tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137452171605018015.post9212089108574960050..comments2024-03-28T07:50:44.852+00:00Comments on The Watch House: RailroadingCraig Oxbrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16388821789251515974noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137452171605018015.post-65848760764976986752010-12-02T09:16:44.565+00:002010-12-02T09:16:44.565+00:00Generally if players really surprise me, it's ...Generally if players really surprise me, it's by doing things that I cannot understand their motivations for at all. At which point I ask. Or at least look confused. It's nice to be presented with Option A, ptin B or Option C and be able to go for Option X, but I try to make A, B and C somewhat logical courses of action.<br /><br />Ooh, "courses of action" as a non-pejorative term.Craig Oxbrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16388821789251515974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8137452171605018015.post-46991189900963010042010-12-01T20:11:14.949+00:002010-12-01T20:11:14.949+00:00Sometimes you need a pejorative term. Ken's go...Sometimes you need a pejorative term. Ken's got a point: "railroad" is used a lot to describe scenarios with structure or obvious goals.<br /><br />Something I see a lot, but which always gets left out of these discussions, is that the actions of player characters are not one hundred percent universally surprising.<br /><br />"Your players will surprise you," says every GM guide ever. Yeah, sure, they will. Once you've gamed with a player or a character a bit, though, you know pretty well what they're into and how they approach things. If I know you like delicious peanut butter, and I make a castle out of delicious peanut butter, well, then I know you're going to want that castle.<br /><br />If I were the Lord your God, well, that might raise troublesome questions of free will. As, however, the friend whose coffee table you're sitting at, I think it's okay.Rose Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16201318275929153053noreply@blogger.com