Hey all, was wondering if anyone had any experience running Harlequin's Back. Reading through it makes it sound like a railroad that punishes the players if they don't follow it. Was curious if it actually plays that way. Thoughts?

Yes it does, it's also fairly tough. It all depends on your group, if they tend to go along with the plot you should be fine, if they don't like rails and try to break the plot it's not gonna be pretty.

You know it's so funny to hear people go about railroading and mary sues. You do realize this was the norm for many many years?
A good GM makes due with what he's given I mean every group is different if you can't think on your feet and make a story your own...the players will eat you alive.

Now get off my lawn.

Not saying it wasn't the norm, just calling it like it is. It is railroady and it is tough almost Gygaxian. Really it's all about the gm and players like anything else.

I gotta say new games kinda spoiled me when I go back and play old ones. Especially open world games like Vanguard where if you can see it you can get there. I mean yeah I had fun with frogger back in the day, but there's really no comparision. Rpgs in my mind are the same. Sure it was fun to run through the old modules even if some were kinda traumatic, but when the gm says "Here's the world what do you want to do?" it's freaking magic.

I have to agree I freeform 99% of my games and have learned to fly by the seat of my pants pretty well so I don't sweat some speed bumps. Admitedly going back through my boxes of stuff.....there is some really dated material there. lol

Well if you go on a Metaplane Quest you have to expect to not being able to get off the rails.

IIRC one of the adventures calls for an extra collection of Lifestyle costs if the players don't set up a meet with the Johnson.

Actually, I think that's the distinction here—it is reasonable, if not necessarily fun, for fate to have dragged you along on a mission you didn't choose. It is not reasonable for your bills to come due early because you didn't take a job.

On those grounds, I would argue that it is not railroading, or that if it is that there's a distinction that needs to be made. It's a very choice-constrained environment, but the constraint is not gratuitous ("all the roads are closed", or even worse "no, you don't leave town.").

~J