My PJ Lifestyle article on railroading DMs is up.

Found here. Short version: I assume that people are yelling at me in the comments there again… heh. Apparently not.

Moe Lane

PS: Pennsic continues to relax me. Did have a moment today where a guy dating my cousin-in-law (or whatever the term is) asked me how I balanced gaming and politics. He was interested to hear that there are a surprising amount of quiet gamers and other geeks in politics. Which there are.

But enough about that.  Serious sack time awaits me.

8 thoughts on “My PJ Lifestyle article on railroading DMs is up.”

  2. Heh. I run sandbox games, and I’ve still been accused of railroading.
    Evidently because if you duck every plot hook offered, never take a stand for anything, and always take the path of least resistance, you should get a happy ending!
    The last session was truly sad.
    Admittedly, I greased the rails by having several plots come to a head at once, and set up the scenario so that every refusal to make a decision made things worse.
    They did exactly as expected, and died pathetic deaths. Crushed by events they they could have easily forestalled or mastered.
    Which evidently makes me a sadistic monster. The rants about the “unfairness” were epic.

  3. The comments appear to be broken over at PJM/Lifestyles.

    And yes, while it is annoying when you plan for everything except the one thing that you did NOT plan for, you can’t be a dick about it. If the situation necessitates it, have a random encounter or three that nudges in the right direction. Being able to think on your feet is essential to be an effective GM.

    1. Also, someone who is willing to take things off onto a rabbit trail, is actively adding to the game, and is invested in the story.
      .
      Last game I played, rather than ran, I handed the GM a whirlwind romance, declared a familial relationship/history with a minor but plot-centric villain, tracking down and raiding an internment camp where the government was secretly holding metahumans and exposed it to the world, and other assorted hi-jinks.
      The GM loved me. I made his life easy. I threw him nearly as many plot hooks as he threw me.

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