Demystifying the Sandbox

Drachenfest US
Jun 6
10 min read

Tools for “making your own plot” at DrachenFest

“Sandbox Roleplay” is one of the four “pillars” of DrachenFest. The concept is simple: we play together creatively, building interesting fiction and fun gameplay with each other. In this post we’d like to give you some tools to make plot for yourself and others in the DrachenFest Sandbox.

The Dragon Competition sets the stage for our epic shared story. It’s the frame—but the real magic happens when fantasy characters clash, connect, and create in the sandbox. Big plots emerge. So do quiet, personal ones. You can chase a story, but it might twist on you—and that’s half the fun. The more you give to the game, the more others will leap in to meet you, making each story richer, louder, and more interesting.

The Adventure Mindset

The key to having lots of fun adventures in DrachenFest is to be open to the moment and enjoy the journey.

Let’s step through a common task - hunting for a ritual component. “Bring me a Feather of Grace!” Sometimes the person giving you the quest has already determined what needs to be done, but let’s imagine we get handed this task with zero context.

First, let’s figure out what the heck a Feather of Grace is. Start by investigating. Talk to spellcasters. Bird-themed characters. Someone might’ve already defined what a Feather of Grace is—follow their lead and you’re validating player-made lore, helping turn a one-off quest into a living tradition. But if no one knows? Perfect. Time to invent something awesome.

The goal isn’t just the feather. It’s the journey. The conversations you’ll have. The strange roads you’ll wander. Maybe you’ll find new friends—or cause a commotion. Be brave and magic will happen!

One option is to enhance an existing prop–like a feather you brought with you. Or you could go on a hunt to find something at the festival that fits the bill. A simple feather won’t work as a ritual component, you’ll have to “empower” it through gameplay.

How do I “empower” a prop? Basically: charge it up by doing an adventure! Make up a challenging activity or interesting experience. Involve others. Maybe the feather becomes magically graced when it’s given to someone as part of an apology. Or maybe the feather needs to hear a poem at sunset - the more people there, the better. Or maybe the feather needs to be in a healer’s hair while they save a life. Whatever it is, when the task is done, if it felt like a fun story or adventure, then your efforts probably “worked”. The regular feather has become a Feather of Grace.

Referees love helping players define quests like this, calibrating how much risk and effort they involve, and validating their success. You can ask a Ref if you've "done enough" and they'll confirm... or add a twist! So collaborate with the Refs.

But don’t get too hung up on the result or outcome, enjoy the journey. Maybe your new bird friend sends you on some weird errand before giving you some of their plumage. Spending your afternoon on some unexpected side quest isn’t a bad thing, it’s a story too! The festival is about meeting, playing, doing cool things, and being part of each other’s play community.

Core Concepts of Sandbox Play

Some Jargon

Plot - the recipe for a story. Some plots are designed by the game (like the Dragon Egg competition), but most are emergent—created by players through choices, stakes, and collaboration.

Story - When you’re talking about it later, telling people about your experience, that’s the “story”. There is no single story, everybody has their own perspective. Plot is a tool for making stories.

Validate - To validate something is to explicitly recognize its meaning and story, making it more real. If I hire you to play music, I’ve validated your identity as a bard. If I thank you for a quest and describe how your work mattered, I’ve validated your effort. Validation is a key tool for leaders and quest givers.

Blocking - Blocking is stopping someone else’s plot from happening. It’s often unintentional, but can still be frustrating. Blocking is fair in competitive contexts—like stopping a sabotage—but in social or creative play, it’s better to pivot or redirect than shut something down. Tearing down a tavern’s performance posters? Blocking. Interrupting a duel with a “bigger” plot? Also blocking.

Spotlighting/Platforming - giving someone attention, importance, or agency. If a camp leader invites a war priest to give a blessing before a siege, they are platforming that player. It’s a great way to lift others and invite collaboration.

Reaction - Reactions are gifts, be generous! When you react to things in the fiction, it makes them more real. We bring our shared world to life by making each other’s characters and role play important. We can always elevate the impact of the fiction by choosing to let it affect us. When you "block" or do nothing, that is when the game feels less real.

