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<blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 5409349" data-attributes="member: 18280">No; usurpation is taking authority to which you are not entitled.&nbsp; If the player entitles the GM to do so, it is not usurpation.There is no attempt to &quot;hide&quot; a subjective claim.....The issue is subjective!Again, no.&nbsp; I am fully aware that there is a subjective element to determining whether or not a game is a railroad.&nbsp; Indeed, I would go so far as to claim that any useful definition must accept this to be true.&nbsp; It is the subjective element, which will vary from table to table and player to player, that the GM should be aware of.Players should also be aware that there is a subjective element involved, so that they can deal with borderline cases on the basis of clearly informing the GM where they see the subjective line being drawn, rather than simply assuming that the GM is a &quot;Bad GM&quot;.Using multiple words to indicate the same thought didn't happen because I was confused, but because I didn't desire to bore the reader.&nbsp; &quot;f the players go along with the GM's plotline because they want to, it is not a railroad&quot; does not imply that there must be a plotline to be a railroad.No.The need to identify the subjective elements of a railroad without requiring that such elements are objective is essential to allowing a GM to avoid being tempted to see the problem as lying wholly with the players for refusing to play along, especially if in the past they or another group didn't object to the same technique.It is also essential for the players to recognize the subjective element in order to realize that, while they might believe there is a railroad in the offing, the GM might not believe that to be the case.&nbsp; And neither side is objectively &quot;right&quot; -- it is a table issue, and folks have to decide what is &quot;right&quot; for them.RC</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Raven Crowking, post: 5409349, member: 18280"] No; usurpation is taking authority to which you are not entitled. If the player entitles the GM to do so, it is not usurpation. There is no attempt to "hide" a subjective claim.....The issue is subjective! Again, no. I am fully aware that there is a subjective element to determining whether or not a game is a railroad. Indeed, I would go so far as to claim that any useful definition must accept this to be true. It is the subjective element, which will vary from table to table and player to player, that the GM should be aware of. Players should also be aware that there is a subjective element involved, so that they can deal with borderline cases on the basis of clearly informing the GM where they see the subjective line being drawn, rather than simply assuming that the GM is a "Bad GM". Using multiple words to indicate the same thought didn't happen because I was confused, but because I didn't desire to bore the reader. "[I]f the players go along with the GM's plotline because they want to, it is not a railroad" does not imply that there must be a plotline to be a railroad. No. The need to identify the subjective elements of a railroad without requiring that such elements are objective is essential to allowing a GM to avoid being tempted to see the problem as lying wholly with the players for refusing to play along, [B][I]especially if in the past they or another group didn't object to the same technique[/I][/B]. It is also essential for the players to recognize the subjective element in order to realize that, while they might believe there is a railroad in the offing, the GM might not believe that to be the case. And neither side is objectively "right" -- it is a table issue, and folks have to decide what is "right" for them. RC[/I] [/QUOTE]

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