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Message: <blockquote data-quote="wingsandsword" data-source="post: 2341619" data-attributes="member: 14159">I've seen GM's do this, but only novice GM's who haven't played much themselves, in other words people trying to game but really don't know what they are doing yet.You can easily have too much railroading, where the PC's feel they have no freedom and are spectators on a predetermined path.  Just like a railroad it is named after, it only goes in one way and you can't steer it at all.You can have too little of a road too, where the PC's feel aimless, wandering, with no direction and no sense of plot.  The players have no fun because they've got no clue where to go.  This is the opposite of railroading.What you need is something more akin to road paving than railroading.  The GM establishes a clear direction for the game, an intended plotline and a way things will go if the PC's do not interfere.  He then establishes the characters and setting, shows them where to begin, and turns the PC's loose.  Hopefully they walk down the road.  If they don't, they wander off into the forest.  They'll probably get lost because there is not that much in the forest, but if they want to have fun for a while they can, they can walk back to the road when they get bored.   If they get totally lost and wander around, the GM will probably have them stumble across the road (with maybe a passerby on the road to help get things started).</blockquote>