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Content for Sandbox Campaigns

Aloha. I'm considering a dive into Roll20, but beyond isolated one-shots I'm wondering how I would use it for a flexible, sandbox campaign. If I generally don't know where or when any given encounter will take place, do I just need to accumulate an arsenal of pre-made maps? If you've used Roll20 in a sandbox campaign, I welcome your advice. Cheers.
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Brian C.
Pro
Marketplace Creator
Compendium Curator
First, I don't really run sandbox campaigns on Roll20 specifically, but I have found that in sandbox campaigns, the GM generally has an idea of where the players likely &nbsp;will go in the next session. One of the difficulties of Roll20 (and a VTT in general) is that it takes a bit of time to set up an encounter, so you want to do it ahead of time if possible, get comfortable with the drawing tools, or run Theater of the Mind. One advantage of Roll20 is that you can set up multiple encounters and have them ready to go. You can speed up your encounter prep time with a few tools. Here are a few options: Compendium expansions. &nbsp; <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?tag=Installation:Compendium&amp;sortby=popular" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?tag=Installation:Compendium&amp;sortby=popular</a> &nbsp;These especially help with having NPCs and monsters set up with character sheets and linked tokens. Map tile sets. &nbsp;These help build a map in Roll20. I don't personally use them, but they are fairly popular. Dungeondraft. &nbsp;This is the map program I use when I need a custom map, and there are several other good programs. This one lets you put together a good map fairly quickly. Its companion Wonderdraft can make world maps. Check the dungeondraft subreddit for more info. Pre-made maps. &nbsp; <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?category=Maps:Dynamically%20Lit%20Maps&amp;sortby=popular" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?category=Maps:Dynamically%20Lit%20Maps&amp;sortby=popular</a> &nbsp;These are installed as an addon and emerge fully built in the pages drop down. It is nice that they are ready to go, but the cost is a bit higher because they have had Dynamic Lighting added (a Plus subcriber perk), and you generally will only use them once unless it is a recurring location. Map Packs. &nbsp; <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?category=Maps:Map%20Packs&amp;sortby=popular" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?category=Maps:Map%20Packs&amp;sortby=popular</a> &nbsp;Packs of maps that are often focused on a theme and not too expensive, but there are also some that are more expensive and have a wide variety of maps.&nbsp; <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/set/3459/mdt-map-pack" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/set/3459/mdt-map-pack</a> Tokens. &nbsp; <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?category=Tokens:Bordered%20Tokens&amp;sortby=popular" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/search?category=Tokens:Bordered%20Tokens&amp;sortby=popular</a> &nbsp;Again, you can go for a themed set, or get something with a bit more variety.&nbsp; <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/set/2588/zeitgeist-npc-token-pack" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/set/2588/zeitgeist-npc-token-pack</a> So there are a few thoughts on tools to help you put together your encounters quickly. You don't have to spend money to get there. You can find great art and maps for free on the internet and the Roll20 subreddit which can be run through the GIMP or tokenstamp to set them up for Roll20. Once you have the basics of Roll20 down, a perusal of the Stupid Tricks thread might be worthwhile as it has things that will make parts of your game easier to run.
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Hello Scott, All of my games are "sandbox" here on Roll20. That basically means to me that my players might decide not to go into the adventure I just finished in time, or they might get distracted by conversation with a passing peasant for an hour or two. Brian did a great job of listing some of the artwork available here on Roll20. I won't repeat that. But for my "toolbox" I've put together.&nbsp; You know what type of game you will be running better than anyone else. Find/create some generic maps that can be used repeatedly. I have maps with names like: Forest, Meadow, Rocky Hills, Steppes, River, Falls, Coastline, Village Market, Spaceport, etc. Add the word "winter" in front of some of them and you get the idea of seasonal maps. Grab some photos off of the net. Go poking around in the photos on Google Maps. Use photos that you have taken. But be able to present images for times you are using Theatre of the Mind. If the party is in a medieval style marketplace, put a picture of that up.&nbsp; With the constant need to come up with adventure maps: learn to build maps from art assets here on Roll20 or some off the net. To give you one idea - I created a map with 60 or so rooms and corridors. With a few blocks here and there - and adjusting what the players can see - you can reconfigure the map endless different ways. And if you build more than one map with the same artwork - it keeps them guessing. One advantage that Brian did not mention: Any purchased artwork for use on Roll20 does not count against your storage limit. (I believe that is still true.) I am not an artist and can barely figure out anything more advanced than Paint. But I have used sets to build maps, used Snip and other tools to grab pieces, and move things around, then captured the entire map in one graphic. The more you work with the tools the better, and faster, you get.&nbsp; Hope this helps, and the best of luck with your games.&nbsp;
Trying to add to before messages, not to repeat. I like to run my sessions as a sandbox too. So for when times are slow, the party is mucking around without urgency or direction:&nbsp; - use mood pictures, a dozen or so can cover most situations and set the mood for your campaign (tavern, campfire, woods, desert, city).&nbsp; - have a few random battlemaps with likely encounters in corners of those maps in the GM layer. Normally those encounters i prepare are just one token per participating monster that i copy when the encounter starts. How many copies?&nbsp; Kobold fight club is your friend. I only show battlemaps when it is encounter time. Sand box does not imply there is always freedom. Finish a session by agreeing a direction for next time - “so guys... next time the party is going to the bug bear warehouse” or “now the party has taken on the job to protect the caravan and you are all geared up the caravan starts its long trek ... what will happen... see you next time” And then you can prepare the next (few) encounter(s). If its clear there is a tradeoff in quality &nbsp;between improvised on the spot encounters and prepared encounters players will happily commit.
