4E and RPG Theory (GNS)

[pawsplay]

Sure. Of course, to many players this bespeaks a radical distrust in their abilities. It demonstrates such little faith in the players' ability to build a story by their actions that you are literally throwing them in a box to deal with a premise.

I think it speaks of little faith in the players that you believe being in a box is obstacle to telling a story. Alien is nothing more than science-fiction dungeon crawl.

 

[pawsplay]

You are really saying that tailored encounters (either for gamism or narrativivsm purpose) is the same as railroading ???

As nearly as I can tell, eyebeams is claiming that any premise to a game whatsoever is railroading.

 

[eyebeams]

It isn't. You applied the term to a role-playing system, and I protested.

It applies to a roleplaying system when people decide they don't like the game and don't want you to like it, either. It doesn't apply to a roleplaying system when people discover that there are similarities between something they criticized and something they enjoy.

Really, railroading is a very stupid term.

 

[eyebeams]

As nearly as I can tell, eyebeams is claiming that any premise to a game whatsoever is railroading.

Have you read the parts of my posts other than the ones you're quoting, yet?

 

[S'mon]

Read.The Rest of. What I wrote.

If you define railroading as something that restricts a choice that should be available according to the game, then a game's design can't have any effect on railroading.

Exactly. Your definition of railroading is a really silly one and totally wrong IMO. A game's premise has no effect on railroading. Railroading is the GM depriving the players of meaningful choice, of any real impact on events.

 

[eyebeams]

I think it speaks of little faith in the players that you believe being in a box is obstacle to telling a story. Alien is nothing more than science-fiction dungeon crawl.

No, Alien is a film.

 

[pawsplay]

It applies to a roleplaying system when people decide they don't like the game and don't want you to like it, either. It doesn't apply to a roleplaying system when people discover that there are similarities between something they criticized and something they enjoy.

Really, railroading is a very stupid term.

I think it's a very useful term for describing a pathological style of gaming where a GM makes a pretence of allowing player choice but then systematically eradicates meaningful choices except for the ones that are "correct" to their meta-game goals.

 

[pawsplay]

No, Alien is a film.

About a box. In which story clearly occurs.

 

[S'mon]

Really, railroading is a very stupid term.

Well, don't use it then. You're using it in a completely inappropriate manner.

 

[S'mon]

I think it's a very useful term for describing a pathological style of gaming where a GM makes a pretence of allowing player choice but then systematically eradicates meaningful choices except for the ones that are "correct" to their meta-game goals.

I think you can have railroading without even a pretense of meaningful choice - "sit back & enjoy the ride" type games - and these are the least bad form of railroading, as at least there's no deception. Eg the Dragonlance saga (in module form) was a railroad, but the players could be informed of this and still enjoy the experience.