The more I play open world video games, the more I wonder if there would be a market for an open world board game.
What if a tabletop game could capture a similar experience that the new Zelda game offers? Would anybody be interested in that?
I realize it would require a mountain of work and probably only work for 1 player.
Build a "core" product - and as you design, make certain that you plan for expansions. Whether this be different Scenarios, Card Sets, Hero Packs, Quest Decks, etc. You'll need a way to take a "core" game and make it fit with "expandable" modules - IF you want to achieve an Open World concept.
While "Tradewars - Homeworld" is designed for "Expansion", I wouldn't say it's an Open World concept ... just because that's not the TYPE of game it is. You're not exploring a universe - it's functionally a deck-builder. So it's not like a 4x such as "Tau Ceti", even though we have expansions that vary the way the game is played.
So my understanding is you need to figure out your "core" and then find ways to add "Expansions"...
And just another quick PLUG: XTG3 at Level 3 invites Community Development of Expansions or new cores given access to Branding, game assets and templates to allow other designers to collaborate and make new products to revive "cores" which have perhaps almost "outlived" their lifespan... or to be more precise their SHELF lifespan.
But you're going to need a way to "focus" (think "core") and have all that "Open World" additional content - which is all about expandability and having multiple designers working on the extras that make the "Open World" concept a reality.
Cheers!
But do I think it's possible? Totally! Would it be cool?? Totally!! You just need to figure how to divide the game from what you would consider your "Open" elements (that can be purchased after the initial game set) to the heart of the type of game you are designing to be compatible with all the additional content... It takes careful planning.
If you are going to take such an endeavor, please keep us posted. I think it's a novel idea - and because of the "expandable" nature of such an initiative, it also peaks my own personal interests because of the XTG3 pilot!
Just a few more comments about "Tradewars - Homeworld"... As I mentioned above I would not consider it an "Open World" concept because the "core" of the game is a Deck-Builder. But with the "expandability" aspect, it does push the bar pretty high in terms of what could comprise the game.
Future expandability concepts include but are not limited to:
So we're really pushing the game with all kinds of NEW and exciting Expansions.
In some ways this could be "considered" "Open World" - but not quite what I think you were going for in the OP.
I think Kris's idea of a core game with expansions planned in can work for this. However, I don't think the end experience would be worth as much as a typical computer game, and definitely not as much as a tabletop role-playing game. There's a reason computer games have been able to do this well, and I think it's because they handle so much stuff behind the scenes that the player doesn't have to worry about.
The result is the player has more time to invest in their character that interacts with the world, as opposed to the maturity and evolution of the world itself. Unless there's a moderator/referee/DM the player will need to manage world-building themselves, which although entertaining would likely reduce immersion.
A few additional thoughts on this.
Although the mechanics are kind of outmoded, I couldn't help but think of Talisman and all of its expansions that alter the game in various ways: some less subtle than others. I imagine if Talisman had no narrative, then the player could pursue whatever manner of advancement, exploration, achievement, etc. provided by the cards/purchased expansions.
It would be nice to play a narrative-free version of Talisman where players could enable and disable the expansions at will, or at set intervals. Not sure what this would offer in terms of gameplay but I think it would be a nice feature.
I think there have been those who attempted to emulate Minecraft and failed, largely because they attempted to emulate the core mechanics of that game on the tabletop. Taking the flavor of Minecraft and turning that into a game that isn't as simple as the Minecraft Dice Game would be interesting to see.
I think you'd be best to choose a 4X "core": eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate. This would include "core" resources - but expansions could ADD "new" types of resources, link this to some kind of dynamic map (maybe like Tau Ceti - but medieval flavor).
I agree with @Stephen ... it won't be as IMMERSIVE as the Video game. The computer keeps track of character progression - Just look at @Frank's City of Kings... You see how large his character maps are... Just for evolution of a player's character.
And we haven't even talked about ITEMS and EQUIPMENT. That's probably a whole DECK of additional cards. Then there is the whole CLASS system: are you a fighter or a Magician or even perhaps a Thief?! Maybe CLASS systems could be part of the "core" but offer "Expansions" to add a NEW kind of class to the game.
Like I said, there is a lot to consider... But I think using a 4X "core" would be the best "model" out-there to choose from.
Cheers.
For those interested in learning more about 4X games, here is a link:
I think this is a great idea, and splitting it into core and expansion parts is the right path (keeping in mind the core needs to be fun by itself). But if this veers too far into tabletop RPG territory then maintaining the game state becomes a concern. Can a player really experience an "open world" in a single game session? If not, how does one preserve the game state between sessions?
