A Small Sandbox

The Witch Farm

It all started when a chromatic wizard from a far-off land immigrated to the area. A specialist in ancient lore and the necromantic arts, which were fairly common pursuits in the far-away country where he originated, the wizard came in search of a fabled "well of souls". Whether he found such is not recorded. What did transpire, and ultimately did reach this chronicler's ear, was his discovery of the ruins of a nearly forgotten civilization - one which had its own pre-occupations with defeating death. The wizard practiced his art farming the bone fields, growing crops of witches - creatures that soon began to prey upon the local population creating a reign of terror and many heroic deeds as adventuring types were drawn to the area by news of the evil afoot.  

A sandbox adventure is best when it's intimate and of limited scope. Much as its name implies, the sandbox exists in a "box". It has boundaries - even large ones do. Starting small allows the referee/world-builder to manage the scope of the setting and to present the players with a level of detail that will engage their characters. A handful of choice and well played NPCs - all of them characterized by some notable feature that makes them stand out as memorable - and a few rumors of evil doings will present the players  a menu of irresistible choices. As the adventure develops, your setting may expand to present a feeling that the fictional world is an expansive place, but by presenting opportunities that bring the characters back into the core of the setting, the sandbox campaign can remain manageable. The more time that the players spend exploring the local neighborhood, the more acquainted with it they will become, the more "real" it will feel and perhaps more importantly, the more likely they will be to care about what happens to the now familiar folks (NPCs, etc.) and the place they may start to think of as home (-base). 

With such notable TSR classics as an inspirational model, the referee may draw upon the likes of modules featuring Borderlands or Homlet as they create their own locale ripe for sandbox adventure. A small civilized nodule of imperiled citizenry to form the "home-base" for your adventurers combined with an external threat for them to conquer (or die trying!) and your campaign is off to a promising start. Mix in the particular interests as expressed by your players and many sessions of fun and entertainment surely await. Add in a few surprises in the form of an NPC (or three) who are not what they seem to be, and perhaps the subplots of a quarrelsome faction or two - the possibilities seem almost endless - and your campaign will continue to delight everyone. The longer the campaign lasts, the more you and your players will come to value this little sandbox they now call home.

It started with a rumor - some farmer claimed he lost a few sheep. Another complained about the "varmints" and their increased foraging in his vegetable patch. "It ain't natural, I tell ya!" he exclaimed.

Then there was the strange "disappearance".

Inquiry leads to some "strange doings" as reported to be happening at the old ruins. "It's witches... Burn 'em!" the crowd shouts.

"What about ol' Granny? I've heard she might be a witch."

Everyone seems to have almost forgotten about the stranger who passed through some months back asking questions about the old ruins and a magical well...