D&D General [+] Players, what do you like about railroads?

[Umbran]

Two questions for the players. Do you like railroaded games? If so, what do you like about railroad games?

1) Sometimes.
2) They allow me to pay attention to things other than my impact on the overall plot.

 

[Umbran]

To be clear, I’m explaining where I’m coming from and why enjoying a railroad doesn’t compute.

Have you not realized that, presented as you have, where you are coming from is the least important thing to be found in this thread?

The point is to find out where other people are coming from, right? So, the challenge to you is to be quiet and let them tell you. Maybe limit yourself to, "I do not understand what this means. Can you please elucidate on it?" and let them speak without your guidance.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

Absolutely. Different itch. But that’s also why railroads in RPGs don’t make sense to me. Playing an RPG with friends is do whatever shenanigans time. Playing video games is dutifully following the railroad time. In my head it’s down to using the right tool for the right job. You generally can’t do whatever in a video game, but can do damned near literally anything in an RPG. So using an RPG for a railroad just doesn’t make sense. It’s like unplugging a brand new and functional computer to use as a paper weight.

this feels to me like a pretty reductive view of both (TT)RPGs and video games.

a TTRPG can be a better tool for a railroad then a video game if you also want to roleplay characters instead of just hard focus on playing the game as yourself. on the other end, not all video games are railroads, and acting as if they are because you can't do literally anything in them is...the best word i can think of off the top of my head is strange.

 

[GobHag]

While I dislike my choices being retroactively made irrelevant or I'm denied of making too many choices. I'm wayyyy into just 'spicing' a story up just fine--Oh we're definitely going to Mt. Moredoom and kill the Magma King? Sure, A-okay with that. CLear direction, the lines I'm boxed in I can adapt to or make something specific to it(or have the campaign fit me), and the assuredness of momentum.

 

[Celebrim]

A lot of referees who enjoy running railroads say that their players enjoy this style. Okay. I have my doubts. So I thought I'd ask.

I mean, I can't speak for others, but I suspect this turns on what you consider a railroad. I suspect a lot of referees are saying, "I run an adventure that goes from A->B->C and my players willing engage with it. " Because I know a lot of EnWorld posters have expressed the opinion that any linearly constructed adventure with no real choices is a railroad.

As a GM I'm all the time constructing elaborate sandboxes for my players to play in. But I've known for 15 years since our first session zero and the questionnaire I sent out that this group by an large prefers a linear adventure with strong signposts to get from A->B->C. They strongly prefer an adventure that has a simple linear plot that they are following along. They don't really prioritize shaping the story or the outcome or choosing the goals. They like sessions that are like movies that they are inside. They make small decisions along the way, but the idea experience is more like playing Half-Life 2 or something for them than Skyrim.

It's not what I prefer, but it's what they prefer.

But that's not your question. As a player, I enjoy a railroad in limited circumstances provided the railings don't get too obvious especially when I collide into them. An example of a railroad that I really enjoyed was Tomb of Horrors. Aside from a few short meanderings, the entire tomb plays through in a linear fashion. You can't really deviate much. But it's still fun solving the micro puzzles along the way and trying to overcome the challenge of the tomb, and it's more fun to just go along for the ride than it would be to try to subvert the puzzle by going Bellock and digging up the whole hill the tomb is on with an army of laborers. I mean, the later could be fun too, and might be a lot of fun with a GM who loves to improvise and play in a sand box, but missing the fun of going through the module as it is intended the first time would be a real loss.

 

[GobHag]

Absolutely. Different itch. But that’s also why railroads in RPGs don’t make sense to me. Playing an RPG with friends is do whatever shenanigans time. Playing video games is dutifully following the railroad time. In my head it’s down to using the right tool for the right job. You generally can’t do whatever in a video game, but can do damned near literally anything in an RPG. So using an RPG for a railroad just doesn’t make sense. It’s like unplugging a brand new and functional computer to use as a paper weight.

I could argue that a video game can be more fulfilling for sandbox because it's so consistent, while a sandbox game is in the whims and skill of a GM(and also scheduling) but 90% of the time I can always make a dirt house, literal sand castle, an ice office, or a wooden home and make insane infinite trade-slave factories in Minecraft.

It's not like most TTRPGs don't bind you in someway or the other either, in fact some TTRPGs are loud and proud in the way that they curtail or demand certain behaviour that video games just can't. In my mind TTRPG's main deal isn't really the freedom to do anything but(aside from social interaction with fellow humans) the reactiveness that a Gm and/or table provides--the system and world isn't as set in stone as a video game, walking to a castle will always take X time in a game but it could be a montage, skipped over, made into a challege or other things.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

A lot of referees who enjoy running railroads say that their players enjoy this style. Okay. I have my doubts. So I thought I'd ask.

Two questions for the players. Do you like railroaded games? If so, what do you like about railroad games?

Playing a railroad adventure with a bunch of friends that are fun to hang out with is still way better than no DnD.

Railroad adventures are not good but yeah they can still be plenty of fun if that's all you have available

 

[Maxperson]

I've had players that really vibe with open sandbox games- they love weighing decisions and figuring out who's who and what's what- I've found that these are also the players that will make guesses about what's going on behind the story, if someone is being manipulated, etc. and sometimes they're right, or sometimes their ideas are better than mine were so I use those instead!

I've also had players that vibe with railroads, and who gets confused and freeze up with open sandbox games. If you ASK them though, "which would you rather play, railroad or sandbox?" most of them aren't going to choose a "railroad" game for a number of reasons.

Unfortunately, in my experience, this is the sort of thing that needs to be observed (usually by the GM) rather than having open discourse with the player(s).

They both enjoy the game, but they engage with it for different reasons. One wants to play Morrowind, the other wants to play Halo.

I dub those proactive players vs. reactive players. Both types are fine, but reactive types don't do well in sandbox games.

 

[Horwath]

Players like railroads if they feel that they are not being railroaded.

"you don't have a choice, you have an illusion of choice!"

 

[GrimCo]

I like railroad cause it gives best experience with limited time to play. Giant neon signs pointing - Fun this way!

With good DM, who knows how to create interesting story, it's fun experience. Plus, hanging out with friends.

See, i don't wanna track whos who, who said what when. When i come to session and play starts, just give me pointers where to go, who to talk and couple of options to overcome challenge. It doesn't really matter if all options lead to same place, that small decisions are fun. Being hero in good story is fun.

On the other hand, sandbox type of games often end up with half session discussions of what to do next or where to go next. Which is fine and dandy, but when you have at best 2 hours a week of pure game play, that leads to lot of wasted time.