No, commandeering the player's basement for weeks at a time is not a solution.
One possibility is to go with a large, but fixed, region map with various quest locations on it. Probably a flexible mat that can take dry-erase marker or vinyl clingies. The quest locations themselves can spawn randomly from tiles (each one has its own combination of subdecks shuffled together). Only one quest location is spawned at a time, so re-use of subdecks is not a concern. Once a quest location is used up, it is marked on the main map as "explored" and generates only simple random encounters if visited again. So saving the random tile map is also not a concern.
Anything at all like what you were thinking?
Maybe use a laminated board or tiles on which you can stick "stickers" and make it perhaps LEGACY-Like?!
Same goes with Character boards: use stickers to improve boards... Allowing you to SAVE the state without worrying about misplacing markers or losing your stats.
Forget about taking over a basement... With LEGACY you don't need it. Just make sure you use laminated, UV Coating or thin plastic over the cards (I did this for Quest AC)... And then you can stick everything you want and it's PERMANENT until the GAME ENDS!
That can make a HUGE influence HOW to keep the status (SAVE) of your game!
And you can SELL stickers as "extras" for more replays... In the event you start running out of stickers ... which occurs with all LEGACY products but it can be fixed rather easily with a simple purchase!
One mechanic I thought was real cool, was rolling two (2) d6s to figure out where you are going to place something on your "overworld". It could be 6 x 6 = 36 Square Tiles (to add more replayability) and have some rules (what you can and cannot stick to certain locations).
Like for example you draw one (1) "destination" card. It has two (2) types of locations: a dungeon mine or a small village. If it's a dungeon, you choose Sticker A and roll 2d6s for the location. If it's a small village, you stick it at your current position. And then you use the "innerworld" tiles for either the village or dungeon...
Perhaps you can keep it simple, ONE (1) "destination" to be explored at a time. A if you have multiple players, perhaps cooperative play as a PARTY. And to SAVE the game, you MUST complete the current "destination". Meaning that you have a deck box for saved cards, you have a player mat with stickers and all you need to worry about is the "overworld" map (since innerworld maps are completed).
But yeah I definitely think LEGACY is the way to go...
I once brainstormed on Minecraft. The only issue with any open world is, the possibility to expand forever.
Which is the goal to open worlds. You expand, until you get tired of it.
On the table, you are limited to space. So how to deal with that? I tried ring binders. A squared one for perfection.
Each page is a map that can be added or taken out. With a sticker on each side of the map, you can direct to another map with a number. And each map has a number on its own. So 5 stickers per page.
When exploring a new part of the world, you roll dice for what kind of page to add. Depending on the number of designs of course. Also a d8 is used to decide on top view and if the map is mirrored alongside one of the 8 axis. Then print this page, give it a number and place it on the table. Once a player leaves the area completely, the map is added to the ring binder.
9 maps per player where on the table. Some might be adjadcent. Movement should be relatively slow. For stopping the handling. I also tried 1 map per player, a reduction of 8 pages, but movement should be very slow. Any way, lots of work, any way. So that one was out of the window.
No idea, of how to improve the above.
Each page is a map that can be added or taken out. With a sticker on each side of the map, you can direct to another map with a number. And each map has a number on its own. So 5 stickers per page.
When exploring a new part of the world, you roll dice for what kind of page to add. Depending on the number of designs of course. Also a d8 is used to decide on top view and if the map is mirrored alongside one of the 8 axis. Then print this page, give it a number and place it on the table. Once a player leaves the area completely, the map is added to the ring binder.
9 maps per player where on the table. Some might be adjadcent. Movement should be relatively slow. For stopping the handling. I also tried 1 map per player, a reduction of 8 pages, but movement should be very slow. Any way, lots of work, any way. So that one was out of the window.
No idea, of how to improve the above.
I'm leaning more toward Zelda: Breath of the Wild than Minecraft. Minecraft's maps are created procedurely which I could simulate, as stated above, with die rolls and whatnot, but I would much rather have a game world that was already set. The player wouldn't have to do anything but explore it.
(Also, similar to GTA.)
Yes, movement would have to be on the slow side. But there would also be ways to teleport around to speed up travel. If you get a quest that requires you to be on the other side of the world, it's a slog to walk there. There would be animals to ride and ways of teleporting for a cost.
