If you don't like "Railroading", think instead about tour guides, or theme park rides. 

Is this a form of manipulation?

Definitely. So it should be done by consent. “Guys, I’m going to be using all sorts of subtle techniques to help guide the story, a bit like a director, but only on occasions when I think a specific direction will be more entertaining to all of us. If you trust me to do what's best for our game - which is what most players trust their GMs to do anyway, and see every other episode we did on details of why and how - then everything will be great.”

The point of this (5:17)

Encouraging players to make a specific choice, without imposing the choice on them.

Brute force railroading (6:40)

AKA: Fast Forward, cutscene, Walkthrough or Statement

Setting the scene. 

Negative reinforcement (9:30) 

Positive reinforcement (10:45)

Consultation / delay (11:25)

Consult the rule books. Try to remember/pretend to try and remember a specific detail.

Schrodinger's Dungeon (14:30)

Extra Credit, the illusion of choice

RailRolling (18:45)

Guiding questions (20:50)

Priming

Specificity, giving extra details (26:10)

The law of conservation of details

The player’s perspective (28:25)

Don’t be a cynic.

Taking the load off (33:05)

Uri: “Have I added to the sum of goodness in the world”?

Eran: Savage World's 50 Fathoms: arrived at a city, didn’t want to spend 3 weeks, so let’s take the tension off and let them feel relieved.

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