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Sandbox Sample

The document provides instructions and tables for generating a sandbox roleplaying setting using playing cards and dice. It describes how to lay out cards in a grid to represent different areas of the sandbox, then roll dice to determine locations, inhabitants, weather, and other details for each area. Various card suits and dice correspond to different sandbox themes like forests, oceans, mountains, and more. The instructions emphasize using the random results as inspiration to craft an immersive narrative sandbox for adventures to explore.

Uploaded by

Ana Clara Rodrigues
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© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
230 views

Sandbox Sample

The document provides instructions and tables for generating a sandbox roleplaying setting using playing cards and dice. It describes how to lay out cards in a grid to represent different areas of the sandbox, then roll dice to determine locations, inhabitants, weather, and other details for each area. Various card suits and dice correspond to different sandbox themes like forests, oceans, mountains, and more. The instructions emphasize using the random results as inspiration to craft an immersive narrative sandbox for adventures to explore.

Uploaded by

Ana Clara Rodrigues
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Contents:
1. How to Use
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5. Sandbox Themes
11. D20 Locations
13. D6, D12, D8 Tables
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15. Additional Themes


17. NPCs
19. Groups & Guilds
21. Sandbox Structure
23. Quest Markers
What You’ll Need...
A ll you will need to create your own Sandbox is
a Standard Deck of Playing Cards, a Collection
of Dice, a Pen/Pencil, a Notebook, and your
imagination!

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How To Use...

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T he Realm Fables Sandbox Creator can be used to
quickly generate a sandbox map for planning a
session, or for solo play. Follow these steps below to
create your own Sandbox!

1] Roll a D6 to choose your Sandbox Style


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(or choose one of the six for yourself).

2] Draw cards, one by one, and lay them out in a grid.


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The more cards, the larger the Sandbox. Eight cards
is a good starting point.

3] Reference the playing card table of the relevant


Sandbox Style, and take notes on the descriptions
of each area of your Sandbox.
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4] Roll a D20 for each area and place it at the top of


the card. Now reference the relevant D20 Location
Table and take notes on the most prominent,
famous or rumoured location in that area.
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5] Roll D6’s and place them beside your D20s to


determine the Hostility Level at that location.

6] Roll a D12 to determine the main Inhabitant Type


for each area of your Sandbox.

4♣ 8♦ K♠ 6♦ 7] If you wish, roll D8s and place them on cards to


represent the current weather within that area.

TIP: You don’t have to roll on every table for every


9♣ 2♥ Q♦ 4♠ card. You may even want to roll more than one
D20, in order to add more prominent locations
to a specific area of your Sandbox.

[1]
Solo Play... 7♣

I f playing solo you can simply flip one card at a


time to find out what you have discovered on your
travels, or, if you wish, you can draw and lay out your
sandbox areas face down, then reveal each card and
roll dice once you have travelled in that direction.

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Game Pieces...

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U se meeples, miniatures or tokens to represent
your location within the Sandbox when playing
solo. You can also use coins or chess pieces as
waypoints and quest markers.
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Point-Crawl...
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T o design a point-crawl Sandbox, allow prominent


locations within areas to become destinations
with roads connecting them. Flip a coin to see
whether north, east, south and west are passable.
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If they are, connect lines between each location to


represent roads. (You can also add diagonal lines for
north-east etc.). Any locations cut off from roads will
have to be reached by other means, such as an airship.

[2]
Mixing Styles...
Y ou may wish to use more than one Sandbox Style.
For instance, drawing cards for both Verdant and
Oceanic can create a series of overgrown islands or
the feel of an entire lush continent. To do this, simply
take notes on each area of your Sandbox when you
draw the card. Jot down a bullet point stating which

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Sandbox Style each card relates to.

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Dice Drops... 20

I f your Sandbox is large enough (enough cards


drawn to cover a large amount of space on your
table) you can drop/roll your D20 locations directly
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onto the cards. Wherever the dice land is where the
corresponding location lies within your Sandbox.
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Map Drawing...
I f you are planning your Sandbox Setting for a
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session or upcoming campaign, you will probably


want to draw a rough map layout of the areas as
well as taking notes. Taking a top-down photo of
the abstract Sandbox you have created, along with
your notes, may suffice. When sketching the map,
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the playing card edges can represent borderlines, or


you can draw a much more realistic map, using the
drawn cards and rolled dice as inspiration. Allow the
conceptual layout to generate ideas within your mind.