The amount of content for a game like this would be massive, and the more I ponder it, the more I understand why it's never been done before.
I played the World of Warcraft boardgame. It was looooong-winded. Runebound is also a long open world game which is fun, but UNFORGIVING. So much so, that we play with the sissy, baby rules. Is Blood Rage an open world too? I just know it's long as well.
All that being said, an open world game needs to be REALLY engaging for me to invest 4+ hours into it.
All that being said, an open world game needs to be REALLY engaging for me to invest 4+ hours into it.
There are lots of adventure games, and some of them are quite good. However, I feel like the main flaw they have is that there's never a main story running throughout. Typically, it's just a bunch of disjointed, random quests that don't point to anything.
And where open world video games shine is that there are tons of random side quests to explore, but there's also a main storyline the character is experiencing.
Also, the games you mentioned are mainly focused on combat. It's basically "go over there, beat up that thing." There's very little exploration or actual adventure.
As far as the time issue, I think the best way to accomplish this experience is to make it a solo game.
In multiplayer games, you have to make sure the game is constantly progressing towards its end state so you can have a winner and so the players can have closure and move on to something else.
But I'm leaning toward a game that a person could play for as long or as little as they want. You could play until a quest is completed or until the next part of the map is revealed. You could play at your own pace and explore what you wanted to because there aren't any other players there waiting on you.
Hey Gabe,
This is really interesting timing for me, I'd love to discuss this with you but I'm pressing launch in a few hours.
The City of Kings is an open world game, I've always loved games like Final Fantasy (7/8/9), Phantasy Star Online, World of Warcraft, and so on, so that's where I took most of my inspiration.
I can say without a doubt that keeping game time down is very hard when you create this type of game, but there are ways of controlling it.
So things which you can do in TCoK.
Explore the board, there are different zones (coloured tiles) and as you explore you'll start in an easier area and adventure into harder areas. There are 2 zones in the main game but this can easily be expanded later.
There are:
Professions, although I handled this with a type of worker management. So you can go fishing, mine ore, chop down trees and so on.
Side quests (80 of them) that all give you glimpses into the lives of the people in the world.
Procedurally generated creatures that are created based on the point of encounter, so you never know what monster will be around the next corner.
Construction sites, where you can build up structures for bonuses (new actions).
Shops, where you trade for items.
Huge amounts of character building - Increase your stats as you level and define your own role (attack/heal/tank/support/professions and so on), there's also a tech tree.
Fast travel, so as you get further into the world you can ride horses to get from certain locations to other locations faster.
I may be missing some, but I feel this covers a big part of the open world experience.
In regards to core narrative, I created 2 ways of playing.
Scenarios: These are shorter 60 - 90 minute sessions where you're given a single objective to acheive. For example, kill 3 creatures or find The Inn of Lost hHpe.
Stories: These are 1.5 - 3 hour (although typically about 2 hours, depending on level of role play) where you play through the games story.
I broke the story into 7 sub stories, so players are advised to play story 1 one night, then story 2 the next and so on. This progression of 7 stories gives the overall story telling element games like Zelda introduce whilst breaking it into smaller sessions.
I've also played around with a third mode, which is less guided, but effectively you have everything and must explore the entire world. This is a 12 hour experience and entirely designed for people who just want to keep playing over time.
I opted to not take the legacy route, I think it would make sense for the "progressing your character stuff" but otherwise it's not needed. I preferred the idea of players ending up with 7 games (stories) which once they've played once, they can come back and play whenever they want. Each offers a different style of play and I'm sure different people will have different favourites.
I do slightly cheat here though, so in later stories I assume players are more experienced so I allow them to take starting stats. Giving a type of fake progression through the games as they can get back to where they were should they want to.
I've rushed to write this up, but hopefully it gives a good overview and I'm happy to discuss further on a slightly less busy day!
Gloomhaven seems to have aspects of an Open World. I've never played it, but I believe you can go where you want on the map without following a specific track of adventures.
Explore the board, there are different zones (coloured tiles) and as you explore you'll start in an easier area and adventure into harder areas. There are 2 zones in the main game but this can easily be expanded later.
There are:
Professions, although I handled this with a type of worker management. So you can go fishing, mine ore, chop down trees and so on.
Side quests (80 of them) that all give you glimpses into the lives of the people in the world.
Procedurally generated creatures that are created based on the point of encounter, so you never know what monster will be around the next corner.
Construction sites, where you can build up structures for bonuses (new actions).
Shops, where you trade for items.
