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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 9372429" data-attributes="member: 4937">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.</blockquote>

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