I would like to call attention to Dungeondraft again that previous responder mentioned.&nbsp; It's a great program and relatively easy to learn.&nbsp; I have zero artistic skills and with it, am able to make decent looking maps.&nbsp; For $20, it's well worth the price.&nbsp; Note that it's still in beta so stability is not a guarantee - though I haven't run into any major bugs yet.
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I run a Roll20 5e D&amp;D sandbox -&nbsp; <a href="http://frloudwater.blogspot.com/2020/08/faerun-adventures-beginner-5e-d-game.html" rel="nofollow">http://frloudwater.blogspot.com/2020/08/faerun-adventures-beginner-5e-d-game.html</a> &nbsp; I do use a bunch of premade maps, such as the free PF2 playtest battlemaps and the ones that came with my purchase of Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/bundle/3818/dungeon-tiles-reincarnated-3-pack-bundle" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/bundle/3818/dungeon-tiles-reincarnated-3-pack-bundle</a> . But I also made some generic maps such as cave networks, street scenes, ruins etc I can use as needed. IME the MOST important things to have are (1) wilderness roads and (2) Inns! PCs are always stopping at Inns, so a good variety is vital. Likewise, they are often travelling along roads, where they meet Random Encounters. :) A couple town &amp; castle resources I like on Roll20 are Slap-Down Towns and (just purchased) Slap Down Town Fortifications Addon. These give infinite reconfigurability, and the files are downloadable so I can cut &amp; edit individual elements, such as useful single rooms within a larger building. But there are a ton of free resources too.
For Inns and Taverns i prefer mood pictures... tavern battlemaps make my players very itchy and prepared to roll initiative.
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Pat
Pro
API Scripter
Playing off of Martijn above - I use top-down "battlemaps" all the time, for everything except overland travel (long distance travel), meaning they or anyone else can start something at any time. There's no requirement to fight, and at the same time no limitation on fighting. But I like making maps for everything. Vary up terrain or have terrain assets you can drop into battlemaps to provide variety. Map management can be an issue, so I archive maps that are unlikely to be in the current session.&nbsp; Gabriel Pickard has a variety of assets that include both ready-made battlemaps ("Quick Encounters" including some with lighting effects) and piecemeal sets ("Slap-Down-Town" or "Vile Tiles" for building and decoration your own maps among others).&nbsp;
Pat said: Playing off of Martijn above - I use top-down "battlemaps" all the time, for everything except overland travel (long distance travel), meaning they or anyone else can start something at any time. There's no requirement to fight, and at the same time no limitation on fighting.&nbsp; Yes, I find that the 'sandbox' feel is helped by a consistent player experience, the way eg Skyrim uses the same mode for 'town' and 'dungeon'. The aim is a you-are-there sense of immersion, and a feeling that anything is possible.
Hey as most people have said it all above id really have in your pages set up a bunch of random maps as fillers, by making them with Inkcanate or buying PDF JPGs from seller some good ones in the store or on drivethruRPG pre set up as many as you think you will need. like people have said above i try to make all the maps look the same i think it adds to the immersion to help run a sandbox so hard going from colour maps to the blue and white ones. alot of WCs stuff varries as they use such a huge range of artists. you can also use the trick of flipping a random encounter map to use it a second time if its been awhile the party may not notice. but i like the idea mentioned above about using battle maps all the time rather than mood images just so the party are on their toes hahaha even when nothing happens.&nbsp; I would say just run your game like you do at home just have your main stuff planned and a bunch of random pages willed with battle maps incase the party decides to walk off into a swamp then climb a mountain on their way to the next location.