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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 2960099" data-attributes="member: 18280">I don't believe anything in my example required the PCs to do any of the aforementioned dungeons.  But, regardless of this, if they choose to go to points B, then E, then F (new one) that's still linear.  The idea that something is linear doesn't make it railroading; the idea that something is linear and the players cannot determine (or strongly influence) the line does.I wasn't saying that any DM restriction = railroading.  I was saying that the statement "any DM restriction = railroading" is fraught with peril.  I had actually gotten the idea from your posts that you were espousing "any DM restriction = railroading" and was responding to that idea.  And, you're right, that idea is furphy (at best).   <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> Like I said earlier, I sorta agree with you.  I certainly agree with the general campaign model, as my (sadly not updated) story hour shows.  Players get lots of options, some pretty solid hooks, and each adventure leads into branching options that they may or may not follow up = lots of fun for everyone.  However, I also would argue that if a DM runs an adventure path, states upfront that he is running an adventure path, and the players agree to play that adventure path, that agreement means per force that running the adventure path is not railroading, no matter how linear that path may be (in the non-branching sense).Meaningful choice always includes the ability to remove options as a consequence of choice.  In the strictest sense, this means that if I do something stupid as a player, my character can die (I strongly dislike DM fudging for this reason).  Doing something that limits your choices does not constitute railroading.  The choice "You will join me or die" is a meaningful choice.  That the player misses a potential escape route (fall down the shaft to the lowest bowels of Cloud City) does not make this choice any less meaningful.  However, if the DM disallows a different escape route just because he had not forseen it, then meaningful choice has disappeared and railroading is in full Force (pun intended).IMHO, at least.</blockquote>

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