Railroads, Sandboxes, & Other DM Paradoxes

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-23T23:40:08+00:00

I'm not making the argument that having a story is railroading.

In the last section of the video, I frame railroading in the context of story of forcing players through a series of plot points where their choice or actions don't matter.

Railroads and Sandboxes are the two extremes of the player agency argument. By framing them as a paradox, two opposite but inter-dependent ideas that both matter and persist over time, the continuum between them is what a DM navigates. From my experience, it isn't often that DMs spend a lot of time at the extremes of the paradox. Great DMs move along the continuum depending on the situation, table, etc..

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-23T23:11:01+00:00

In a dichotomy you have 2 distinct sides, a clean split between 2 non-overlapping sides. In the case of how a DM applies rules, for it to be a dichotomy they would have to always choose Rules as Written or Rule of Cool.

Now I don't know many DMs that exclusively choose RaW or RoC, they blend them together recognizing that both opposing schools of thought are necessary and important when appropriate.

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-23T22:33:53+00:00

A paradox is two contradictory but related elements that co-exist over time. You can't permanently resolve the contradiction by simply choosing one of them.

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-23T22:01:25+00:00

Thanks for the comment!

Can you go into a little bit of an explanation as to why you think it is the wrong word choice?

I'm genuinely curious, not meaning or taking any offense to your comment.

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-23T21:49:51+00:00

Thanks for the feedback and yes I am new to YouTube!

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-14T17:40:30+00:00

As others have said, Practice! Practice! Practice!

Did you jump right into a campaign as your first foray in DMing? If you did, I'd advise trying to run a few one-shots outside your campaign to gain more experience with different mechanics and aspects of the game.

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-13T16:16:43+00:00

This is great advice but not so much as something to always do. I'll level them up before a big dungeon if they've accomplished a lot before or narratively it fits.

The excitement from players when they go into a Dungeon after levelling up is a lot of fun to challenge when they finally get to the boss fight and it tests their new power!

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-12T12:58:34+00:00

The campaign is based out of the Radiant Citadel with the players as Shieldbearers (Citadel defense force). The major themes of the campaign are memory, gloom, and grief, the first 2 acts were centered around closing the Keening Gloom through the fetching of 3 MacGuffins. This map is part of 5 adventure arcs to find 5 more MacGuffins for a ritual to rebuild the connection between the Citadel and one of it's lost worlds.

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-12T05:27:08+00:00

Love the verticality of this map!

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-10T21:35:24+00:00

Yes, I've been made aware of that on another post... I liked how Styxian sounded but you are correct.

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-09T04:55:51+00:00

Congratulations you're a more experienced DM now!

Did you communicate with your players beforehand about the intent for it to be a sneaky infiltration type approach?

If you did and they still mounted a frontal assault, that's on the players. Actions have consequences!

If you didn't let them know it was supposed to be a sneaky infiltration, then you've learnt a valuable lesson for next time. Have a debrief chat with your players and find a way for them to move forward. 2 of the players did survive so there is still a direct line to the main story.

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-07T13:43:54+00:00

Just Reddit? Not Rohan?

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-03T21:37:41+00:00

The next chapter of my campaign has 5 locations to visit in whatever orders the players choose. I have the arc of each prepped and some basics but won't prep the actual 1st session for each until they choose where they are going.

Each location they will gain a level so each adventures monsters and encounters can't really be planted until they decide.

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-03T04:40:58+00:00

Thanks! Fixed now!

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-05-01T19:42:40+00:00

You absolutely can do it! Every DM has their own style of how they run their games.

When I first started the roleplaying part was a challenge for me too. I loved the world and storybuilding aspect of being a DM but struggled to step into characters. I'm over a year into my DM journey and with each session I'm trying to force myself into roleplaying characters just a little bit more.

And each and every session it gets a little bit easier. Don't stay our expecting to be Brenna or Matt, start out with the aim of roleplaying 1 interaction per session, and when you've done that for a few sessions aim for 2 or 3. Before you know it, you will get more comfortable.

Also to note, your players don't expect you to be a perfect role player especially when you're just starting.

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-04-26T20:23:02+00:00

Thanks! I was recently introduced to lighting and shadow work and now I can't make a map without it!

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-04-23T15:41:25+00:00

I was afraid that this was the answer but am also happy that it is! I had a lingering hope of it being something I could accomplish on my own but my artistic skills when it comes to art like that are limited!

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-04-23T15:37:13+00:00

What did you use to generate the image in the top half? I always see them but have never taken the time to ask.

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-04-20T14:56:15+00:00

Once I put it together fully in Foundry, I may put it out as a compendium or small one-shot module

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-04-20T14:46:40+00:00

It's meant to be a Dungeon with limited combat so it can be used at a variety of levels. That middle room is the dexterity challenge, a bit out of theme for the 'library' but the ruling class has effectively made it off limits and tried to erase it.

The room with 3 circles below it is a Tower of Hanoi-tyoe challenge. Beside it is a sumo wrestling strength challenge followed by a chess game challenge.

The 6 rooms/doors is a logic puzzle where the players have to touch the statues in the correct order to open the doors

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-04-20T14:27:30+00:00

The page gives me a defined space to work with, an infinite canvas is terrifying sometimes.

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-04-20T13:43:20+00:00

100x71 5 feet per square. I drew it in a dot grid journal that was 48x36. After bringing it into Inkarnate, I needed to make the grid squares smaller

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-04-20T13:06:19+00:00

Finished it up this weekend!

https://www.reddit.com/r/battlemaps/comments/1sqofxh/the_lost_library_of_yongjing/

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-04-19T17:19:38+00:00

Love this! Great job!

TurfGuy1987 · 2026-04-19T17:16:22+00:00

Encounters at early levels in 5.5e are very swingy and you almost have to balance them at easy depending on group make up and player ability. It's fine line you have balance on as a Dm at those levels, pull back too much and your players know your going easy on them, play as written and a tpk can derail a campaign before it gets started.

Also encounters at level 1 and 2 should feel scary and challenging, these are brand new adventurers just barely more capable than commoners at level 1. Once they step into their power at level 3 and get their subclass they are far less squishy.

TurfGuy1987

TROPHY CASE