D&D General [+] Players, what do you like about railroads?

[deganawida]

What I hate is being the one guy who sees the path that the DM has planned, and has to move the plot along because no one else knows what to do. I mean that literally; it usually takes half an hour of them talking, wondering what they should do, befor I get tired of it and give a nudge. This is why I don’t always like heavily plotted games.

 

[DEFCON 1]

The thing about railroaded adventures is that the narrative tends to make sense in my experience. Which means that a party that was built during Session 0 to be part and parcel with the adventure will more often than not make the same logical choices that the adventure expects or forces you to make. Which means at the end of the day the group doesn't actually feel railroaded because they got to make all their choices on their own.

Now granted, if you have players that don't make characters that make sense for the adventure they are going on or just make chaotic choices for the hell of it, then things will fall apart. But if a DM has the right group for the right adventure, then the railroad won't end up mattering in the end.

 

[Laurefindel]

Flat and boring railroads are flat and boring. Thrilling rollercoaster rides can be fun, especially one-shots/short campaigns. Railroading can be awful but but in the spirit of a plus thread, there can be a lot of positive too.

Railroads allow the DM to have each location very detailed and well developed, in theory, better than in a sandbox adventure. It also allows for a well defined narrative track. Done well, these can be a lot of fun. Cinematic play in Alien RPG, for example, kinda suggests that.

The best railroads are those who make you think that this railroad progression was based on the players’ choices all along.

 

[Shardstone]

Sure. Makes sense. For me, that’s the niche video games fill. The RPG table is open-ended anything goes time.

I feel that, but video games don't always scratch that itch of hanging with friends, making stuff up, etc. And usually, a game is not an entire railroad. When I'm a player (not a DM), I usually prefer a mixture of openendedness and some key direction.

 

[overgeeked]

I feel that, but video games don't always scratch that itch of hanging with friends, making stuff up, etc. And usually, a game is not an entire railroad. When I'm a player (not a DM), I usually prefer a mixture of openendedness and some key direction.

Absolutely. Different itch. But that’s also why railroads in RPGs don’t make sense to me. Playing an RPG with friends is do whatever shenanigans time. Playing video games is dutifully following the railroad time. In my head it’s down to using the right tool for the right job. You generally can’t do whatever in a video game, but can do damned near literally anything in an RPG. So using an RPG for a railroad just doesn’t make sense. It’s like unplugging a brand new and functional computer to use as a paper weight.

 

[Shardstone]

Absolutely. Different itch. But that’s also why railroads in RPGs don’t make sense to me. Playing an RPG with friends is do whatever shenanigans time. Playing video games is dutifully following the railroad time. In my head it’s down to using the right tool for the right job. You generally can’t do whatever in a video game, but can do damned near literally anything in an RPG. So using an RPG for a railroad just doesn’t make sense. It’s like unplugging a brand new and functional computer to use as a paper weight.

The issue is you're assuming that your desire (shenanigans with friends):

A.) Can only be achieved via your style of play

OR

B.) That everyone plays with the same desire in mind.

Silly stuff and shenanigans are possible in many different ways, whether the game be directed and focused or not. And while you surely have your preferences and have found a way to achieve them, others have different prefrences (obviously) and likewise unique ways of achieving them.

So tonight I ran a one-shot. It was the second one-shot for this couple I'm friends with IRL. It was a fairly linear one-shot. However, the point was to:

• Have a quick game, see each other, hang out
• Introduce them to my setting and my additional rules
• Teach them how to play, as they were noobies

In this situation, I figured a linear one-shot would work well because of time-constraints (we only had a couple of hours) and because they are dealing with so much rules and ideas and experiences that it was beneficial to keep it narrow for them. In fact, they said that this alone was almost too much for where they're at now, and while they enjoyed it, they were glad that it was a more linear game so they could get the hang of things.

This is the same logic behind con games for example.

Now, this couple has a life, they have full time jobs, we can meet only every two weeks, and they aren't die-hards but instead D&D casuals. While I do plan to eventually run them more open-ended games, right now, linear games are both what they can handle AND what they find fun.

