When GMs do this, I think its because they want to implement what they consider ‘Cool’ in a given game. Its often related to depth of Story or ‘capturing that feel’ of a given source the GM is borrowing from.

Except that such elements should focus as background elements and as tools for players… not as Center stage pieces that the players aren’t allowed to touch for fear of breaking things.

Heck just look at the current thread of the Darth and Droids webcomic… this is pure ‘GMsturbation’ of the kind I don’t really appreciate.

The original books are very heavy christian, (Azlan = Jesus / Narnia = Heaven). The author wrote the character’s choices – Edward chooses Turkish delight / dark side / evil; Lucy and the others choose good, rescuing Azlan etc etc.

But they aren’t real choices, the story is set up and the characters developed explicitly so that the author enjoy his christian analogy.

As you note, GMs do this. Writing a plot that forces the characters into whatever analogy / film rip-off the GM is interested in.

But how as a GM do you fulfill your desire for an epic plot whilst allowing the players to make choices that might ruin your complete campaign?

The secret is small choices.

Lots of work on stress, especially in workplace stress, shows that even having a small amount of control over your environment greatly relieves stress. Your job may be crappy but as long as you can open the window when you want, you will be happy.

Players need to be able to make choices about the world their character lives in even if they are very small choices. The more the GM forces characters down a particular route, the greater the need for some choices somewhere in the game.

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Non-linear dungeons can indeed (and should, in my opinion) indeed be done! I suppose that the path picked through a dungeon could have a non-trivial impact on storyline… I never really thought about it that way…

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I haven’t used much published adventures – the one at the end of the DMG is the first one I used and I’ll most likely be running my adult players through the first one in Forgotten Realms. I’ve always improved everything on the spot.

I think I remember the DMG actually encouraging such use of published adventures – modify it heavily to fit your campaign world.

I always assumed it included “add world-changing consequences”.

I have already modified the adventure at the end of the DMG almost beyond recognition… and I expect (hope) to do the same with the one from Forgotten Realms…

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Its easier to do over the span of a campaign than within a single game – even for DM with railroading tendencies.

You first need to observe enough to figure out what choices were made during the session and ‘butterfly-effect’ them into the next play sessions.

Things like reputation are easy to implement. Religion-based characters can have dreams, nightmares or visions related to the actions taken (a classic).

You might have a faction of creatures that no one knew about pissed off that someone trespassed on their land give trouble to a nearby village.

If you think of your campaign as a living, breathing world in which the heroes are the proverbial “center of the universe”, pretty awesome things can come out of simple situations.

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For instance, in a linear quest such as Go to the Dungeon of Dread and recover the Amulet of Gloomblah, it helps that PCs:

a) Have multiple choices in regards to which NPC gets the amulet

b) Have to deal with Gygaxian Factions of Humanoids in the dungeon that they can work one against the other

c) Obtain sidequests of their choices.

Linear adventure, significant choices.

Peace out!

Role-playing should be collaborative story-telling where the GM sets the events in motion then lets the players run with the tale. Players tend to be able to tell when they’re being railroaded, and rally against it. Quite right too

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Good luck.

This is why we like Bloggers; they tell us things that we either don’t know, or should already know! I’m actually in the middle of pulling together what COULD be my first group in several years. I’ve been thinking about converting Keep on the Borderlands for the system I’m using, but I think I should implement some key changes, like giving it some freedom.

But I think this can be taken a babystep further. Make sure the choices are balanced out. (Most of the time) A party is going to “Save the World” rather than hit the “Nuke the World” button at the campaign climax. I think it’s a good idea to make sure the choices are balanced for the whole party.

Maybe there’s a path to the village that the enemy goblins are going to come in from, and you have the option of either blocking the path by dislodging boulders at the top, or to go to the canal and flood it when the goblins march through. If you flood the goblins, you’ll disrupt the villages agriculture cycle, and ensure a bad harvest. If you block the road and ambush them, it’ll take weeks to clear the path again, which would stop trade and pilgrimages to the local temple. The cleric might want to flood while the fighter might want to block the road.

It’s 3:20 A.M., I’m tired and rambly!

Thanks Chatty!
I agree with you completely on Avatar being awesome and J-RPGs being a monotonous railroad of “here’s some battles in your CGI movie.” (We need more Mass Effects!)