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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6703663" data-attributes="member: 4937">Ok, I can concede that is possible.  It's a vague hypothetical scenario with out a lot of details.Here is the original post: I would argue that instead of validating the choice to "go north" that is negating the choice.  The DM specifically "redirects" the northern journey to "the nearest adventure site" in order to "skip the boring chapters".  The purpose of the journey wasn't specified, but to me it reads like the purpose wasn't important.  Though granted, it seems to matter to delericho that they weren't looking for a specific place, as he later specified that in the scenario where they specifically declare that they want to go to BigCity, that he wouldn't redirect them Mount Fire (though I wonder in this case if it matters if they know the way to BigCity, or only if BigCity is "generally North" and you decided to spice up the journey with an interlude at Mount Fire).  Let's simplify the situation down and say that there are 7 hexes, the center one being labeled Haven Town, where the players are.  There are 3 hexes to the North of this Hex: Big City, Mount Fire, and Sage's Tower.  The party declares that they leave Haven Town to explore.  The DM asks which way they go, and they answer, "Generally north."  I've previously outlined a bunch of different ways this scenario could have been handled where arriving at Mount Fire wouldn't be a railroad, however those processes of play weren't what was used.  How it was actually handled in this situation according to the original scenario, is that the GM looked at the map, decided that the part should be redirected to Mount Fire even though it wasn't due north of Haven Town, because it was the nearest adventure location and the DM though the other two locations would be more boring locations to visit this scenario.   If that's all we've got to go on, how is that not a railroad?  Sure, I grant that the DM could allow the party to now leave and go somewhere else, but at that point they've already gotten off at Mount Fire station.Moreover, the technique used to adjudicate this scenario is a railroading technique and not a mechanical process of play.  The DM put his finger on the scale to get what he wanted.  We can quibble over which technique is employed, and the name we should give it, but it is pretty obvious its a technique that is associated with railroading.  delericho is already more or less agreed that the technique would be "commonly associated with railroads".  He just doesn't concede that railroading techniques are always associated with railroads - something that I'm not sure that the essay by TheAlexandrian he's citing as his definition would concede to (not the least of which being I'm reasonably convinced Justin has read my essay before writing his manifesto).   But if if looks like a duck and smells like a duck, it's probably a duck.Now, I don't necessarily think the technique employed here is bad.  But I think it is important to know it for what is.</blockquote>

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