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EXU: Calamity Discussion (Spoilers)
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<blockquote data-quote="overgeeked" data-source="post: 8648349" data-attributes="member: 86653"><p>Apparently a poor choice of words on my part. Meaning there are obvious rails and the players are expected to follow them. They have incredibly limited, if any real agency. That sense of scripted. Not as in they're actors with prewritten lines.</p><p></p><p>Right. Heavily railroaded adventure. Pre-planned story. The only choices the players get is the words they say and actions they take...that will not likely dramatically effect the events as they unfold. There's no chance they'll avert disaster. They get to passively react to the story as it's handed to them...and the ending is preordained. So they get no meaningful choices. Literally the opposite of what new gamers should learn. To me, agency is the cornerstone of RPGs. It's literally why we play. Without agency, real actual agency, you might as well read a book. The style of play where the DM runs the players through the DM's story is not what I want out of gaming.</p><p></p><p>I highly, highly doubt that. We already know the end. It's established lore from thousands of years in Exandria's past. The hubris of the mages causes their downfall. This is going to be a tragedy. Some will-they, won't-they reconciliation, get together, and how they face death...but they're not going to prevent the Calamity. This is at best a small personal story about these characters and how they deal with the Calamity rather than averting it...though signs point to (some of) them likely causing it, or failing to prevent it.</p><p></p><p>Unless they're using this to go buck wild and open up Exandria to alternate timelines and such. Which would be cool. But I really doubt that's going to happen.</p><p></p><p>Really heavy-handed railroading isn't the gold standard for new players. It's literally the opposite of what new players should be learning is the heart of D&D and RPGs. To stay engaged and pay attention when you're not in the spotlight is good and more people should learn that. The rest of it, not so much.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="overgeeked, post: 8648349, member: 86653"] Apparently a poor choice of words on my part. Meaning there are obvious rails and the players are expected to follow them. They have incredibly limited, if any real agency. That sense of scripted. Not as in they're actors with prewritten lines. Right. Heavily railroaded adventure. Pre-planned story. The only choices the players get is the words they say and actions they take...that will not likely dramatically effect the events as they unfold. There's no chance they'll avert disaster. They get to passively react to the story as it's handed to them...and the ending is preordained. So they get no meaningful choices. Literally the opposite of what new gamers should learn. To me, agency is the cornerstone of RPGs. It's literally why we play. Without agency, real actual agency, you might as well read a book. The style of play where the DM runs the players through the DM's story is not what I want out of gaming. I highly, highly doubt that. We already know the end. It's established lore from thousands of years in Exandria's past. The hubris of the mages causes their downfall. This is going to be a tragedy. Some will-they, won't-they reconciliation, get together, and how they face death...but they're not going to prevent the Calamity. This is at best a small personal story about these characters and how they deal with the Calamity rather than averting it...though signs point to (some of) them likely causing it, or failing to prevent it. Unless they're using this to go buck wild and open up Exandria to alternate timelines and such. Which would be cool. But I really doubt that's going to happen. Really heavy-handed railroading isn't the gold standard for new players. It's literally the opposite of what new players should be learning is the heart of D&D and RPGs. To stay engaged and pay attention when you're not in the spotlight is good and more people should learn that. The rest of it, not so much. [/QUOTE]
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