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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Thunderfoot" data-source="post: 5080981" data-attributes="member: 34175">There is a very, very fine line between railroading and plot line.  It takes years of playing to understand the difference and the how to of opening up the plot to be fluid instead of static. I've mixing the proactive/reactive styles of DM'ing for about 25 years now.  I always balk at hearing people say that having an ultimate goal is railroading... not true, railroading dictates the every movement of the players, you will go here and then go here and then go here and then do this and ta-dah, you win.... (The Dragonlance mods are infamous for this).It's more work, true, but far more fun to know that ultimately the players will need to do something or meet someone, but drop subtle hints and then let them run around doing whatever.  I've never been able to just run a game completely on the fly (it never has that "feel" I'm looking for) but I try to never say, you have to do this that or the other thing, I give the players choices and they always have the option of going "off the board" so to speak.  I have had occasions where groups didn't take the bait and went other places, for me, the one aspect of the sandbox method  where it doesn't exist until the players find it is just bogus (IMO), I like for the world to move on.  For example I had an outline where eventually the player would meet a certain BBEG after they secured an item in order to defeat him - they caught a boat to a different land and decided to adventure there instead.  Cool, I can deal with that, but when they decided to return to the land, the BBEG had found the item and secured ultimate power in that land and was ruling as a tyrant.  Now they had to defeat said BBEG, but without the aid of the item - action; consequence.  Proactive and reactive combined.This method is what I find very successful, at least for me, combining the methods.  I think the trick is as a player allowing a DM to learn how this done and being patient enough to reap the future benefits.  I didn't get there over night to be sure, it took a long time to learn these lessons and, sure, there are some folks that are just naturals, but it can be learned/taught.  And the trick for the DM is learning where you are currently and what you to do in order to get where you want to be.But ultimately, it comes down to that perfect combination - a DM that runs the style of campaign you want to play in the way that makes it interesting to you as a player and a group of players that interacts first with each other and then with the DM in order to perpetuate campaign greatness.  It's what separates the string of one shot modules into a great campaign arc without shoehorning or railroading people into a pre-determined set of actions.</blockquote>

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