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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Desdichado" data-source="post: 5835477" data-attributes="member: 2205">No, a railroad is the situation where the PC takes what appears to be a reasonable action or reaction to the scenario and is foiled by GM fiat alone.And there's really no value in over-analyzing a situation to discern whether or not there were other options out there and the PC couldn't discern them.  If the PC felt railroaded, then the result is the same and for all intents and purposes, he was.Conversely, the GM can force the results to be the same without railroading the PCs--if the PCs feel that they are free to make reasonable choices without them being thwarted by fiat.  This is kinda like the situation where there are two doors for the PCs to open, a right hand and a left hand door.  It doesn't really matter what the DM's notes say; when the PC opens a door, the DM can describe whatever results he wants--even those that actually apply to the opposite door in his notes--and it's not a railroad, because at no point does the PC feel that his choices have been stifled.</blockquote>