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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Vigilance" data-source="post: 2959870" data-attributes="member: 4275">Once in a while? Something really fun (though painful, fun in that way like watching the people eat bugs on fear factor is fun) is giving the players total and complete freedom, then sitting back and watching chaos ensue. After a new player to our group had mumbled "guffah cough railroad" a couple of times, I would just pit the group against a fortified location: "there's hostages on the plane held by terrorists, rescue them".When asked for parameters, every answer was designed to offer more choices not eliminate them "what do the authorities say" was answered with "they're deferring to you, their hostage rescue experts".Questions about feasibility of frontal assault were met positively, as were questions about negotiations. The actual assault took place the NEXT WEEK. That's right, they spent an entire game session trying to figure out what to do. I have many, MANY other stories about game sessions lost when players are handed a list of rumors that I am (so far as they know) all equally prepared to run. Arguments can last for hours.So as a very experienced DM I say, most new players that cry railroad, havent yet learned that the herd of cats that is a group of players need a gentle, but firm control of the DM. When I say cats, I mean like indoor cats. They've never been out in the cold cruel world of "what do you want to do" directionless DMing and don't know that they have no claws. They also have full run of the house, with an enormous range of options within that house. But there are boundaries. If that's railroading, then in my experience not only do I do it, but most players welcome it. Chuck</blockquote>

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