4♣ 8♦ K♠ 6♦

9♣ 2♥ Q♦ 4♠

[3]
Sandbox Story...
R andom generation is quick and fun, but you
may not always get the results you’re after. Try
to remember, a good narrative beats sticking to the
rules! Cards, dice and game pieces all put together
can generate a Sandbox for you, but it is the unseen
connections between these individual pieces and

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writing prompts that will create a breathing world for
parties of adventurer’s to explore. Don’t be afraid to
re-roll a die if you don’t like the outcome, or change

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the Sandbox Style of a card you drew if you feel as if it
doesn’t quite work for that corner of your new world.

If you roll a Market Location within a Sandbox Area


that consists of nothing but flowing ocean tides, try to
think of a unique connection between the two ideas.
Is this market floating on the high seas? Is there a
fleet of merchant ships that sail the coastline looking
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to trade their wares with wealthy sailors?

Additional themes and types of NPCs


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can further add to the depth of your
Sandbox. The history of your newly
formed areas, the cultures and
traditions can all add life to
sprawling landscapes. Who lives
here, and how will they react to
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any travellers in their lands? Will


the party become embroiled in
guild politics or have to escort a
wanted ally out of these realms?
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Creating a Sandbox Story does


not necessarily mean you should
railroad the players to fit a certain
narrative, but more so that the
Sandbox itself seems to hold its own
story. If the treacherous land feels as if
it has been lived in before the party of
adventurers ever arrived there,
they will then be drawn further into
it, and carve their own story from
its deep damp gulleys and dark
jagged peaks...

[4]
1. Verdant Sandbox
S weeping forests or lush jungles. Creating a Verdant Sandbox can give the players vast

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areas to explore, filled with green lands and roads that lie between ancient woodland.
Perhaps you wish to venture deep into overgrown ruins and find the treasures of lost
civilisations, or simply protect local farmers from what waits between the cursed trees along

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the edge of patchwork fields. Verdant Sandboxes can create a deep sense of myth and legend.

♥ HEARTS: ♣ CLUBS:
2 ♥ - Thick forest and greened cliffsides. 2 ♣ - Rolling hills of cloud high trees.
3 ♥ - Damp swampland and twisted trees.e 3 ♣ - Ploughed fields and towering oaks.
4 ♥ - Flowered meadows and farmland. 4 ♣ - Tangled, dark wilderness of evergreens.
5 ♥ - Streams, bridges and greenwood. 5 ♣ - A labyrinth of twisting jungle pathways.
6 ♥ - Ridges covered in moss and bracken. 6 ♣ - Primeval forest filled with giant fossils.
7 ♥ - Bamboo forest and clear pools.
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7 ♣ - Overgrown body of a long dead titan.
8 ♥ - Ancient Fae woods and magical grottos. 8 ♣ - Crevasse covered in fungi and spores.
9 ♥ - Old woodland and vibrant clearings. 9 ♣ - Strange flowers grow in a glowing gully.
10 ♥ - River rapids surrounded by fir trees. 10 ♣ - A cut down forest that sprouts again.
Jack ♥ - Deep fenland and jagged rocks. Jack ♣ - Sodden rainforest filled with chasms.
Queen ♥ - A green mountain covered in fern. Queen ♣ - Mangrove swamp and islands.
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King ♥ - Mossy ravines and rotten walkways. King ♣ - Vast orchard of many fruits.
Ace ♥ - Verdant hillocks and copses of oak. Ace ♣ - A single, giant, fallen tree.

♠ SPADES: ♦ DIAMONDS:
2 ♠ - Primordial forest of sentient trees. 2 ♦ - Vast estate gardens overcome by nature.
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3 ♠ - Magical, abundant farmland. 3 ♦ - Jagged cliffs covered in hanging moss.


4 ♠ - Highland covered in damp heather. 4 ♦ - Shadowed jungle of purple growth.
5 ♠ - Gnarled jungle of poisonous vines. 5 ♦ - Emerald forest of barbarous spines.
6 ♠ - Old willows, streams and thick bramble. 6 ♦ - Cobwebbed backwoods and groves.
7 ♠ - Dark timberlines and a growing rot. 7 ♦ - Steep woodland at the base of a bluff.
8 ♠ - Fields of golden corn and woodlands. 8 ♦ - Wet caves filled with radiant growth.
9 ♠ - Boiling and bubbling black swampland. 9 ♦ - Ancient foggy grottos filled with roses.
10 ♠ - The sweltering jungle of lost things. 10 ♦ - A giant lake bed covered in fungi.
Jack ♠ - Colourful rainforest and lakes. Jack ♦ - Meteor crash site with alien plants.
Queen ♠ - Overgrown, disbanded crop-land. Queen ♦ - A forever-burning jungle canyon.
King ♠ - Valley of flesh eating plants. King ♦ - Arable land covered in blight.
Ace ♠ - Misty fungal forest of always-night. Ace ♦ - Haunted forests and black rivers.

[5]

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