It does rather depend on the scene. For plots, I don't tend to use rails. For scenes where the objective is to beat the enemy, I might give orders that lead the PCs up to the point where they are going to take on the enemy.
Recently in Penglai, I ran something where there were actually two groups of PCs, and that needed tight predefinition of possibilities, because I had to run two sets of scenes. I still did my best to leave it so there were multiple endings, though.
Some time before that, I also ran something where the PCs could only save one objective out of two. I don't know if that's railroading, because I wanted to take them to the point where they had to make that choice, and see them making it. It's probably the closest I've come.
In fact, while I'm in favour of what you term organic play, I work by deciding what the NPCs will do if the PCs do not interfere. It's subject to retconning if the PCs come up with an idea I like better, but it helps me to keep the NPCs as more than just cardboard juju. There is an implicit fact there; I have to let the PCs find out what the NPCs can or will do. There has to be a chance to stop it.
But sometimes there's overwhelming force, and the PCs aren't enough to overcome it. For example, there is no way right now that a PC can get to see the Emperor of Penglai. If you try I warn you that it's going to take years of careful diplomacy. If you try to pose around that? Well, good luck to you. But you're still not seeing the Emperor of Penglai. He's sacred. To me, that's not a railroad, although it is protectionism. It's a way of ensuring that the mysterious inscrutable foreign stays mysterious.
So what does that add up to? Well, I'm in favour of railroads like this one. They let you take many many choices, and you can walk if you want to, but at least I know in general where you are by the names of the stations.
Well said. And I agree that you can have rails to a point. It is that feeling of being meaningless that gets people.
Course, I've yet to see one of your plots that doesn't have people go "ooo, can I do this?" And you're sweet enough to pose my bad guys responses... which is totally awesome.
Recently in Penglai, I ran something where there were actually two groups of PCs, and that needed tight predefinition of possibilities, because I had to run two sets of scenes. I still did my best to leave it so there were multiple endings, though.
Some time before that, I also ran something where the PCs could only save one objective out of two. I don't know if that's railroading, because I wanted to take them to the point where they had to make that choice, and see them making it. It's probably the closest I've come.
In fact, while I'm in favour of what you term organic play, I work by deciding what the NPCs will do if the PCs do not interfere. It's subject to retconning if the PCs come up with an idea I like better, but it helps me to keep the NPCs as more than just cardboard juju. There is an implicit fact there; I have to let the PCs find out what the NPCs can or will do. There has to be a chance to stop it.
But sometimes there's overwhelming force, and the PCs aren't enough to overcome it. For example, there is no way right now that a PC can get to see the Emperor of Penglai. If you try I warn you that it's going to take years of careful diplomacy. If you try to pose around that? Well, good luck to you. But you're still not seeing the Emperor of Penglai. He's sacred. To me, that's not a railroad, although it is protectionism. It's a way of ensuring that the mysterious inscrutable foreign stays mysterious.
So what does that add up to? Well, I'm in favour of railroads like this one. They let you take many many choices, and you can walk if you want to, but at least I know in general where you are by the names of the stations.
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Course, I've yet to see one of your plots that doesn't have people go "ooo, can I do this?" And you're sweet enough to pose my bad guys responses... which is totally awesome.
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