In Search of a Railroad (1 of 2 on Railroading) Travis Joseph Rodgers Evidently, one of the worst things that can happen in an RPG is railroading. It sounds terrible, at least, to hear from many who discuss the topic on Twitter’s #rpg or #ttrpg tags. So, consider this brief essay an exercise in conceptual analysis. I’m simply attempting to understand what railroading is, such that it is objectionable. The RPG Theory Review blog has the following to say: Railroading only takes place when player actions are prevented from having any effect on the flow of events . Stack Exchange diagnoses the central wrong of Railroading: It's generally frowned upon, because it disrupts the free-will oriented nature of roleplaying . The Angry GM agrees: Railroading used to refer to the GM forcing the players on a predetermined path through a story . Even TV Tropes.Org chimes in: In short, the GM takes any measure necessary to ensure there is only one direction the campaig