Setting Stakes

Through our roleplay, we can define or highlight what’s “at stake”, what stands to be gained or lost. Stakes turn a task into an adventure. They give weight and consequence to our choices, making fiction feel real and roleplay feel dramatic. When we take stakes seriously—whether they’re big or small—our stories gain momentum and meaning.

We set personal stakes by needing things, thinking about why something matters to us, or imagining what we might lose. Needing something that somebody else can give is an amazing plot hook!

We set stakes for others by outlining consequences or making contingent promises: “If you help me, I’ll owe you. If you fail me, I’ll never forget it.” When somebody needs something from you, those are the stakes - sometimes, you can create drama and adventure by withholding it until they "earn" it from you. If it comes off as a dead-end, that's "blocking". But if they have a choice about how to proceed, that's story!

Whether you succeed or fail, good stakes always lead somewhere interesting. Failure isn’t the end—it’s the launch point for more story.

Here are some examples of communicating / setting stakes for others:

Just to be clear, if we caught, they may kill us both.
Help me out and I’ll owe you a favor.
Sure, I'll tell you... for a price. I'll need your help with something tonight.
Swear yourself to our cause and I’ll ensure your name is remembered.
If you break this oath, the pact is undone and we’re both cursed.
We’re desperate–If nobody hires us by sunset, we’ll resort to banditry.
Squire, our order needs your courage, see this deed done and knighthood is yours.
Apprentice, the power of magic swirls in all of us, focus your will on the ritual and the order will welcome you as a full acolyte.
This bottle of mead is reserved for the one who duels the enemy champion!

Stake-calibration is an art. Let’s imagine you’re in the bazaar getting coffee, something unexpected happens, now your character has some lingering roleplay curse. You can decide that this is just a silly bit of roleplay, or you can choose to lean into it and treat it as a big problem that will make your character’s life “interesting”. When setting stakes for yourself, consider how much risk would be fun. When inventing quests for others or setting stakes together, use open ended questions to gauge how much intensity and risk people are ready for.

The Three Act Structure

Plan activities with at least three scenes:

we prepare for something
then we do it
then we resolve/celebrate it.

These beats are often referred to as “milestones”—smaller sub-goals that can be accomplished in a variety of creative ways. Think of them as stepping stones to the larger goal. Each one is a moment for players to come together and choose how things will unfold next.

For example, a heist or sabotage plot has at least three important scenes:

A planning scene - The gang gets together, puts all the info and resources on the table, and gives everybody a job.
The heist itself!
A “treasure split” scene - the thieves go to a tavern, pop a cork, and divvy up the loot. Maybe they squabble and betray each other, leading to the next plot. Or if the heist failed, maybe the resolution is about drowning their sorrows together, or apologizing to their employer.

The three beats of crafting a masterpiece:

Plan It - Define the project—what materials or people are needed? Also decide what it represents. Make a blueprint and ask for help. Involve others!
Make the thing! Gather materials, collaborate, try new methods, and keep it visible so others see the progress.
Reveal It - Present the finished work. Publicly establish its usage / purpose. Give it to someone, present it to the camp, use it on the battlefield. Add a layer of performance or storytelling to make the unveiling memorable. Or simply use the item in a way that everybody can see!

Three beats of a mentor/apprentice plot:

The Meeting of Minds - You realize you need to pass on knowledge—or need someone to teach you. You find a likely partner: someone with potential, or someone whose mastery you admire. There’s a moment of proposal: a trial, a test, or an earnest offer.
The Teaching - You train together. The mentor shares wisdom, skills, and philosophy. The apprentice struggles, grows, and proves themselves. Maybe they face a shared challenge—something that tests their bond or mastery of the teaching.
The Transformation - The apprentice acts independently, putting the teaching into practice or passing a trial. The mentor watches with pride, conflict, or regret. Then: a graduation, a ceremony, a falling out, a new lesson—or even a reversal of roles.

Three beats of a duel plot:

Issue the Challenge - Identify your opponent, decide why they are a worthy rival, call them out, and negotiate the terms and stakes of the duel in a tense or dramatic exchange.
Fight! Put on a show! Show emotion, exchange taunts, keep roleplaying even as you fight.
Embrace the Outcome - Reflect on what happened—whether victory, defeat, or draw—and use it as a roleplay springboard. How did this affect you? Celebrate by sharing a special bottle with some friends later that night, or swear a public oath of revenge and begin training for a rematch.