This is but one of many examples for when I try to do a more linear game. Keep in mind, neither member of this couple is really big into video games. To them, they just don't have time! But they can make time to come hang out with me, have some eats, play a game, experience something new that no video game can give them, which is my imagination and the scenarios I create and the ability to make their own character and narrative to engage with that scenario. Linear or open-ended, these are qualities that video games usually cannot accommodate, and MMOs or MOBAs or w/e are a lot more intense and "high-stakes/win or loss" then a quick, two hour D&D game on a Tuesday night.

 

[zakael19]

I think a lot of people enjoy linear adventures, where progress states are clearly flagged & the plot unfurls sometimes with Dramatic Twists and Significant Figures swooping in to briefly do a cameo. Some people call this a railroad, because the party is going from A - E without significant deviation as long as they follow the signposts and the GM will clearly lay out, using exposition hobos / clear markers / "Rule of 3" things where by god you're going to find the Significant Clue that leads you forward along that linear narrative.

I'm not sure many players enjoy a railroad[pejorative] where the GM forcibly shoves people back into their setting tour or strict narrative. Plenty of people will bite hard on plot tidbits if the social contract is "we're here to play adventure" and may not mind the occasion meta "oh no, hey I totally made that phrase seem more significant then the spur of the moment throwaway it was, sorry." I've pretty much only seen people complain about the sort of "we're simply spectators in somebody else's novel" type of game.

 

[Blue]

I hope answering your questions in a productive manner qualifies for the (+).

Do you like railroaded games? No.

If so, what do you like about railroad games? I like that DMs who don't have time to create adventures have an avenue still get to have the creative outlet of running premade adventures. I like that new DMs are trying to run, even if their style isn't what I most enjoy yet. I like that there are groups that don't want to take notes and just go on a wild ride during a night of beer-and-pretzels relaxing D&D can do so.

 

[Yaarel]

When players are at a loss, the DM needs to figure out a way to hold the players hands and lead them to an interesting location.

Oppositely, when players insist on doing something unplanned, the DM needs to figure out a way to make what the players have in mind happen.

 

[overgeeked]

The issue is you're assuming that your desire (shenanigans with friends):

A.) Can only be achieved via your style of play

OR

B.) That everyone plays with the same desire in mind.

To be clear, I’m explaining where I’m coming from and why enjoying a railroad doesn’t compute. Not that mine is the right and correct way for everyone else.

Silly stuff and shenanigans are possible in many different ways, whether the game be directed and focused or not. And while you surely have your preferences and have found a way to achieve them, others have different prefrences (obviously) and likewise unique ways of achieving them.

So tonight I ran a one-shot. It was the second one-shot for this couple I'm friends with IRL. It was a fairly linear one-shot. However, the point was to:

• Have a quick game, see each other, hang out
• Introduce them to my setting and my additional rules
• Teach them how to play, as they were noobies

In this situation, I figured a linear one-shot would work well because of time-constraints (we only had a couple of hours) and because they are dealing with so much rules and ideas and experiences that it was beneficial to keep it narrow for them. In fact, they said that this alone was almost too much for where they're at now, and while they enjoyed it, they were glad that it was a more linear game so they could get the hang of things.

This is the same logic behind con games for example.

Now, this couple has a life, they have full time jobs, we can meet only every two weeks, and they aren't die-hards but instead D&D casuals. While I do plan to eventually run them more open-ended games, right now, linear games are both what they can handle AND what they find fun.

This is but one of many examples for when I try to do a more linear game. Keep in mind, neither member of this couple is really big into video games. To them, they just don't have time! But they can make time to come hang out with me, have some eats, play a game, experience something new that no video game can give them, which is my imagination and the scenarios I create and the ability to make their own character and narrative to engage with that scenario. Linear or open-ended, these are qualities that video games usually cannot accommodate, and MMOs or MOBAs or w/e are a lot more intense and "high-stakes/win or loss" then a quick, two hour D&D game on a Tuesday night.

Absolutely. But note how it’s a situational utility question and how the goal is to eventually move to more open-ended play.

I’m assuming most players here are more experienced and at least a few steps beyond casual players. So their circumstances would be different. Hence the question to them.