbox. However ignore the overall threat to  long and now the city you were trading with is in Goblin hands.
Do you A? Try and establish trade with the new owners?
or B? Rally troops to take back the city as refugees are making life difficult for all surrounding cities.
OR..... Since it is a Sandpark you can do whatever, but if you ignore things to long ..well that is your choice.

How is this different than a Sandbox/Themepark?
In most themeparks something is going to happen to you based on the adventure. This somewhat ties in with the railroading thread that was posted elsewhere. You are here to ride the offered rides but you can not make you own ride.

In most Sandboxes there is no overarching "Destiny" you do what you want. There is nothing to compel you as a player but your own wishes..


Not sure if my definition work, BUT it should help you figure out what kind of games to target when submitting a RTJ.
This message was last edited by the user at 15:28, Thu 24 Mar 2016.

My 2 cents...


When I first heard the term Sandbox, it was always in opposition to Railroad. Keep in mind, however, that no matter how 'carved in stone' a label is, there are always going to be variations. It's what happens when you have multiple viewpoints.


So, as I understood a Railroad game, it was generally a pre-made dungeon. In order to get from Point A (the entrance) to Point B (the objective), you had to follow the train tracks. In a 100% Railroad game, that meant you had to go through every room, deal with every trap and fight every monster. If it wasn't a total Railroad game, then you could avoid some of this by taking a different route... or at least encounter them in a different order by taking a different route.

Compare that to a Sandbox: five adventurers meet in a tavern. What will they do? A totally open Sandbox means the players decide what their characters will do. Gather information about lost treasures? Rob the patrons? Etc. A semi-Sandbox will have the GM begin throwing out hints or clues: overhear a conversation about a lost treasure, or a patron wants to hire them to protect a caravan, etc. In other words, the GM offers them options, but he isn't insisting that they take a particular path. Even if they join the caravan, for instance, the characters are free to leave it if something else comes along or the players change their minds.

The Sandbox is the setting. It can be small, such as the Forbidden Isles or the Underdark, or it can be huge, such as the Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk. Even if other fantasy realms are open to the characters (Thieves' World, Dark Sun, Krynn, etc.), I wouldn't consider that an Open World.

What I would consider an Open World is if the characters can go adventuring into other genres, such as Gamma World, Deadlands, Paranoia, Shadowrun or even D20 Modern/Future.


But, as I said, these are fluctuating labels. Railroad, Sandbox, Open World can all have different meanings to different people because that's what they want it to mean. And as soon as you come up with a definition, someone else will publish a game that breaks the mold. Cthulhu is a good example. It can fit into fantasy, Victoriana, modern, and future. So does that make it Open World?

Also, Rifts (Palladium) and Torg (West End Games) are really Open World games.

Honestly, sandbox and open world are close enough to be synonyms.  The former means players are free to do anything they wish and drive the plot.  The GM may have different threads to follow, but players are free to explore and go anywhere they wish.  Grand Theft Auto is a good example of this.  Players are confined to one city, but there's so much to do there.

Open world games follow the same basic principles where PCs can go anywhere they please, rather than a tight series of scenes predetermined by the GM.  RPG games similar to this include the Elder Scrolls games, Arcanum, and Fallout.  Games like Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate, on the other hand, are more linear, while still offering players choices.

Minecraft would fit the definition of both sandbox and open world, I'd think.

It's more of a continuum, really, with railroading games on one end of the spectrum and sandbox/open world on the other.

If there is a difference, is that in sandbox games, players are free to do almost anything they can think of.  In open world games, players are free to go wherever they wish.