Living with your decisions

[The_Universe]

From a thread on rpgnet:

The drama is good, but there comes a time when they just need to live with what our characters decide to do, rather than contesting every negative circumstance as "DM Railroading." No matter how cool you might think having your character swim through lava would be, the DM is perfectly within reason to say, "that will kill you," without you responding, "Railroading! I no longer have any input in my character's actions!"

It should not be up to the DM to have to make game-bending decisions to try to fix the unreasonable actions of his players. If you're so set on a course of action of your own that you're trying to "railroad" the DM, you'd better be prepared when he tells you that the bridge ahead isn't finished, and you're going to crash into the canyon. You got on the train and made it go - don't get pissed off when he doesn't make a bridge appear for you.

There is a time and a place to make decisions of a large magnitude - the DM usually lets you know when those times are. But if you futz around and refuse to decide, don't be surprised if events move beyond your control. Further, there are times when it makes no sense to have a major epiphany, or for your character to suddenly shift in personality, temprement, or worldview.

In a roleplaying game, you have the infinite ability to choose your character's actions. You can try to do anything you want. It is the DM's (or referee, or GM, or Storyteller, or whatever) job to let you know when you succeed, and when you fail. And you will fail. Sometimes, you'll fail because of dice. Chance. Other times, you'll fail because you've chosen to undertake an action that by it's nature cannot succeed.

So do what you're going to do. But be ready to suffer the consequences.

If everything you do turns out right, why even game with other people? Everything you do is going to succeed anyway. Write a (boring) book if that's what you're looking for.

Food for thought.

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Amen.

[AIM-54]

Seconded.

[The_Universe]

Bumping this for my own nefarious purposes.