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<blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 9670393" data-attributes="member: 2629">I apologize for the confusion, but these are not the only definitions that have been used for Railroad over the years, and they certainly are not the ones I intended.&nbsp; It has been used before as broadly as 'anything on tracks', which would include any adventure where the final resolution is defined from the start and the PCs are guided to it by the DM.&nbsp; This applies to most, if not all, published modules.&nbsp; From experience, I can tell you that it was not considered an INHERENTLY derogatory term when it was used frequently in the 00s here on Enworld or on the WOTC forums (<a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/what-do-you-consider-a-railroading-module.184665/" target="_blank">What do you consider a &quot;railroading&quot; module?</a>).&nbsp; It was often used then as I used it above - to be the alternative to a Sandbox design.&nbsp; It was specifically used to reference existing (published) adventure paths, and specifically to portions of the adventures where there was no choice or chance to avoid.&nbsp; It was the undeniable certainty that the PCs would end up in a certain situation that defined the Railroad ... but that was not always seen as a derogatory element - at least not in those days.Don't get me wrong - I prefer agency and choice.&nbsp; I left a campaign because the DM could not adapt to problem solving that took us &quot;off track&quot; - but that DM was running the Dark Sun adventures which, in my opinion, are the most Railroaded adventures that exist as they tell the DM to not allow players to do unexpected things.Regardless, for this conversation, please consider Railroading with the definition I intended - as a situation in which there is a plan for where the game will go with a specific conclusory event in mind.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="jgsugden, post: 9670393, member: 2629"] I apologize for the confusion, but these are not the only definitions that have been used for Railroad over the years, and they certainly are not the ones I intended. It has been used before as broadly as 'anything on tracks', which would include any adventure where the final resolution is defined from the start and the PCs are guided to it by the DM. This applies to most, if not all, published modules. From experience, I can tell you that it was not considered an INHERENTLY derogatory term when it was used frequently in the 00s here on Enworld or on the WOTC forums ([URL="https://www.enworld.org/threads/what-do-you-consider-a-railroading-module.184665/"]What do you consider a "railroading" module?[/URL]). It was often used then as I used it above - to be the alternative to a Sandbox design. It was specifically used to reference existing (published) adventure paths, and specifically to portions of the adventures where there was no choice or chance to avoid. It was the undeniable certainty that the PCs would end up in a certain situation that defined the Railroad ... but that was not always seen as a derogatory element - at least not in those days. Don't get me wrong - I prefer agency and choice. I left a campaign because the DM could not adapt to problem solving that took us "off track" - but that DM was running the Dark Sun adventures which, in my opinion, are the most Railroaded adventures that exist as they tell the DM to not allow players to do unexpected things. Regardless, for this conversation, please consider Railroading with the definition I intended - as a situation in which there is a plan for where the game will go with a specific conclusory event in mind. [/QUOTE]

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