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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 9331524" data-attributes="member: 42582">If B2 Keep on the Borderlands is played as written, using the Basic D&amp;D rules; or if S2 White Plume Mountain is played as written, using the AD&amp;D rules; then player choice will matter a great deal to whether or not the players succeed in beating the module.But there will be no thematically laden story. And hence there will not be meaningfulness in the sense that [USER=6785785]@hawkeyefan[/USER] intended it (as best I can read his post). Just as the decisions that I make in solving a crossword puzzle, or playing a game of chess, are not meaningful in that sense.If the module Dead Gods is played as written, then there will be a thematically laden story. But the players' decisions will not meaningfully contribute to that, because the story has already been written by Monte Cook. The same is true of other railroad modules. (Only the very worst-written railroads fail to deliver theme of some sort.)Now it's possible to have a prepared scenario in which player choice matters to the generation and delivery of theme. Off the top of my head I can't think of any published D&amp;D module that is an example, but there are numerous examples in the Prince Valiant rulebook and the Prince Valiant Episode Book. Another example is found in the HeroWars Narrator's Book by Robin Laws: The Demon of the Red Grove. But I don't think those scenarios are what [USER=6785785]@hawkeyefan[/USER] had in mind - he was clearly referring to D&amp;D modules. And frankly I'd be surprised if you have these examples in mind either.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 9331524, member: 42582"] If B2 Keep on the Borderlands is played as written, using the Basic D&D rules; or if S2 White Plume Mountain is played as written, using the AD&D rules; then player choice will matter a great deal to [I]whether or not the players succeed in beating the module[/I]. But there will be no thematically laden story. And hence there will not be meaningfulness in the sense that [USER=6785785]@hawkeyefan[/USER] intended it (as best I can read his post). Just as the decisions that I make in solving a crossword puzzle, or playing a game of chess, are not [I]meaningful[/I] in that sense. If the module Dead Gods is played as written, then there will be a thematically laden story. But the [I]players'[/I] decisions will not meaningfully contribute to that, because the story has already been written by Monte Cook. The same is true of other railroad modules. (Only the very worst-written railroads fail to deliver theme of some sort.) Now it's possible to have a prepared scenario in which [I]player choice matters to the generation and delivery of theme[/I]. Off the top of my head I can't think of any published D&D module that is an example, but there are numerous examples in the Prince Valiant rulebook and the Prince Valiant Episode Book. Another example is found in the HeroWars Narrator's Book by Robin Laws: The Demon of the Red Grove. But I don't think those scenarios are what [USER=6785785]@hawkeyefan[/USER] had in mind - he was clearly referring to D&D modules. And frankly I'd be surprised if you have these examples in mind either. [/QUOTE]

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