Roleplaying activity setup and resolution makes action feel more meaningful, and fills the event with lots of great roleplay. As you’re working on your own plots, talk to Referees! They are great at helping you define and set plot milestones.

Putting it Into Practice

Exploring Character Background

A strong character concept is your compass—it points you toward the kind of plot and play you’ll love. Your backstory isn’t just decoration; it’s fuel. Use it in-game to deepen your identity and spark new storylines.

One of the best tools for personal plot? Inner conflict. Give your character something unresolved—something they’re wrestling with, reaching for, or trying to outrun. A way that they are growing or changing. Then tie that tension to something happening at the festival. Let it shape your choices. Let it evolve. That’s where the best roleplay lives: not in who your character was, but in who they’re becoming.

Discover the Trigger - Find—or create—something at the festival that ties to your character’s past. A rival bearing a hated symbol. A warrior whose style mirrors your mentor’s. A song that hits a nerve. Let it stir something unresolved: guilt, doubt, rage, longing. Something that demands change.
Next, Face the Conflict - Build toward a scene that brings the tension to a head—a duel, a confrontation, a vulnerable confession. This is your spotlight. Show your struggle. Let others see your doubt, your fury, your torn loyalty. You might need more than one of these moments before something gives. That’s okay. That’s story.
Then, Weave It Into the Present - Use what you’ve learned to redefine your character. Take a public or symbolic action that represents your choice—letting go of anger, swearing an oath, or embracing a new cause. Invite others to witness or react. This is how your past becomes part of the living world.

Here are some Background-Driven Conflicts:

Family Legacy - Your character struggles to live up to (or escape) their family’s reputation.
Betrayal - You betrayed or were betrayed. Someone here reopens that wound. Will you forgive, get revenge, or risk trust again?
Lost Mentor or Comrade - Their teachings—or their death—still haunt you. Something here challenges what they meant.
Moral Dilemma - Your character once compromised their values (e.g., abandoning someone, betraying a cause). A similar situation arises, forcing you to grapple with your past decisions.
Unfinished Business - You left something important undone in the past. A person or symbol tied to that unfinished story appears, giving you a chance for closure or to reignite the story.
Dream Symbol - An image frequently appears in your dreams, you must find out what it means
Discovery of Purpose - As your mentor died, they placed the gem in your hand, hoping one day you'd use it for good. But what is it, really? They never taught you that.

Here are some examples of personal stake-setting statements:

This group is like my family, I’ll help them at any cost.
If we lose one more battle, I’m going to beg those demons for help.
I desperately want to know what’s going on here.
When someone uses magic on me, I cannot help but feel rage.
I’ve never had a home, I need to find one.
I must earn my name before the final battle–or go home in shame.
I need something to help me calm down or the voices will return.
If she pulls this off, I’ll be inspired.
If we pull this off, it’s gonna go right to my head and I’ll never shut up about how great we are.

Giving Quests

While there are a few big quests in each camp that are run by the camp cast, and can earn dragon eggs, players do a lot of quest giving, too.

Many players find themselves as quest-givers when they have something other characters want, when they need help with a goal, or when they have a fun idea to "hook" people into a plot.

Some players like to prepare explicit plots, coming to the game armed with props, puzzles, or activities, creating challenges and gameplay for others. They introduce their plot through their character, without needing NPCs or external resources.

Tips:

Larpers are very creative. Great goals have different ways to accomplish them.
Merely locating something at the festival is often an interesting task!
When setting stakes and giving tasks for others, “read the room” to find the right intensity. Open ended questions are great for determining risk appetite. How far are you willing to go for this? How much danger can you handle?
Make sure people understand what they’re getting into and can then opt in/out of your plot.
Turning in the quest is its own key roleplay moment. Make them tell the story, reveal the object, share the info. Reward and celebrate their effort. Players may solve the problem in an unexpected way, so be flexible. And if they didn’t come back with something perfect, but they had a great ride, that’s usually good enough. If they completed the quest without any effort or fun, you can add a complication, bounce them back into the adventure. “This might do the trick, but you know what else it needs?”