Quote from AEDorsay >>

Nah, they wreck everything. Point of pride.

It does help that I have table rules for the use of Hero Points and Inspiration, include renown and piety, and that all of it has a real impact.

Of course, it also means I get stuff like the Barb leaping off the keep wall into a pack of wolves while the Rogue is tearing through the keep looking for the coffin, and the Cleric is watching the mage trade spells with the Vamp (simplified example of real events) -- they have no problem splitting up and driving me mad trying to keep it all straight.

On the other hand, they always bring "sunlight" spells with them now, Just in case, you know.

Those Zero Sessions are how we do character creation -- as a group. Also how we avoid the railroading factor in getting them all together: we do a single session of pure role playing where they have to figure out how they all meet. Then at the start of the first session there is a time jump, and they start wherever I dump them with whatever flimsy ass reason I give them for why they are there.

Next campaign starts in the middle of a sand sea.

 

I wasn't implying railroading was actually occuring. I was just implying that they will claim railroading when it's just setting up a situation that's either morally "unpleasant" or no real "win". 

Life's just kind of like that and it's not forcing the truly awful, it's just your players/characters deal with "suck" and them wanting an appeal to authority because they like being superheroes. 

I like those situations though, because it grounds things a bit, it gives something to reflect on, possibly character development and so on... 

It's not a play style I find many want though...

This was also known as running "Monty Hall campaigns" for you younglings! Us older folks will get the reference...