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Judgement calls vs "railroading"
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7080414" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>One reason I have adopte the framing that I have is that I think (hope?) that it can bring out some ideas about modes of GM control/influence over the direction of the game, and especially the content of the shared fiction.</p><p></p><p>For instance, some posters have suggested that unless the players literally have no choice for their PCs, then the game is not a railroad. But as far as I can see, unless the GM is literally sitting down and reading a story to the players - in which case we don't have a RPG at all - the players must have some choices to make. So the focus then shifts to the ways in which those choices are or are not meaningful, contribute significantly to the themes and directions of play, etc.</p><p></p><p>I think this can encompass reflecting on the sorts of social cues you mention, but I agree with you that it doesn't foreground them. I'm not a behaviourist by any means, but I think in this sort of discussion it is very hard to get serious and sincere discussion about social cues in situations where the only person able to describe the situation is also probably committed to defending its integrity. This is why I tend to focus on procedures and behaviours at the table - eg who establishes that such-and-such obtains in the shared fiction? How does the fiction - fiction that is public at the table, and fiction that is known only to the GM - figure in action resolution? Etc.</p><p></p><p>The last of the three points above is interesting, but my reason for sidestepping it - and for relying on what may be an overly-simplistic binary contrast - is that there is a good chance that everyone will describe their game that way (qv [MENTION=23751]Maxperson[/MENTION] above) and then the very real differences become hard to tease out.</p><p></p><p>Can you elaborate on the presumption that you refer to?</p><p></p><p>Also, none of the above is meant to persuade that you that my approach is not misguided. It's simply to explain a bit further why I have taken the approach that I have.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 7080414, member: 42582"] One reason I have adopte the framing that I have is that I think (hope?) that it can bring out some ideas about modes of GM control/influence over the direction of the game, and especially the content of the shared fiction. For instance, some posters have suggested that unless the players literally have no choice for their PCs, then the game is not a railroad. But as far as I can see, unless the GM is literally sitting down and reading a story to the players - in which case we don't have a RPG at all - the players must have some choices to make. So the focus then shifts to the ways in which those choices are or are not meaningful, contribute significantly to the themes and directions of play, etc. I think this can encompass reflecting on the sorts of social cues you mention, but I agree with you that it doesn't foreground them. I'm not a behaviourist by any means, but I think in this sort of discussion it is very hard to get serious and sincere discussion about social cues in situations where the only person able to describe the situation is also probably committed to defending its integrity. This is why I tend to focus on procedures and behaviours at the table - eg who establishes that such-and-such obtains in the shared fiction? How does the fiction - fiction that is public at the table, and fiction that is known only to the GM - figure in action resolution? Etc. The last of the three points above is interesting, but my reason for sidestepping it - and for relying on what may be an overly-simplistic binary contrast - is that there is a good chance that everyone will describe their game that way (qv [MENTION=23751]Maxperson[/MENTION] above) and then the very real differences become hard to tease out. Can you elaborate on the presumption that you refer to? Also, none of the above is meant to persuade that you that my approach is not misguided. It's simply to explain a bit further why I have taken the approach that I have. [/QUOTE]
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