Let Me Off, This Is My Stop

I have a lot of hobbying going on, so the blog will go off the rails for a while. I haven't felt like doing reviews or a post series lately. I have a stack of games ready to go, and I'll be spending time enjoying them. For example, I have X-Wing and the new Marvel game collecting dust. I don't want them to end up next to the Myst RPG, Unwritten, I always meant to play. 

Speaking of Myst, this blog started as a Myst fan site, and it changed into something better because I started writing about other stuff I also enjoy. I don't plan to go too far afield on the blog. If you like oddball stuff, please follow me on MeWe. I post about music, gardening, and giant rabbits in addition to games. 

Tonight's topic is obviously about railroading players in RPGs. Typically, I post about D&D, but refusing to railroad players is good form for all RPGs. 

I think that railroading comes from a couple of places:

A. The DM provides a setting for players to engage in storytelling. Having created that setting, the DM wants to tell their story. Sometimes it's hard to break the setting from a story, and painful for the author to let their setting free to have different stories. Obviously, this comes from all the time the DM invested in creating it. But there is a difference between setting and story. 

B. The next reason is shock and awe. EVERY player on the planet can flabbergast the DM with a wild and unique set of choices that defy all coping because it is so correct for the scenario. Get used to it. Even the best improvisationalist will get caught out by a wily player who says something smart and correct. 

3. Sometimes, railroading is good, but it is rarely "this time". In this scenario, the players and their characters choose a path, do or die. As a DM, this is the time to railroad. The scenario becomes a one-trick pony show. The players laid out the parameters, you have to perform. Make sure you have all of your ducks and dice in a row and let them have it. 

Part D. There are many ways to "win" and the players always decide what winning is to them. Sometimes it is simple survival, and other times it is obtaining something they want. The DM picked the presentation events; they don't get to pick what is viewed as valuable to the players or characters. The players may value defeating the dragon more than taking the treasure. 

Now that I have spelled out why railroading happens, here are 4 options to avoid it. 

1. and 2. If the players don't like your setting and scenario, or come up with something else, let the characters out. The easiest way to snap the players out of a specific set of circumstances is to forget the players and listen to the characters' voices. This is an important distinction. The characters are the participants in your setting, not the players. If the players say, "Aw, not pirates again," forget it. If the character says, "I'm never getting on a ship again," run with it. What the player says is an observation; what the character says is an instruction. 

The opposite of pirates is a dungeon. Don't try, just do it. Again, without railroading. Let the party explore other options. 

The obvious problem with a change, or when you get caught flatfooted, is what happens to the original story you set out for the players?

Personally, I like the slow fade. You don't need to express how surprised you are by the change. "Stay cool, man." The story happens without the players. Make sure they get news about it; it keeps your setting intact without overshadowing the players' activities. In the pirate vs. dungeon example, the players may return to town after slaying the orcs to witness an epic battle in the harbor.  

The outcome of a massive battle in the harbor will have to conform to reasonable expectations, but doesn't need to impact the players except to provide a simple point of interest. Your setting is still there and intact. 

"Yup, that was too dangerous." Let the players be right. This also covers Option C, when you are forced to perform a desirable railroad. Let the players have fun being right. 

You may have to tool up or down to hit the right notes, but it can work. If the characters demand a massive set piece battle, don't be surprised if they outperform you in every way. It is 4 or more brains against just you. You are going to have to tweak things to get it right. You might be shocked to find the 15 giants you threw against the players aren't enough because the two major traps the players overcame at the start of the adventure are now being used against the giants. Just remember, when the characters do things to the giants, they aren't doing anything to you. Celebrate the madness and creativity. 

Part 4 is the easy part. There is no "winning" in an RPG, except for the continuation of the game. Run with that and keep it coming.