What is "railroading" to you (as a player)?

[Bill Zebub]

I think magic typically gets a pass in these situations because it’s not the game telling a player how a character feels so much as how they’ve been compelled to feel.

“Because magic…” is an answer that for some reason makes it okay. I expect because it doesn’t perturb the player’s conception of the character.

In my next post (or one of them) I wrote:

Also, I won't speak for @Crimson Longinus but I have also explicitly said I'm ok with non-supernatural effects, as long as it's defined as an ability/effect in the game, with specific mechanics describing how it works, and not just a GM arbitrarily applying social "skill" and thinking I should play along with their idea of what my character "would do".

So it's not "because magic" it's "because game mechanics". But defined game mechanics, not "what other people at the table would do if your character were their's."

 

[hawkeyefan]

In my next post (or one of them) I wrote:


So it's not "because magic" it's "because game mechanics". But defined game mechanics, not "what other people at the table would do if your character were their's."

Sure, but my original comment wasn’t about you in particular. For some people, “because magic” is a perfectly acceptable answer. Probably even for the characters. “Yes, I did those things… but it was because of magic, so it’s not a big deal”.

For some, a spell is just one example of a game element that can compel a player to portray their character in a specific way. They might accept a broader range of game rules that do this sort of thing. Perhaps you’re one such player… @Crimson Longinus clearly is not.

I don’t recall anyone here advocating for anything like your last statement, "what other people at the table would do if your character were their's”… so I’m not sure what that has to do with anything.