When the news broke last year that the Dark Sun Campaign Setting would be finally brought back to life in 4th Edition, I thought it was a brilliant move. I remember many years ago cracking open the Dark Sun box set for the first time and flipping through the accompanying sample adventure -- it literally flipped open from the top and was free standing so that on one side the players would see the accompanying art and on the other, the DM had the adventure notes. I was so enthralled with the new setting, I even skipped a few classes the next day to run some of my high school buddies through the starter adventure. (Shhh, don't tell!) I loved the world of Athas, and so did my players, even if all of their characters died in the first few encounters ...

Last week we discussed how to use modular encounters to be able to quickly adapt to different paths the players take and avoid making the players feel like they are boxed in. Building encounters that can be easily dropped into the game at any point is one of my go-to techniques, but in and of itself it only gives the illusion of control to the players. This week, I'll discuss another very easy to use technique to help you "avoid railroads," and give your players even more control over the direction the story takes ...

Do you remember that advice our parents use to give us about not playing near railroads when we were kids? Sage advice that is just as true in gaming as it is in the real world. In case you've never heard this term before, let me quickly explain what I'm talking about. Quite simply, railroading is when you as the Game Master force the players along a single track, allowing them no meaningful choices and providing only one route to success. If the players decide to go any other direction than the one along the railroad tracks, the entire adventure can become derailed. I've been in games like this, and they are not fun in the least ...

I was recently having a conversation with some of my gaming buddies that strayed onto the topic of how Wizards of the Coast could really help build up their player base. While we were talking specifically about the Dungeons & Dragons brand, I think the discussion can really be broadened to the RPG gaming industry as a whole. Cal Moore, an editor over at Wizards, brought up a really excellent point. The single biggest limiting factor to getting into the hobby is the availability of Game Masters. No matter how interested you might be in playing the game, if you can't find someone to run it, you're stuck. And, from my own experience, finding a good GM can be especially difficult. Cal's solution was a logical one -- build up the next generation of DMs. More DMs equals more access for players to get in a game. I think he has it exactly right, and it is with that in mind that I kick off P&PG's Ask-a-GM column ...