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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FrogReaver" data-source="post: 9395582" data-attributes="member: 6795602">I need a small clarification - Is 'GM decides' when the GM actually decides or is it just that he has the liberty to decide?  While closely related those 2 concepts are quite different in my mind.Right, that's GM decides regardless of any other details, but depending on the other details around it could easily be an example of a railroad or could simply be an example of the DM having already codified in 'secret notes' what the NPC's motivation is for betraying the PC's (maybe the BBEG has his kids and is threatening them if he doesn't betray the PC's).  In this situation the PCs could detect that something is 'off' with this guy, possibly gain the info about his kids being kidnapped and rescue them which subverts the betrayal.Though, you've written that module play isn't GM decides and since secret notes can be viewed as a stand in for module, so maybe the later scenario above wouldn't be an example of 'GM decides' to you.Which depending on some of the nuances above, sounds more like a description of a railroad than normal play.And ultimately there's another piece to this puzzle - what if the GM decides a few things (via some other method than whim) and other times decides dice need to be rolled to decide.  Is the game still 'gm decides' if the gm is asking dice to be rolled for most situations?</blockquote>