Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Bedrockgames" data-source="post: 8344119" data-attributes="member: 85555">but a game isn't a movie. A movie can railroad its characters and the audience will not get annoyed. Still though the sense that the outcome isn't predestined, even in a movie is important to maintain. In a game, if I start to feel like no matter where I go, I am always going to bump into Biff Tannen and have to deal with him, then that definitely feels railroady and it feels like my choices aren't making any difference. Again if the issue is you need something interesting, by all means put something interesting down that other path, but make the choice between going left or right, north or south, through door A or door B, have a meaningful difference. Yes the GM is supposed to improve the game for the players, but going too far to make the game good is exactly where railroading becomes problem. Railroading isn't a product of trying to make the game dull or not fun, it is a byproduct of heavy handed methods to ensure something is going on, and to make things easier for the GM in terms of prep (i.e. making sure what the GM has planned happens).And obviously there are shades of gray here. If I antagonize Biff and he starts hounding me, following me wherever I go, that is fair. But there are going to be moments when it seems I am presented with a choice, and if those choices don't really matter because the GM just decides X happens regardless (or worse, as per the example literally moves Biff from where he was supposed to be to the place I chose to go) then I would definitely say it qualifies as railroading and it lessens the game for me.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Bedrockgames, post: 8344119, member: 85555"] but a game isn't a movie. A movie can railroad its characters and the audience will not get annoyed. Still though the sense that the outcome isn't predestined, even in a movie is important to maintain. In a game, if I start to feel like no matter where I go, I am always going to bump into Biff Tannen and have to deal with him, then that definitely feels railroady and it feels like my choices aren't making any difference. Again if the issue is you need something interesting, by all means put something interesting down that other path, but make the choice between going left or right, north or south, through door A or door B, have a meaningful difference. Yes the GM is supposed to improve the game for the players, but going too far to make the game good is exactly where railroading becomes problem. Railroading isn't a product of trying to make the game dull or not fun, it is a byproduct of heavy handed methods to ensure something is going on, and to make things easier for the GM in terms of prep (i.e. making sure what the GM has planned happens). And obviously there are shades of gray here. If I antagonize Biff and he starts hounding me, following me wherever I go, that is fair. But there are going to be moments when it seems I am presented with a choice, and if those choices don't really matter because the GM just decides X happens regardless (or worse, as per the example literally moves Biff from where he was supposed to be to the place I chose to go) then I would definitely say it qualifies as railroading and it lessens the game for me. [/QUOTE]

Verification