D&D General Why defend railroading?

[Paul Farquhar]

This isn't true of much of my experience with D&D or other RPGs.

Could it be we have found the Killer DM?

 

[Thomas Shey]

This isn't true of much of my experience with D&D or other RPGs.

There's some element of truth to it, but I think its overstated.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Wait. You dress up?

You don't?

 

[Maxperson]

Waterdeep is Coastal isn't it?

Sure, but it has defenses. Dragon Turtles aren't making it into the city without it being a major city battle, not a random encounter.

 

[Maxperson]

You don't?

Early in my relationship with my wife, she was talking to some of her girlfriends about me playing D&D. Apparently her girlfriends were like, "Isn't that the game where everyone dresses up like Lord of the Rings?" My wife reported to me that when she told them no, I don't dress up, they were all disappointed.

 

[TheSword]

No it really isn't. They're all random rolls(gambles) that impact the game. They just impact in different ways. I can gamble that I'll make it up the wall without falling and killing myself. I can gamble that I can take out the guard before he can call for help. Or I can gamble that I'll make it through the Forest of Doom without running into anything dangerous.

I don’t believe random encounter rolls are just gambles.

The player doesn’t know the odds, the stakes, or the rewards. If its anything it’s blind, and therefore meaningless.

 

[Maxperson]

I don’t believe random encounter rolls are just gambles.

The player doesn’t know the odds, the stakes, or the rewards. If its anything it’s blind, and therefore meaningless.

What about not knowing the odds makes it not a gamble? As long as you know that A) there's a chance of failure, and B) you opt to engage it anyway, it's a gamble. You might or might not make it.

And I do know the rewards and most or all of the stakes in advance. When I try to climb the wall, the reward for success is making it to the top. The stakes are failing or falling. When I try to kill a monster, the reward is success and experience points, and possibly treasure. The stakes are possible injury, death or capture. When I try to sneak through the Forest of Doom and avoid everything, the reward is no encounter. The stakes are hitting an encounter anyway.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

What about not knowing the odds makes it not a gamble? As long as you know that A) there's a chance of failure, and B) you opt to engage it anyway, it's a gamble. You might or might not make it.

And I do know the rewards and most or all of the stakes in advance. When I try to climb the wall, the reward for success is making it to the top. The stakes are failing or falling. When I try to kill a monster, the reward is success and experience points, and possibly treasure. The stakes are possible injury, death or capture. When I try to sneak through the Forest of Doom and avoid everything, the reward is no encounter. The stakes are hitting an encounter anyway.

This is the issue with wandering monster tables. Typically players have no idea what is on the table, or even what the chance of an encounter is. Gambling is all about figuring the odds and balancing risk and reward, but players have no way to assess this with a wandering monster table.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I don’t believe random encounter rolls are just gambles.

The player doesn’t know the odds, the stakes, or the rewards. If its anything it’s blind, and therefore meaningless.

Or at least it is not a very interesting gamble.

 

[Cadence]

What about not knowing the odds makes it not a gamble? As long as you know that A) there's a chance of failure, and B) you opt to engage it anyway, it's a gamble. You might or might not make it.

And I do know the rewards and most or all of the stakes in advance. When I try to climb the wall, the reward for success is making it to the top. The stakes are failing or falling. When I try to kill a monster, the reward is success and experience points, and possibly treasure. The stakes are possible injury, death or capture. When I try to sneak through the Forest of Doom and avoid everything, the reward is no encounter. The stakes are hitting an encounter anyway.

Does the player even know when and where the DM has put random encounter percents? Is it safer in the Inn a few miles from the dungeon, the woods in between town and the dungeon, right outside the dungeon, or in the dungeon? All could have something planned for them the PCs may or may not know about depending on how their earlier investigations went and how subtle the monsters were. (Thieves running the Inn randomly pick a room? Chance of encounter outside the town - low chance but stronger encounter? Chance of encounter near the dungeon - higher chance but weaker encounter usually? In the dungeon - maybe safest maybe most dangerous?