Plot Railroading: How much?

[OldTrees1]

I don't ignore this ''intent matters'' Is ''if the players like it''. The players are the ONLY ones that care about ''intent''(aka what they like).

Your worst misrepresentation yet.

When someone says "GM Intent matters in determining if it was railroading or not", you have the audacity to pretend they said "If the players liked the outcome determines if it was a railroad or not".

It is almost like you are trying to confuse the reader as to where the GM and Players brains are located. GM Intent is located in the GM's brain and not located in the Players' brains.

Railroading is when the DM decides to railroad the players into only having the DM's pet solution(s) as an allowed solution and invalidates other otherwise valid solutions merely because they are not the DM's pet solution(s). Notice the definition includes both GM Action & GM MOTIVE but not anything on the Player side.

Railroading =/= The players distrusting the DM enough to call out "railroad!". That is a separate issue (that also frequently occurs at Jerk DMing tables like your own).