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<blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 2962352" data-attributes="member: 18280"><a href="http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/theory/glossary/alphabetical/R.html" target="_blank">http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/theory/glossary/alphabetical/R.html</a> provides another good source of common usage terms.&nbsp; Herein, railroading is defined as Broadly-used term for linear plotting in RPGs. (1) GM behavior when the planned scenario requires a particular sequence of events/scenes leading to a particular ending. The GM ensures that it arrives there by a variety of means. This is generally pejorative, but is sometimes defended as valid as long as it is not overused. (2) On the Forge, a purely negative term for GM behavior that breaks the Social Contract via the GM controlling a player-character's decisions or opportunities for decisions. Once more, we note the elements of linear play and the the usurpation of player choice &quot;breaks the Social Contract via the GM controlling a player-character's decisions or opportunities for decisions&quot;.The Forge definition (2) here is a lot closer to Happyelf's &quot;A form of excessive GM control that the players find objectionable or innapropriate.&quot;&nbsp; But this definition is again different from the previous one supplied by poster, which suggested that any form of GM control that the players don't like is railroading.&nbsp; Now the control must be &quot;excessive&quot;.&nbsp; I.e., it breaks the Social Contract.&nbsp; I.e., it is a usurpation of player control.However, the Forge definition is still under the main &quot;Broadly-used term for linear plotting in RPGs&quot; and the Happyelf defintion does not contain the linear element that is otherwise universal.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Raven Crowking, post: 2962352, member: 18280"] [url]http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/theory/glossary/alphabetical/R.html[/url] provides another good source of common usage terms. Herein, railroading is defined as [INDENT] Broadly-used term for linear plotting in RPGs. (1) GM behavior when the planned scenario requires a particular sequence of events/scenes leading to a particular ending. The GM ensures that it arrives there by a variety of means. This is generally pejorative, but is sometimes defended as valid as long as it is not overused. (2) On the Forge, a purely negative term for GM behavior that breaks the Social Contract via the GM controlling a player-character's decisions or opportunities for decisions. [/INDENT] Once more, we note the elements of linear play and the the usurpation of player choice "breaks the Social Contract via the GM controlling a player-character's decisions or opportunities for decisions". The Forge definition (2) here is a lot closer to Happyelf's "A form of excessive GM control that the players find objectionable or innapropriate." But this definition is again different from the previous one supplied by poster, which suggested that any form of GM control that the players don't like is railroading. Now the control must be "excessive". I.e., it breaks the Social Contract. I.e., it is a usurpation of player control. However, the Forge definition is still under the main "Broadly-used term for linear plotting in RPGs" and the Happyelf defintion does not contain the linear element that is otherwise universal. [/QUOTE]

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