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Railroading: Difference between revisions
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In practice, the use of Railroading is generally regarded as one sign of a poor GM, as forcing the players down a single predetermined path (like cars on a railroad track, hence the name) runs against to the collaborative nature of a tabletop RPG in the first place, where every player is allowed an equal voice in dictating what happens next. If players discover the Railroading and rebel against it, they are going [[Off the Rails]]. (And if going Off the Rails triggers a [[Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies]], then the something about the campaign has [[Epic Fail|failed on a fundamental level]].)
On the other hand, while complaints of Railroading are directed primarily at difficult or unimaginative GMs, there are also difficult and unimaginative ''players'' for whom a swift kick in the caboose might be the ''only'' way to get them to do something even as simple as leaving the tavern in the first town (or immediately coming straight back to it). A subtle GM who knows his players and makes an effort to maintain at least an illusion of free will and exploration, and really ''does'' make stories that are That Damned Good, can probably get away with herding a few cats. ([[Role
In a similar vein, an occasional Railroading can do wonders to kick-start the campaign should players have run out of steam and be left with absolutely ''no'' idea how they should proceed next; a GM pointing the players down the nearest track and hoping they can play it can get the campaign moving again, to the benefit of everyone involved. Experienced GMs know when it is (and is ''not'') appropriate to Railroad the campaign—a good measure is that if the players are currently having fun, there's probably no need to interfere.
[[
Of course, one advantage a GM always has over a console or PC RPG is that his players probably aren't going to restart the game from the beginning and realize he was leading them by the nose the entire time. (Note that for players or GMs who treat their tabletop game exactly like a [[Video Game|console RPG]], Railroading is 100% par for the course.)
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{{quote|Players tend to stay on the rails better when you place obvious landmines on either side of the tracks.}}
** In one comic, the group attempts to interrupt Gandalf's conversation with Theoden...only for the DM to start over from the beginning, causing them to compare it to a video game cutscene. In another, they ask why he even bothers running an RPG if he already knows the exact story he wants to tell; his response is, because they chip in for pizza.
*** However there are two instances where this [[Subverted Trope|trope is subverted]], they kill Gollum before he appears, and they kill [[Dragon with an Agenda|Saruman]] from below his tower.
* ''[[Order of the Stick]]'': Roy categorically declares he's not going where the plot requires he go. It doesn't stick: [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0251.html Stupid Railroad plot].
** Interestingly enough, in the forums the author published a [http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=291639#post291639 pretty detailed account of the battle], proving that he actually thought the whole thing through rather than [[Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies|just saying the]] PCs lost.
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1404. I will not spoil the adventure's mandatory ambush by using the cheesy tactic of a "scout".
1413. Even if the dungeon has only one exit, can't just starve the villain out.
1432. Using my prior knowledge of the adventure to force the game along [[No Except Yes|while encouraged, is discouraged]].
1436. In case of premature termination, the dungeon boss has an identical twin brother on standby.
1449. Any plan that would quickly, logically and safely defeat the module early is doomed to failure. }}
* ''Loaded Dice'' [http://www.rdinn.com/comic.php?comicid=8 lampshades this facet of Steve's plot] very early in chapter one.
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* ''[[Ruby Quest]]''. Poor Weaver gets accued of railroading a lot. Two of the most blantant cases {{spoiler|are ruses. The first is when Ruby pushes Stiches off the rail.}} The second is (this is a big one, you may not want to read it) {{spoiler|when Tom remains behind, only for Stiches to save their asses.}} And of course, Weaver does a huge [[Take That]] in the end. {{spoiler|Choo Choo}}
* An odd [[Fan Fiction]] example: ''Pooh's Adventures'', a [[Mega Crossover]] series that is pretty much any movie with Pooh and his friends pasted into the film. They can't do anything to affect the flow of the film aside from suggesting the obvious, or downright stealing people's lines. One example is in Pooh's Adventures Of [[The Thief and the Cobbler]], in which [[Pokémon|Mewtwo]] tells Zig-Zag to watch out for the nails. He still steps on the nails.
* Happens a lot in ''The [[Binder of Shame]]''.
* Spoony of ''[[The Spoony Experiment]]'' relates [http://spoonyexperiment.com/2011/11/06/counter-monkey-vampire-spoonys-jyhad/ an example of this] from the ''[[Vampire: The Requiem]]'' [[LARP]] group of Phoenix, Arizona. Unusual in that it's instigated by the other players rather than the GM, but the GM goes along with it and kind of implies that it's Spoony's fault for not picking one of the two Clans prominent in the setting. Spoony's [[Who's Laughing Now?|response]], which really [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|must be heard to be believed]], ends up with the GM basically telling him "I think you should leave."
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[[Category:The Plot Demanded This Index]]
[[Category:Tabletop Game Tropes]]
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