Editor's Note: We apologize for the innuendo in the post's title. The author was adamant it stay as written.

I trust my table. Whether I am GMing or not, I only ever participate in TTRPGs where there is a high degree of mutual understanding and open communication between me and my interlocutors. We do Stars and Wishes religiously, and when I GM, I try my darndest to act on the information I get during that ritual.

All of this is preamble for my point: I like being railroaded. I enjoy being swept up in the GM's grand vision, and operating within the parameters they lay down. I want the world I am playing in to give me adventure-able hooks; I like it when there are quest-lines and missions and frameworks and pathways.

Of course, if I played in a different context - say, conventions, or organized play events - I might feel differently. But I don't! Nothing I write here should replace an open conversation between players and GMs; everyone should be upright and honest during their Session Zero about what sort of game the table is playing.

I won't fall into the narrative trap of defining "railroading" so narrowly as to make any counterpoints moot; nay, I welcome and expect discussion on this! What I mean by "railroading" here is an array of quests and scenes, set up by the GM, to challenge and excite the table, with relatively little directional agency resting with the players, but lots of sensory agency. [Ed. Note: did he really just link to himself? What a nerd.] We can contrast this with an open-world sandbox game, where the GM "plays the world," and doesn't create plots or quests or stories - they roll dice, play the NPCs, and use procedures to make the world feel "real."

A railroaded game has its downsides, of course, and isn't for everyone - especially every GM. This sort of play can place an undue burden on the GM during prep, and I do NOT mean to imply that only good GMs do this, and bad GMs don't. Not at all!

As a GM, I find this sort of prep easy: find a cool map, mix in some fun challenges (monsters or environments or whatever), sprinkle in Secrets & Clues - now you've got a session. I can improv from player choice if I've got these things in place. As a player, I like seeing what the GM brings to the table - and riffing off of it, leaning into it, embracing it. Also, I enjoy killing monsters and doing the heroic thing - or dying in my futile attempt.

A lot of GMs - this one included - worry themselves sick trying to avoid "railroading." It's a healthy thought at first (making sure players have meaningful choices!), but then it creeps in and destroys your ability to prep and burns you out. You cannot prep for every eventuality, so if the players do something you don't expect/haven't prepped, what now? Game over? Vomit on his sweater already?

I say: nay. As a player, I welcome your creativity, GM. I am excited to pick up what you're putting down, to smell what you're cooking, to dance in your line. To my fellow players, I say: lean in to the story the table is building. Do the thing! Pull the lever. Descend into the dungeon. Fight the balrog. Light the mansion on fire. Steal the jewels.

What's the alternative? Trying to provoke the GM into improvising something they aren't comfortable with or didn't prep? Subverting expectations because ... it's funny...? [Ed. Note: this is a snide paragraph. We've reprimanded the author accordingly.]

The Manifesto

Let's break down why Railroading is Good, Actually ™️ into an easy-to-parse set of principles / selling points, for GMs and for Players.

For Players

• GMs are players too, and their ideas are often great - just like yours
• There's reduced risk of "analysis paralysis," since you do what the world/GM is offering you
• You can focus your creative energy on embodying your character and sharing their inner life with the table - especially if you're playing a Destined Hero (or here)
• You can let your Decision Fatigue rest for the ~3 hours you're playing this game with your friends

For GMs

• You can spend your creative energy on fun, cool table moments you know will delight your friends
• You can prep for fewer eventualities; less of your prep is wasted
• You'll be surprised and excited by how your players deal with the challenges you throw at them, and the choices they make

A Caveat or Two

Finally, what good blog post would be complete without walking back some of its points?

• Not all games support this style. If you've already agreed at the table to play an open world sandbox, you can't switch to railroading without a conversation
• The trick with railroading effectively is to let the players have some control over the game: their PC's features, the flavor of it, in-character RP, etc. If you trample on those things too, you're probably going to have a bad time
• I like and play in games that are sandboxes and railroaded and everything in between. This isn't the only way I like to play.

There we have it, team! A railroader's manifesto. Now - who wants to take up the counterpoint?