What is railroading?

[Quasqueton]

It seems to me that many people here are quick to call "railroad".

So, what is railroading?

Scenario 1: A PC's sister has been kidnapped, and a ransom note given to the PC.

Scenario 2: The powerful and intelligent sword wins an ego battle with the fighter and has the fighter insist on going to a location.

Scenario 3: A kingdom goes to war, and a press gang confronts the PCs, saying they must join the army or be arrested.

Scenario 4: A black sphere envelopes the city, trapping everyone (including the PCs) in its darkness.

Scenario 5: A "sponsor" calls in a favor from the PCs.

Scenario 6: To acquire the magic amulet from the wizard's guild, the PCs are told to go get the McGuffin from the dungeon.

Scenario 7: A fight breaks out in the tavern around the PCs, and some of the combatants target the PCs.

Scenario 8: The PC gets a dream from his god about a quest he should undertake.

Scenario 9: There's some dangerous locations out there somewhere; you can go find them if you want.

Scenario 10: It's a bright sunny day. What do you do?

Which of the above would you call a railroad?

Quasqueton

 

[JoeGKushner]

None of them in and of themselves are rail roading. It's how the GM handles what the palyer does.

For example, if the character has a sister kidnapped and wants to go save her, but first has to do some training, get some information, etc..., but the GM flat out refused to allow that, or that he finds his sister, she's taken away again and he has no chance to save her, that is railroading.

 

[Henry]

1: Sister is kdnapped? I call that railroading if the sister is kidnapped DESPITE any precautions a PC may have taken based on forewarning. If the PC has no forewarning nor precautions, then it's called a plot hook.

2: Ego Sword domination. No railroading there, UNLESS the PC had no chance in Heck of resisting, not so much as a roll.

3: Press Gang? No railroading here. The PCs can fight, give in, use bribery, etc. If they get caught and put down validly, then it's part of the plot.

4: Inescapable black sphere? Nah, that's a plot hook, unless the PCs have no way to suss out the cause, or find a loophole out, or if the sphere starts shrinking and crushes them like paste whether they act or not.

5: Sponsor favor?Did he Geas them with no chance to resist into doing the job? If so, then railroad.

6: Mcguffin for a favor? No railroad -- the PCs can always say "no."

7: Bar fight? That's no railroad! That's tonight's plot!

8: Dream from God? Well, he could say no...

9 & 10: Adventure in them thar hills! GO get it! No railroad, and more like "players twiddle thumbs and wonder what to do" in my experience.

To me, it's not railroading unless your actual character actions undertaken are forced on you; just being faced with two bad choices is not really railroading.

Now, in normal circumstances railroading is bad to me; but in a one-shot or limited series adventure, I expect it and encourage it.

 

[The Shaman]

None of these scenarios are railroading per se (though 2 and 3 are close) IF the players and their characters are allowed to make meaningful choices about whether or not they choose to bite the proffered hook.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

I think we fairly resolved in the last thread about this that the line between railroading and not was heavily dependant on your sensibilities.

Some players WANTED their DM to do things that other people were saying were blatent railroading because the players felt it just meant the game was structured with a concrete plot.

It seems railroading is when your DM doesn't let you do something you think you should be able to.

 

[TonyLB]

It's like the difference between a democracy that actually does always elect the same guy, and a dictatorship. If people are dissatisfied with their options, do they have the power to override the GM short of leaving the game? From the outside it's hard to tell. From the inside you usually know.

It's worth noting that there are two easy ways around railroading: one is a responsive GM, and that means that you get to override the GM by the GMs power. Which, yeah, that's nice. But I prefer games where you can override the GM even if they are fighting you tooth and nail. It's just a nice safety net for all concerned, so that the GM doesn't have the responsibility of backing down for the "good of the group." If he wants something, he can fight for it, and if he wins then the other players must not have been too keen on their alternative, so it's all good. Likewise, if he loses, he knows it's because the other players want it more than he does, and it's all good.

 

[Zappo]

None. Railroading is:

Scenario 11:
DM: "It's almost nightfall. You're walking along a mountain path and encounter a cave."
PCs: "We keep walking."
DM: "A nasty storm breaks out."
PCs: "We still keep walking; we may still be able to reach the village."
DM: "A half kilometer from the cave, the path seems to have collapsed."
Wizard: "I cast fly and shove everyone into bags of holding."
DM: "The violent winds prevent you from flying."
Wizard: "I cast dimension door."
DM: "Due to thaumaturgical interference from the cosmic rays, it doesn't work."
PCs: "*sigh* ok, we get back to the cave".

Scenario 12: The PC gets a dream from his god about a quest he should undertake. For the fifteenth time in a row.

Scenario 13: You need to get from A to B. You can go by boat, by train, by plane, or by car. However, the harbor is closed due to a storm, there is a railways strike, and all planes are overbooked. So you go by car. There are six main routes to get there. Five of them are closed due to repairs. Oh, you say you go through secondary roads to avoid motorways? Ok... after a few hours, you get lost. You wander along secondary roads for an hour, and then end up on the motorway.

Scenario 14: As you enter the castle hallway, you're jumped by fifty guards. You are surprised. They win initiative. You are subdued and dragged to the dungeons.

Scenario 15: The whole campaign revolves around an ultrapowerful wizard/dragon/balor/whatever who spends his time telling the PCs "do this or you're dead".

Scenario 16: "Teleportation doesn't work. Nor do wind walk. Or shadow walk. Or overland flight. Or pass through trees. Oh, and neither does plane shift. No gate. Ethereal form doesn't work, and neither does astral form. Yes, gaseous form works, but due to something in the air, you can't use it to pass through cracks."

Scenario 17: The door is indestructible, the lock can't be picked, and it is immune to knock spells and passwall. There is what looks like a crosswords scheme drawn on it, though.

 

[Zenodotus of Ephesus]

D&D is a game where a DM contrives seemingly natural scenarios for players who willingly suspend disbelief. At the end of the day, it's only railroading if they notice (and say so).

 

[Varianor Abroad]

None of these are railroads until the heavy hand of the GM forces the plot to become a story where the players cannot change the outline or the outcome.

 

[sniffles]

I would say that railroading is when the GM refuses to even consider any choices made by the players. There are occasions when the characters may have no options. But if there is a way the PCs could reach the same conclusion by different means and the GM refuses to try those means, even when it's obvious the players are not having fun, that's railroading.