Huge amounts of character building - Increase your stats as you level and define your own role (attack/heal/tank/support/professions and so on), there's also a tech tree.
Fast travel, so as you get further into the world you can ride horses to get from certain locations to other locations faster.
I may be missing some, but I feel this covers a big part of the open world experience.
In regards to core narrative, I created 2 ways of playing.
Scenarios: These are shorter 60 - 90 minute sessions where you're given a single objective to acheive. For example, kill 3 creatures or find The Inn of Lost hHpe.
Stories: These are 1.5 - 3 hour (although typically about 2 hours, depending on level of role play) where you play through the games story.
I broke the story into 7 sub stories, so players are advised to play story 1 one night, then story 2 the next and so on. This progression of 7 stories gives the overall story telling element games like Zelda introduce whilst breaking it into smaller sessions.
I've also played around with a third mode, which is less guided, but effectively you have everything and must explore the entire world. This is a 12 hour experience and entirely designed for people who just want to keep playing over time.
Yes! This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about.
What are your side quests like? Is it a lot of "go kill this monster," or did you find a way to plug exploration, puzzles, and discovery in?
Gloomhaven definitely has a couple "open world" style things going on in that you can go to different places in its world and do different things.
However, from what I've seen GH has a fairly linear story with divergent options every now and then, and it's really just a scenario based dungeon crawler with lots of flavor.
In a lot of ways, I feel like it's a tabletop version of a "skinner box." Similar to WoW, people will continue to grind through it to see what the next level and next shiny thing are.
To answer the OP, no I would not. Open world video games live and die by the interconnectedness of their mechanics and systems in ways board games can't emulate. Open world board games would just be a variation of D&D.
Can you be more specific? What mechanics and systems are you referring to?
"Can I do this?" is the question open world games have players ask and are frequently rewarded for doing so.
In board games, the rules are defined. You know what combination of actions players are allowed to take.
Let's take Zelda Breathe of the Wild as an example. The game never says you can shoot fruit off of trees with a bow and arrow. But given the logic of the world, you in fact can, and then it goes one step further to keep you arrow lodged in the fruit.
Board games can't emulate that type of epiphany, and that's exactly the kind of thing open worlds seek to create.
I don't think this ought to be a "legacy" game, at least not as I understand the term. Seems like a great deal for the publisher but not the player.
Legacy to me means you'll run through the same game a limited number of times, with the rules evolving a bit in reaction to decisions you make, and then the game is done. Period. Permanently marked up. Can't be re-used or re-sold.
Putting "Legacy" on the box is saying "We couldn't figure out replayability."
You can accomplish much the same result using dry-erase markers, magnets, removable stickers, or vinyl stickies. But then you can take everything off and re-try the game with a different strategy (this time a thief rather than a magician, etc.).
The interconnectedness that Squinshee mentioned can be incorporated into the set-up for a quest (Select one card from the Boss B deck. But if X, Y or Z has not yet been explored, then pick from the Boss E deck instead.) though it will take the board game equivalent of regression testing a video game.
@squinshee
You make a very good point. One of Z:BotW's best aspects is exploring the mechanics to figure out what you can do.
"Can I do this?" turns into "Holy crap! I can."
I'll ponder on if there are ways to simulate this on the tabletop...
Not exactly. My point is that board games have defined rules, things you can and cannot do. Open world games are about letting players test the boundaries of what they can do. While open world video games do have rules, they're not explicitly learned from a rulebook rather learned from experience and curiosity.
Legacy to me means you'll run through the same game a limited number of times, with the rules evolving a bit in reaction to decisions you make, and then the game is done. Period. Permanently marked up. Can't be re-used or re-sold.
Putting "Legacy" on the box is saying "We couldn't figure out replayability."
You can accomplish much the same result using dry-erase markers, magnets, removable stickers, or vinyl stickies. But then you can take everything off and re-try the game with a different strategy (this time a thief rather than a magician, etc.).
The interconnectedness that Squinshee mentioned can be incorporated into the set-up for a quest (Select one card from the Boss B deck. But if X, Y or Z has not yet been explored, then pick from the Boss E deck instead.) though it will take the board game equivalent of regression testing a video game.
I think non-permanent stickers are definitely the way to go. I would want to use them to mark waypoints to remind me about locations I wanted to come back to and etc.
You might be onto something with the stipulations idea. In my current prototype, there are times when the game gives you options to choose from to determine your path, and one option will have a torch icon. You can only go that way if you have a torch or some other way to see in the dark.
