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Community
General Tabletop Discussion
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What is "railroading" to you (as a player)?
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<blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 9871018" data-attributes="member: 6785785"><p>Well, if there’s no chance of being afraid, then why are any kind of fear rules being invoked? </p><p></p><p>Again, getting away from D&D-esque social skills… let’s look at the knight and the brothel situation. This is a known weakness of the knight. The player knows that if the character goes in there, there will be temptation, and he’ll have to make a roll. This could distract him from his purpose of being there in the first place… making this a tough decision because there is risk involved. </p><p></p><p>If I’m free to decide how my character acts, there’s no risk. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>But the point of them isn’t to take away agency. The point of them is to emulate the genre and also to create dramatic decision points for the knights. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I would argue that any test of virtues and values that would be interesting or meaningful needs to have some risk involved. Your way is entirely without risk. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>What? No. A wall blocks a character physically. A guard that can’t be bribed or that intimidates blocks a character socially. Neither character no linger wants to get inside… they’ve simply been thwarted in the attempt. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>You absolutely can control your character’s response. And your response will by its nature be different than your character’s. At the very least, it is likely to be less severe. The fear of losing a PC is a type of fear, but it cannot be equated with the fear of dying. </p><p></p><p>So, when something like this comes up in play, you may be worried as the player. But maybe the character wouldn’t be worried at all! Are you going to roleplay your character as being scared because you are worried that the situation they’re facing might kill them, even if you’ve imagined them to be the kind of person who is unlikely to give in to such concerns? </p><p></p><p>I doubt it. You will play the character as you’ve imagined them, regardless of whatever personal emotion you may feel. Because your impulse is not what matters. Your considered decision is what matters.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hawkeyefan, post: 9871018, member: 6785785"] Well, if there’s no chance of being afraid, then why are any kind of fear rules being invoked? Again, getting away from D&D-esque social skills… let’s look at the knight and the brothel situation. This is a known weakness of the knight. The player knows that if the character goes in there, there will be temptation, and he’ll have to make a roll. This could distract him from his purpose of being there in the first place… making this a tough decision because there is risk involved. If I’m free to decide how my character acts, there’s no risk. But the point of them isn’t to take away agency. The point of them is to emulate the genre and also to create dramatic decision points for the knights. I would argue that any test of virtues and values that would be interesting or meaningful needs to have some risk involved. Your way is entirely without risk. What? No. A wall blocks a character physically. A guard that can’t be bribed or that intimidates blocks a character socially. Neither character no linger wants to get inside… they’ve simply been thwarted in the attempt. You absolutely can control your character’s response. And your response will by its nature be different than your character’s. At the very least, it is likely to be less severe. The fear of losing a PC is a type of fear, but it cannot be equated with the fear of dying. So, when something like this comes up in play, you may be worried as the player. But maybe the character wouldn’t be worried at all! Are you going to roleplay your character as being scared because you are worried that the situation they’re facing might kill them, even if you’ve imagined them to be the kind of person who is unlikely to give in to such concerns? I doubt it. You will play the character as you’ve imagined them, regardless of whatever personal emotion you may feel. Because your impulse is not what matters. Your considered decision is what matters. [/QUOTE]
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What is "railroading" to you (as a player)?
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