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<blockquote data-quote="CleverNickName" data-source="post: 8337330" data-attributes="member: 50987">While we're discussing theory and DM motives, how about this one:The DM places a treasure map somewhere in the world, and it falls into the players' hands.&nbsp; It's a map of a mysterious tropical island with a bright red X on it, and the notes on the back describes an amazing treasure hoard waiting to be claimed.The party has the map examined by a historian, and it checks out as authentic.&nbsp; They have it checked by a professional cartographer, who confirms the coordinates and confirms that such a place exists.&nbsp; They research the name of the map's author, and it checks out as well.&nbsp; So the party hires a boat and travels to the island...but they don't find any treasure at the bright red X.&nbsp;&nbsp; Despite their best efforts and careful planning, the party is empty-handed.For all the players know, the treasure map could have been a fake, or it might have been tampered with.&nbsp; Any one of the experts they consulted might have been wrong, or paid off by an unknown competitor.&nbsp; The treasure might have already been looted decades ago, there are countless things that could have gone wrong.&nbsp; Now the party has wasted months of time and thousands of goldpieces on a fruitless expedition.Of course, the DM knew all along that the party was never going to find any treasure.&nbsp; She has very good reasons for putting the party on that ship and bringing them to this island, but those reasons haven't yet revealed themselves.So: have the players been &quot;railroaded&quot;?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="CleverNickName, post: 8337330, member: 50987"] While we're discussing theory and DM motives, how about this one: The DM places a treasure map somewhere in the world, and it falls into the players' hands. It's a map of a mysterious tropical island with a bright red X on it, and the notes on the back describes an amazing treasure hoard waiting to be claimed. The party has the map examined by a historian, and it checks out as authentic. They have it checked by a professional cartographer, who confirms the coordinates and confirms that such a place exists. They research the name of the map's author, and it checks out as well. So the party hires a boat and travels to the island...but they don't find any treasure at the bright red X. Despite their best efforts and careful planning, the party is empty-handed. For all the players know, the treasure map could have been a fake, or it might have been tampered with. Any one of the experts they consulted might have been wrong, or paid off by an unknown competitor. The treasure might have already been looted decades ago, there are countless things that could have gone wrong. Now the party has wasted months of time and thousands of goldpieces on a fruitless expedition. Of course, the DM knew all along that the party was never going to find any treasure. She has very good reasons for putting the party on that ship and bringing them to this island, but those reasons haven't yet revealed themselves. So: have the players been "railroaded"? [/QUOTE]

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