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<blockquote data-quote="Majoru Oakheart" data-source="post: 4627521" data-attributes="member: 5143">This is true.&nbsp; But most of it can be avoided by quick adaption and thinking in advance.&nbsp; One of the first tricks you learn when writing an adventure like this is not to place the PCs in the position to be able to derail everything.&nbsp; Do not let them within sight of a villain you want to survive or you don't have a foolproof method of bringing back to life.&nbsp; Do not rely on easy to foil plans.&nbsp; If you want something to happen make sure it happens &quot;off screen&quot; or you have some REALLY good reason it can't be stopped.This is true.&nbsp; But most players I gamed with are willing to believe that almost any choice could be valid or invalid based on circumstances they don't know.&nbsp; I have run into a couple of players with entitlement complexes who feel that THEY know what should and shouldn't work and any DM stopping them is railroading them unfairly.&nbsp; You could have written on a piece of paper &quot;All the villagers know nothing about where the villain went as none of them have seen him&quot; 2 years before the game ever started and they'll complain that you aren't letting their investigations around town get them any closer to finding the villain.&nbsp; Some people feel that ANY good idea they come up with must suddenly become the &quot;right&quot; answer.&nbsp; Sometimes there just is only one right answer.As for the rest of what you said.&nbsp; Part of the reason you want to avoid the derailment is because it is normally the most fun for the players and the DM to follow the rails.&nbsp; I've had players say &quot;Look, I've come up with a great way to kill the villain in the first session.&nbsp; You can't stop me.&quot;&nbsp; They've disliked the answer they got much more than if I had railroaded them into not killing the villain.&nbsp; The answer they got was &quot;Congratulations, it's over.&nbsp; You want to run a game now?&quot;Of course, there is a severe difference between the type of railroading that relies entirely on DM fiat and the type that can be mostly explained.&nbsp; If you plan out the fact that the villain killed someone then teleported away and the only one who saw his face was the blacksmith who ran back to his house and hasn't told anyone...well, the players need to find the blacksmith and get the information out of him any way they can.&nbsp; Otherwise, they'll never get to the end.&nbsp; It can be fun to try to figure out the mystery.&nbsp; There may only be one way to go, but the PCs figure it out on their own based on hints you give them.&nbsp; They get to use their skills in a useful way.On the other hand, the railoading that says, &quot;The evil wizard casts a spell, you are all transformed into kobolds.&nbsp; No save.&nbsp; Then, you are all teleported into the dungeons, no save.&nbsp; You are all fitted with collars which let the villain kill you at will.&nbsp; You are then told to go get an item for him or you all die.&quot;&nbsp; You have no choice at all.&nbsp; You are barely playing the game.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Majoru Oakheart, post: 4627521, member: 5143"] This is true. But most of it can be avoided by quick adaption and thinking in advance. One of the first tricks you learn when writing an adventure like this is not to place the PCs in the position to be able to derail everything. Do not let them within sight of a villain you want to survive or you don't have a foolproof method of bringing back to life. Do not rely on easy to foil plans. If you want something to happen make sure it happens "off screen" or you have some REALLY good reason it can't be stopped. This is true. But most players I gamed with are willing to believe that almost any choice could be valid or invalid based on circumstances they don't know. I have run into a couple of players with entitlement complexes who feel that THEY know what should and shouldn't work and any DM stopping them is railroading them unfairly. You could have written on a piece of paper "All the villagers know nothing about where the villain went as none of them have seen him" 2 years before the game ever started and they'll complain that you aren't letting their investigations around town get them any closer to finding the villain. Some people feel that ANY good idea they come up with must suddenly become the "right" answer. Sometimes there just is only one right answer. As for the rest of what you said. Part of the reason you want to avoid the derailment is because it is normally the most fun for the players and the DM to follow the rails. I've had players say "Look, I've come up with a great way to kill the villain in the first session. You can't stop me." They've disliked the answer they got much more than if I had railroaded them into not killing the villain. The answer they got was "Congratulations, it's over. You want to run a game now?" Of course, there is a severe difference between the type of railroading that relies entirely on DM fiat and the type that can be mostly explained. If you plan out the fact that the villain killed someone then teleported away and the only one who saw his face was the blacksmith who ran back to his house and hasn't told anyone...well, the players need to find the blacksmith and get the information out of him any way they can. Otherwise, they'll never get to the end. It can be fun to try to figure out the mystery. There may only be one way to go, but the PCs figure it out on their own based on hints you give them. They get to use their skills in a useful way. On the other hand, the railoading that says, "The evil wizard casts a spell, you are all transformed into kobolds. No save. Then, you are all teleported into the dungeons, no save. You are all fitted with collars which let the villain kill you at will. You are then told to go get an item for him or you all die." You have no choice at all. You are barely playing the game. [/QUOTE]

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