The same could be done for determining boss fights and whatnot.
Not exactly. My point is that board games have defined rules, things you can and cannot do. Open world games are about letting players test the boundaries of what they can do. While open world video games do have rules, they're not explicitly learned from a rulebook rather learned from experience and curiosity.
Think of it this way: if you were playing a pencil-and-paper RPG and the GM prevented you from shooting a fruit with a bow, you'd think he/she was being arbitrary and unfair. But expectations for a video game's "GM" are much lower, so fruit-shooting seems great. But either game could let you go wherever you wanted or railroad you along a linear story.
Just because no one has figured out a way to do this sort of open world game yet doesn't mean that it can't be done! City of Kings looks like it may well have come close, if not actually done it - and the final answer on that may vary from one player's experience to the next.
This is a similar discussion to the topic of making a tabletop RTS. In reality, an RTS or open world adventure game might just be one innovative mechanic away from becoming a reality, right?
I like squinshee's example of the arrow in the apple, and I think things like that CAN happen in a tabletop game - I'll give you a related example from my current game:
A big part of my game "Chrysopoeia" revolves around Alchemy experiments. You roll 5 or 6 Alchemy dice to try to match the symbols (representing alchemical reactions) to a set of required reactions on an experiment card.
Some dice results are Flames of Chaos, and each flame destroys one ingredient.
Now you have apparatus cards that can neutralize flames, and you have others that allow you to change one die to a specific reaction symbol, to help you complete a set.
Well, if you're out of cards that neutralize flame results, and you're about to lose an ingredient to the flames, you can use one of the other cards to change that die showing the Flame to a specific reaction symbol. It may not help you complete the set you need, but it at least changed the flame result and saved a precious ingredient, right?
Was that the intended use in that card's design? No. But does using it in that fashion mess up the game mechanics? Not at all!
My game is nothing close to an open world adventure game, but it has a couple things like that where you can think of different ways to try to accomplish something, using items in ways they weren't necessarily meant to be used. The Time Machine has that potential also!
So I think if you design a game that has the right combination of mechanics and components, you can create a world where players can "improvise" their way through the game. To me, that's a big part of what gives me the open world feel. Having elements like City of King's shops and other on the spot generation mechanics adds to that too.
I'm not too familiar with the Zelda stuff anymore, so hope I'm not straying too far from Gabe's original concept here!
Yes! This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about.
What are your side quests like? Is it a lot of "go kill this monster," or did you find a way to plug exploration, puzzles, and discovery in?
Apologies, I've not had time to read other responses fully as things are a bit hectic, but to follow up on this.
There are around 30 types of side quests, but probably 7 or 8 core ones that make up the others.
Kill something
Get x resources
Protect something
Find something
Guess something
Be at location X and Y at the same time.
Then there are cross variants such as:
Be at location X and Y at noon (there is a clock in the game)
Get x resources and take them to location Y to spawn a creature, then kill it.
Most side-quests come with multi-options too so you get situation decisions such as:
Do we get spawn 1 creature and kill it for 2 xp. Or do we get 2 creatures but instantly gain 5 xp.
A touch of evil is pretty much just that despite the goal you have.
The goal is to hunt an evil being that plagues the town of shadowbrook. You can go to and interact with various town buildings.
-Buy weapons, equipment and allies at the blacksmith.
-Heal at the doctor's office cheaper than elsewhere, can cure curses too.
-Make an honour test at the church to improve your spirit.
-make an honour test at something else to improve your cunning.
-Go to town hall to draw two event cards.
And there's also four corner location decks outside of town. if you visit those places you might find an ally, an item, an enemy, or something that grants you investigation which is the currency of the game.
You can go to the manor, an abandoned keep, the windmill or ye olde woods.
The expansions add new boards.
One adds a lake with a forbidden island, a monistary and an inn, each with their own themed decks.
And the other adds a coastal town with some unique buildings and also a smuggler's cove, lighthouse and shipwreck.
Including all expansions there's also like 15 enemies to choose from and each one provides a very different challenge.
The Necromancer keeps spawning endless hordes of zombies for example, while the bog fiend turns areas into swamps which makes them unusable, and the gargoyle can turn players to stone, forcing you to choose a new adventurer to continue the journey.
With all expansions there's 24 heroes to choose from and its quite different than what you usually get since it has a sleepy hollow ish theme.
