A big thread for everything Railroading.
So far there is no single true definition of “Railroading” out there, which is probably the reason for many heated debates among GMs. The term “railroad” or “railroading” gets thrown around a lot, but I think most uses/abuses of it are just for insults. It's like using the term "munchkin" -- it has no real meaning other than, "I don't like the way you play". The term "railroading" is overused; it seems that as soon as the DM says "the prince has been captured by a dragon and needs to be rescued" there is the risk someone will say "railroading! I don't want to fight a dragon or rescue anyone!" But very few gamers have the same practical definition of ‘railroading’. To some gamers, railroading is when player input is completely ignored or superfluous to the progress of the plot. To others, railroading is any attempt by the GM to introduce a plot, or otherwise influence the story.
So what is Railroading? Well, big open question. At the most generic: A railroad is when the DM disallows the Players, from taking action outside what the DM wants to have happen. You are being railroaded when the DM, as the controller of the game, tells you what happens without your taking action, or he prevents you from taking action. Railroading means the DM doesn't give the Players a choice, at all. Your actions are dictated.
Of course the above definition is not really all that useful. Like a lot of destinations it is just too generic. In nearly every game, nearly every couple of minutes a DM will "prevent a PC from taking an action". This is normal. The idea that players must be given some perfect choice always is just silly. If the players "choose" to never be attacked by any foe, is that okay?
Telling a story is not railroading. Setting up an adventure is not railroading. Having consequences to action/inaction is not railroading. “Linear” adventures are not railroading. Many players forget that most "stories" and "plots" in D&D are really just a convenient excuse for adventuring. People generally want a game that is a bit deeper than "we are people who kill things and take their stuff" (not that there is anything wrong with that). So the DM thinks of some plot hook to get you adventuring. If you deviate from this course of action, the DM will, of course, resist, because he put in all that effort making the dragon cave or goblin mines or wizard tower or city of ghouls or what have you.
I think it would be fun to run through examples that people have givens as Railroading and talk about them"
1.Suppose the characters enter a city, and find a riot or similar event. The most sensible choice would be to get the hell out of there immediately. If the players choose this strategy, and the DM needs their participation in the riot for the plot to develop, characters will find the city door closed, or a mob in front of it which prevents them to leave.
So, first off here I don't see this as "railroading" all that much, the big thing here is Clumsy Dming. Definition: Clumsy Dming is when a DM takes an action in a game, with all the grace of a bull in a china shop. The action(s) are crude, rude, obnoxious and very obvious. Clumsy Dming is common with Casual DMs, Careless DMs, and most of all new, inexperienced DMs.
It is important also to point out the Metagame Aspect here. The Metagame is anything in real life that effects the game. The easy one is "all the characters must be and stay in a group together because they are all PCs of players in the game." Even if "dwarves and elves hate each other", the two PCs have to get along in character for the sake of the game. So when the players see the riot, they will know that it is a Inciting Incident. An Inciting Incident is the initial event that disrupts the PC's ordinary world and introduces the central conflict. If your a player in a game where an Inciting Incident happens, you must follow through with it. To "run" from the Inciting Incident is saying you don't wish to play the game.
Pro Tip: Never make an Inciting Incident, or really any major plot point, dependent on the PCs actions. This is simple enough. In the example, don't have a riot that needs the PCs participation to develop the plot.
So far there is no single true definition of “Railroading” out there, which is probably the reason for many heated debates among GMs. The term “railroad” or “railroading” gets thrown around a lot, but I think most uses/abuses of it are just for insults. It's like using the term "munchkin" -- it has no real meaning other than, "I don't like the way you play". The term "railroading" is overused; it seems that as soon as the DM says "the prince has been captured by a dragon and needs to be rescued" there is the risk someone will say "railroading! I don't want to fight a dragon or rescue anyone!" But very few gamers have the same practical definition of ‘railroading’. To some gamers, railroading is when player input is completely ignored or superfluous to the progress of the plot. To others, railroading is any attempt by the GM to introduce a plot, or otherwise influence the story.
So what is Railroading? Well, big open question. At the most generic: A railroad is when the DM disallows the Players, from taking action outside what the DM wants to have happen. You are being railroaded when the DM, as the controller of the game, tells you what happens without your taking action, or he prevents you from taking action. Railroading means the DM doesn't give the Players a choice, at all. Your actions are dictated.
Of course the above definition is not really all that useful. Like a lot of destinations it is just too generic. In nearly every game, nearly every couple of minutes a DM will "prevent a PC from taking an action". This is normal. The idea that players must be given some perfect choice always is just silly. If the players "choose" to never be attacked by any foe, is that okay?
Telling a story is not railroading. Setting up an adventure is not railroading. Having consequences to action/inaction is not railroading. “Linear” adventures are not railroading. Many players forget that most "stories" and "plots" in D&D are really just a convenient excuse for adventuring. People generally want a game that is a bit deeper than "we are people who kill things and take their stuff" (not that there is anything wrong with that). So the DM thinks of some plot hook to get you adventuring. If you deviate from this course of action, the DM will, of course, resist, because he put in all that effort making the dragon cave or goblin mines or wizard tower or city of ghouls or what have you.
I think it would be fun to run through examples that people have givens as Railroading and talk about them"
1.Suppose the characters enter a city, and find a riot or similar event. The most sensible choice would be to get the hell out of there immediately. If the players choose this strategy, and the DM needs their participation in the riot for the plot to develop, characters will find the city door closed, or a mob in front of it which prevents them to leave.
So, first off here I don't see this as "railroading" all that much, the big thing here is Clumsy Dming. Definition: Clumsy Dming is when a DM takes an action in a game, with all the grace of a bull in a china shop. The action(s) are crude, rude, obnoxious and very obvious. Clumsy Dming is common with Casual DMs, Careless DMs, and most of all new, inexperienced DMs.
It is important also to point out the Metagame Aspect here. The Metagame is anything in real life that effects the game. The easy one is "all the characters must be and stay in a group together because they are all PCs of players in the game." Even if "dwarves and elves hate each other", the two PCs have to get along in character for the sake of the game. So when the players see the riot, they will know that it is a Inciting Incident. An Inciting Incident is the initial event that disrupts the PC's ordinary world and introduces the central conflict. If your a player in a game where an Inciting Incident happens, you must follow through with it. To "run" from the Inciting Incident is saying you don't wish to play the game.
Pro Tip: Never make an Inciting Incident, or really any major plot point, dependent on the PCs actions. This is simple enough. In the example, don't have a riot that needs the PCs participation to develop the plot.
