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Judgement calls vs "railroading"
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7050911" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>Well, clearly this isn't true as a general proposition about RPG refereeing.</p><p></p><p>For instance, in the episode of play that I described neither I, nor anyone else at the table, knew whether or not there was a vessel in the room suitable for catching blood until after the player had made a check that established that his PC had spotted one.</p><p></p><p>Well, some GMing tools/techniques are not consistent with railroading. For instance - just to pick one example - if a GM is running a game using Dungeon World or some similar PbtA system, then there can't be railroading, because the GM doesn't have enough control over (i) the consequences of action declarations, and (ii) the introduction of new content into the shared fiction.</p><p></p><p>By "must", I take it you mean "must, if the game is going to be one that you want to participate in"? Clearly there are some tables where the PCs are present at events but the events can't be altered - and not just because (i) the PCs already tried and failed, and (ii) the game has a no-retries rule.</p><p></p><p>I'm not sure that things must always be illusion, however.</p><p></p><p>Not <em>all</em> RPGing involves narrative at all. A classic dungeon crawl - I'm thinking, say, White Plume Mountain or Hidden Shring - might just involve the GM running the monsters and adjudicating the traps. That sort of game doesn't really have a narrative (beyond a sequence of events) but doesn't seem to have illusion, either.</p><p></p><p>And if the game does have a narrative, but the referee is overt about the context and reasons for framing some particular scene, then that also might mean that there is no illusion. In the episode of play I described, I don't think there was any illusion. The presence of the (decapitated) wizard in the (other) wizard's tower, the assassination, the collecting of the blood - all were established at the table through open processes.</p><p></p><p>I think an AP is a different kettle of fish, but that's why I personally don't care for them.</p><p></p><p>I hadn't intended the usage to be derogatory, but clearly (with a nod to [MENTION=996]Tony Vargas[/MENTION]) it signals a preference.</p><p></p><p>The things you describe I would consider railroads, unless - with your first example - the time limit is established either at the start of the game (so it's not just <em>the GM's</em> pre-conceived story) or is the result of some prior action declaration by the players, in a context of no re-tries (in which case it wasn't pre-conceived at all but was established by the players as part of their play of the game).</p><p></p><p>To elaborate with respect to NPC counter plans, etc - I would use these as the <em>result </em>of (failed) actions declared by players, not as <em>inputs </em>into the resolution of declared actions.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 7050911, member: 42582"] Well, clearly this isn't true as a general proposition about RPG refereeing. For instance, in the episode of play that I described neither I, nor anyone else at the table, knew whether or not there was a vessel in the room suitable for catching blood until after the player had made a check that established that his PC had spotted one. Well, some GMing tools/techniques are not consistent with railroading. For instance - just to pick one example - if a GM is running a game using Dungeon World or some similar PbtA system, then there can't be railroading, because the GM doesn't have enough control over (i) the consequences of action declarations, and (ii) the introduction of new content into the shared fiction. By "must", I take it you mean "must, if the game is going to be one that you want to participate in"? Clearly there are some tables where the PCs are present at events but the events can't be altered - and not just because (i) the PCs already tried and failed, and (ii) the game has a no-retries rule. I'm not sure that things must always be illusion, however. Not [I]all[/I] RPGing involves narrative at all. A classic dungeon crawl - I'm thinking, say, White Plume Mountain or Hidden Shring - might just involve the GM running the monsters and adjudicating the traps. That sort of game doesn't really have a narrative (beyond a sequence of events) but doesn't seem to have illusion, either. And if the game does have a narrative, but the referee is overt about the context and reasons for framing some particular scene, then that also might mean that there is no illusion. In the episode of play I described, I don't think there was any illusion. The presence of the (decapitated) wizard in the (other) wizard's tower, the assassination, the collecting of the blood - all were established at the table through open processes. I think an AP is a different kettle of fish, but that's why I personally don't care for them. I hadn't intended the usage to be derogatory, but clearly (with a nod to [MENTION=996]Tony Vargas[/MENTION]) it signals a preference. The things you describe I would consider railroads, unless - with your first example - the time limit is established either at the start of the game (so it's not just [I]the GM's[/I] pre-conceived story) or is the result of some prior action declaration by the players, in a context of no re-tries (in which case it wasn't pre-conceived at all but was established by the players as part of their play of the game). To elaborate with respect to NPC counter plans, etc - I would use these as the [I]result [/I]of (failed) actions declared by players, not as [I]inputs [/I]into the resolution of declared actions. [/QUOTE]
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