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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 8974811" data-attributes="member: 4937">Going back to my post on railroading, I make a distinction between using a railroading tool like 'small world' or illusionism or 'the handwave' and a campaign which relies heavily on the use of such tools to the point of being 'a railroad'.  Every game is going to use some amount railroading tools simply because of the limitations of the game, even when the GM isn't consciously trying to get their own way.  For example, all games are to some extent "a small world" because it's impossible to describe the whole game universe or to prep an unlimited number of equally interesting alternatives.  I even suggest that there might be times that employing a railroading technique is warranted and could serve when done correctly to increase player agency.  It might be worth reading the linked essay if you haven't just to get an idea of where I'm coming from.But what I call "high illusionism" is a technique where the GM is fudging and improvising everything all the time to achieve some desired story or desired emotional impact, and that technique is I agree indistinguishable from a pre-planned railroad.  The players have no real agency, they are just tricked into believing that they do.  Even if the GM is responding to player input, ultimately the GM is making all the decisions.  You might as well play such games without dice at all as the only purpose the dice serve is to deceive the player about how the game really works.</blockquote>

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