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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7733342" data-attributes="member: 42582">I referred to the combination of:(1) The GM is allowed to use his/her pre-written, secret-from-the-players notes to declare that a player's declared action for his/her PC fails; and,

(2) The GM is also allowed to change or depart from his/her pre-written notes if s/he thinks that will improve the game.As far as I can tell, you're not combining (1) and (2) - you're not departing from your notes to establish some new backstory in virtue of which you then neutralise/veto a player action declaration.But suppose a player, following up on the daughter's comments, decides to have his/her PC follow the NPC. In your notes, you had your NPC go to place X (with no stream between the homestead and X). But you think it won't be fun for the game if the players find the NPC at X straight away, so you decide that instead the NPC went to Y (which has a stream between the homestead and it), hence preventing tracking. So the player's action declaration fails due to secret backstory (1) which you made up as you went along for the fun of the game (2).I'm not expressing a view on whether or not this approach to play is fun for your, or anyone else. As far as fun is concerned, I'm saying I don't enjoy it as player or GM.But I have said - how is the above not a railroad? All the outcomes depend on the GM's opinion as to how the fiction should develop.I made a post about this in the other thread:</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 7733342, member: 42582"] I referred to the combination of: [indent](1) The GM is allowed to use his/her pre-written, secret-from-the-players notes to declare that a player's declared action for his/her PC fails; and, (2) The GM is also allowed to change or depart from his/her pre-written notes if s/he thinks that will improve the game.[/indent] As far as I can tell, you're not combining (1) and (2) - you're not departing from your notes to establish some new backstory in virtue of which you then neutralise/veto a player action declaration. But suppose a player, following up on the daughter's comments, decides to have his/her PC follow the NPC. In your notes, you had your NPC go to place X (with no stream between the homestead and X). But you think it won't be fun for the game if the players find the NPC at X straight away, so you decide that instead the NPC went to Y (which has a stream between the homestead and it), hence preventing tracking. So the player's action declaration fails due to secret backstory (1) which you made up as you went along for the fun of the game (2). I'm not expressing a view on whether or not this approach to play is fun for your, or anyone else. As far as fun is concerned, I'm saying I don't enjoy it as player or GM. But I have said - [I]how is the above not a railroad[/I]? All the outcomes depend on the GM's opinion as to how the fiction should develop. I made a post about this in the other thread: [indent][/indent] [/QUOTE]

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