Which means there's heroes like a monster hunter, a priest, a drifter, a school teacher, an occult student, a detective, a courier, a smuggler, a bright witch, a diplomat, a captain, an inventor,etc.
Might be a good game to take a look at, I feel that with some modifications it could be an open world game.
But I think that for an open world game, it should have two game modes. Open world for a truly long game, but it should also be possible to use the components to play a shorter game that can be finished in 2-3 hours.
There are around 30 types of side quests, but probably 7 or 8 core ones that make up the others.
Kill something
Get x resources
Protect something
Find something
Guess something
Be at location X and Y at the same time.
Then there are cross variants such as:
Be at location X and Y at noon (there is a clock in the game)
Get x resources and take them to location Y to spawn a creature, then kill it.
Most side-quests come with multi-options too so you get situation decisions such as:
Do we get spawn 1 creature and kill it for 2 xp. Or do we get 2 creatures but instantly gain 5 xp.
I just realized that your Kickstarter launched today, so no worries, haha!
And it sounds like you've got a lot of interesting choices in quests.
When you say "guess something," what do you mean exactly? Does a card give you options, and you guess one of them? How does it play out in the game?
There are around 30 types of side quests, but probably 7 or 8 core ones that make up the others.
Kill something
Get x resources
Protect something
Find something
Guess something
Be at location X and Y at the same time.
Then there are cross variants such as:
Be at location X and Y at noon (there is a clock in the game)
Get x resources and take them to location Y to spawn a creature, then kill it.
Most side-quests come with multi-options too so you get situation decisions such as:
Do we get spawn 1 creature and kill it for 2 xp. Or do we get 2 creatures but instantly gain 5 xp.
I just realized that your Kickstarter launched today, so no worries, haha!
And it sounds like you've got a lot of interesting choices in quests.
When you say "guess something," what do you mean exactly? Does a card give you options, and you guess one of them? How does it play out in the game?
As a quick example with poor story!
You meet a strange looking man, he asks you "What am I hiding behind my back?" Choose either:
Leg piece, Body piece, Helm or weapon.
Draw the top card from the equipment deck - If you get it right, you keep the item. If not, you get nothing.
I think you're on track with a lot of what you're saying.
What really intrigues me about the new Zelda is that you can explore the entire world from the very beginning. If you want to attempt to fight the final boss in the first hour of play, you can do that. (You'll get annihilated, but you can at least try.)
There's no specific order to getting things done. You can find items/weapons, go through dungeons/temples, accomplish quests at your own pace and when you want to. The game puts a premium on exploring the world.
This can lead to discovering super difficult areas before you're ready to be there, but it makes the world feel real. It's as if things are happening whether the hero is there or not.
Skyrim adjusts the enemies and loot based on what level you're at. And the Witcher 3 (and many other games) lock certain areas/items until you get to a certain level.
But I love the ability to go anywhere and explore anything when I want.
I feel like my prototype game accomplishes that, but adding in the ability to explore mechanics and use them in different ways is a very difficult task.
I've figured out a good, simple recipe system for players to be able to craft items and whatnot, and that will have a bit of discovery to it.
But it's difficult to have combat mechanics that can be figured out through play.
I guess I could have an icon system that certain items have icons that correspond to certain enemies. For instance, a vampire would have a garlic icon, so if you equip a garlic necklace, you do 3x damage to vampires.
I just remembered this game that will hopefully come out this year.
It has a lot of the elements I'm talking about:
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Anything at all like what you were thinking?
Yes. There would be a small square board that would be the "overworld," and then zoomed in maps of the locations found on the overwold map. So, a player would move to a space on the overworld and then the zoomed in map would have lots of different locations to visit and explore.
Some locations would have a player draw a specific card. Some locations would call for a random encounter card to be drawn. Some locations would just be places to gather resources.
Same goes with Character boards: use stickers to improve boards... Allowing you to SAVE the state without worrying about misplacing markers or losing your stats.
Forget about taking over a basement... With LEGACY you don't need it. Just make sure you use laminated, UV Coating or thin plastic over the cards (I did this for Quest AC)... And then you can stick everything you want and it's PERMANENT until the GAME ENDS!
That can make a HUGE influence HOW to keep the status (SAVE) of your game!
This is precisely what I was thinking. The game would come with lots of non-permanent stickers to mark quests that had been completed/failed, locations the player wanted to remember to revisit at a later time, side quests that get unlocked, and etc.
As far as keeping track of saved game data, I would probably go with the D&D model of using a paper character sheet and a deck box to store saved cards.