D&D 5E An adventure start for new PCs isn't railroading...

MerricB · Sep 5, 2015

There's a very small bit of disquiet about the start of Out of the Abyss. You start as captives of the drow. "Railroad!"

Here's the thing: the initial set-up for new PCs isn't a railroad. It's a starting point. What happens next may create the railroad. Compare with this situation:

"You're sitting in a tavern." "Railroad!"

Actually, this probably isn't an issue, but I just thought of the tavern railroad and wanted to share it with you.

Cheers!

aramis erak · Sep 5, 2015

It does tell GM's to go ahead and figure out why the PC's got captured..

pukunui · Sep 5, 2015

I'm all for this kind of start. Gets you right into the action. No faffing about with "why is this bunch of people adventuring together?"

Psikerlord# · Sep 5, 2015

I think it is a railroad of sorts - by starting as captives, without your usual gear etc, you simply have less options, and that is compounded by being in the underdark, you cant just walk away from the situation.

Not the best way to start an adventure. On the other hand, it's supposed to be an underdark fest, and how else do you explain a bunch of 1st level guys deep in the underdark.

I dont think it's a big deal however. If you can persuade your players to invest in such a long and themed adventure, starting as captives is a minor thing in comparison.

Green1 · Sep 5, 2015

Simple. Homebrew in a place where their gear is if they are imported from a previous campaign and you have PCs that attach identity to items. That way you get the jist of what the original author intentioned with a jailbreak scenario. But they do get items back. Maybe what ever guards have the gear on a table because they have not identified them yet and are waiting for a wizard so they can use what they want, sell the rest.

Being captured? One minute they are there, next they are not. Use an artifact item that automatically imprisons no save to that location and only that particular location. That way you can have your own plot thread interwoven as who could have done this. Or some new item they have has this as an ability and is set off by accident with the PCs in the room. Most players would be cool with that if you said "Hey, I am running THIS module. It seems really awesome and saves me tons of work and time". Unless they are special snowflakes or easily offended, most players worth playing with will be cool.

But, other than that, new PCs - whatever. Only the 4X gamers like over at Civilization Fanatics deliberate over starting placement. But, their deliberation is more over opening strategy and coping rather than not playing the scenario as long as it is well done. Not if the starting position is going to cause a player riot.

This is always why I never ran too many modules. A lot of players read them. Spoils some surprises like this start. Do not blame them, either. I have seen some very well written modules.

pukunui · Sep 5, 2015

[MENTION=93321]Psikerlord#[/MENTION]: I think it would only count as a railroad if the DM sprung it on the players without any warning. You know, like, "Hey everybody. Let's start a new campaign. Roll up some 1st level PCs ... Everybody ready? OK, now, you're all captives in a drow prison in the Underdark! Mwahahahahahaha!"

If, instead, you say: "Hey, I've got this adventure that focuses on fighting demons in the Underdark. You guys wanna play? Cool. You start out as prisoners of the drow. When you roll up your character, please come up with a bit of backstory explaining how your character came to be captured by the dark elves." - that doesn't count as a railroad, because you're getting your players' buy-in ahead of time.

Wik · Sep 5, 2015

okay, I gotta ask: what's the problem with a railroad?

PotA is a pretty "sandboxy" adventure. It kind of makes sense for the next one to be a bit more "linear" or "railroady". I mean, the biggest adventure sellers on the market - Paizo Adventure Paths - are usually a LOT of railroad play.

Having the players start in one spot isn't at all railroady. In fact, it's pretty much how all campaigns start, unless you're one of those GMs who throws the world map at the players and says "pick where you start". Which can be fun, I guess, but really isn't any more gratifying than starting the game in an interesting location and then seeing what happens.

pukunui · Sep 5, 2015

An adventure can't really be a railroad in and of itself anyway, as "railroading" is something that someone has to do to someone else. A DM can railroad the characters even in a sandbox style of adventure ... look at how many DMs come on the internet to ask how to restrict their players' access to the temples in PotA out of a fear that the PCs will get TPKed.

As long as everyone knows that they're playing a linear, plot-based adventure like Tyranny of Dragons and agree to go along for the ride, then there is no railroading. It's only if the DM insisted on following the plot, regardless of the choices that the players make during play, that any railroading would occur.

I'm sure some players would cry foul if the DM sprang a "you're in prison" start on them, but as I said above, if the DM gets the players' buy-in ahead of time, there shouldn't be any problems.

I think the issue of railroading generally rears its ugly head when the DM turns the campaign's plot into a guessing game or makes it a "gotcha" surprise by not telling the players anything about what they're in for. I personally have veered away from that approach and am more open about what kind of adventure I'm running with my players, so they can make informed decisions about their characters and the like. If I'm going to run a campaign in Ravenloft, for instance, I'm going to tell my players that, so they go in knowing that there will be elements of horror and the like in the game. If I'm going to run a campaign-length adventure like OotA, I'm going to tell them that - and I'm going to get them to choose some of the campaign-related bonds - so that they know to make characters that will be invested in seeing the adventure all the way through.

Openly communicating with your players can significantly minimize the risk of having accusations of railroading thrown about. It can also minimize the chances of hearing the players ask, "Why are we doing this?"

Remathilis · Sep 5, 2015

My general complaint with "you start in prison" adventures is that often times the gear you find is worse than the stuff you would get as normal gear. I'm not talking special materials or unique items, I mean you often don't get what your PC should get: decent armor for fighters, holy symbols, thieves' tools, spell focuses, etc. I don't know how OotA handles it, but most of the "get out of prison" adventures I've seen keenly forgets to give the PCs the tools they need to do their job (true story: one DM I saw refused to give the PC wizard his spell book!) using the excuse of making it more challenging.

guachi · Sep 5, 2015

Every d6 star wars adventure started like this. It was part of the game to start the players in the middle of the action. Really fun if you tell the players before hand that it's a trope of the game.