Taking the long way home

In the last couple of days, Joshua over at Tales of the Rambling Bumblers has offered up a couple posts about sandbox-style roleplaying that bear repeating. Today's entry in particular hit on a key theme.

In Sandbox play, it’s important not to gloss over travel with “And three weeks later, you arrive at the gates of Port Autumn.” If you do that, you’re robbing the game of one of the chief features of Sandbox play, the chance to interact with all the tiny details that make up the texture of the world.

Or, to put it another way: The party doesn't move at the Speed of Plot. Rather, the plot moves at the speed of the characters. Which is something like 6 miles per hour on foot, barring injury. Heh.