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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mallus" data-source="post: 6132347" data-attributes="member: 3887">But it's also a major part of classic TSR-era dungeon design -- "puzzle" rooms in which certain spells don't work, forcing the players to solve them without magic, or with a more limited selection of magic. It's not railroading so much as setting up a particular sort of challenge. This is important in a game where select characters can have the solution to almost every imaginable kind of challenging obstacle readily at hand, ie in their spellbooks. Arguably, its more important in WotC-era D&D (well, in 3e), where the default assumption is the players have a much greater degree of control over the magical tools they're packing. Speaking as someone who DMs more often than he plays (but played more during the TSR-era), I have a lot sympathy for DMs and their pet challenges. DMs have to provide a steady stream of challenging situations. Frequently they crib them from books and films where the protagonists have a much more limited set of tools at their disposal. This can cause some friction. Sure, it's great when PCs solve a problem quickly with just the right spell/mechanically-defined ability. But not all the time. That way lies the too-easy campaign. It's a balancing act. And sometimes those balancing measures can look like railroading from a certain angle.</blockquote>