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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 5185711" data-attributes="member: 8835">this is a gordian knot of discussion.At the simplest, the OP's article is basically implying that its OK to shuffle content if its applicable for re-use based on the players choices.The point about decision trees working for CRPGs and not TRPGs is apt, but also missing a point.  On a CRPG we know there is a decision tree because we can replay the same game over again.  You don't generally get to do that with a TRPG (possible, but not as probable).Nextly, the decision to take on Balcot may be a Choice.  However, whether you go left or right to get there will still ultimately lead to facing Balcot, assuming you were successful in the prior encounters.  Thus the decision tree CAN lead to the same final conclusion.However, the decision to take on Balcot is also a non-choice.  Because the DM can imply that not choosing to take on the quest will result in the destruction of the campaign world which holds the PCs stuff.   Pretty much locking the PCs into the choice by virtue of their personality.In actuality, the GM has a choice.  When the player say "no" to getting involved with Balcot, perhaps for some really valid reasons, he can make the game world punish them, or he can make the game world work around them.In short, the GM is the one choosing the consequences for the players choices.  He can choose to make things harder on the players, or he can choose to let the Balcot War rage in the background, with other heroes taking the cause, while the PCs story is about what's going on at home, away from the battle, just as many Civil War stories were NOT about the battles, but of the people who stayed home.This is just the same as whether the GM brings in the Stupid Police when the PCs act ridiculously violent in town.  In fact, discussions like this might be better off if we assumed the players have matured and the Stupid Police are no longer needed to punish or discourage pointlessly destructive behavior.In which case, I suspect the real meaningful choices are those in which going left results in a wholly different experience and outcome than going right.Joining the military and fighting the war is the meaningful choice, versus going to school and becoming a Wizard, or staying in town, and defending it from the dangers at home.I think, that for that, you don't get that by writing a big adventure and mega-decision tree for the Balcot Queest.  Instead, you get that by revealing opportunities in game, and asking the players what they want to pursue in the next sesssion, so you can go write material.</blockquote>

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