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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 5401073" data-attributes="member: 42582">I don't really feel the force of this distinction. Did the GM decide that the guy in question is on planet Y?Either the players may or may not choose to go to planet Y. If they have no choice, then force is being exerted. If the GM exerts that force by manipulating the action resolution system, or by vetoing the choices the players make in the course of play, whether via ingame or metagame techniques, then we have a railroad.If, as GM, you want the players on planet Y then why not just drop the railroad and start things on planet Y. This will make it clear to the players where you think the game's action is. It negates any need for illusionism or manipulation. And if the players object, you can then have a genuine conversation with them about what you're all hoping to get out of the game. If you've really got good reasons for starting the action on planet Y, presumably you'll be able to explain them to your players!To put it another way: for those who aren't interested in sandbox play, aggressive scene framing by the GM seems to give all the benefits of railroading without the need to faff around with plot hooks, illusions and manipulation. I think the endurance of railroading is a symptom of some conviction that ingame events must appear to unfold naturally from one another without any obvious metagame inteference. Hence instead of just scene framing, the GM asks the players "So what do your PCs do now?" and then manipulates the outcome of their choices (including perhaps fudging action resolution mechanics) to get things to the desired scene. Like I said, why not just drop the pretense, admit that there is a metagame agenda at work, and proceed accordingly?In my view, a classic example of bad GMing that is wasting the players' time. If the GM wants them on planet Y, just start the action there!</blockquote>

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