metagaming

[Bluehope]

The best example of metagaming comes with the dungeon environment, you will see how hard it is to avoid. If you finish say the crypt quest for the first time, you now understand the important points of the dungeon IC with that character and OOC. Now when you relog on your character who has never done the crypt you still have that OOC knowledge, but IC the character would be clueless. Now you have to RP like you've never experienced it, which puts a player in an odd situation. It just doesn't feel natural. Generally Hardcore RP servers outlaw metagaming, but it comes at the price of players constantly bickering about who should know what IC and a haughty attitude of those who feel superior at RP.

The rule does however allow people who never experienced a dungeon to have it feel like it's everyones first time. You won't have someone running around grabbing all the keys in a mad dash to the boss.

[Bluehope]

I almost forgot!

This is why the examining feature and hostile notification really make some server creators angry. If someone turns you hostile you gain that OOC knowledge and most people prepare accordingly. And as discussed earlier applications of "con'ing" a player with examine creates more side-effects. If the dev's were to implement optional removal of those two areas some creators might love it.

[A Wandering Monk]

A simple but unavoidable metagaming incident. The 1st character I made had a devil of a time finding the gaol I ran all over town 4 times and took forever.

My other character mysteriously found it very quickly.

This is 1 of those unavoidable uses of prior ingame knowledge but is technically metagaming.

[k9burn]

Some examples of metagaming:

Swapping your robe of acid resistance for a robe of fire resistance because you know the monster ahead is going to cast fire spells (although you could learn this after the first time and then plan accordingly).

Encountering a monster and then proceeding to cast the perfect spells to defeat said monster without ever encountering it before. Now, of course, this is debatable because your character could have enough Knowledge (Lore) to know ahead of time...but hey, we all know that lightning slows down an Iron Golem right?

Like Bluehope said, if you've been in a dungeon before, its kind of hard to do the 'wrong' thing, like step on traps or go the wrong way. Personally, I try to compromise. If I'm with some new people I do not want to take their enjoyment away from them so I let them make decisions and lead the group...this way they can discover it for themselves. If I'm running through a dungeon with veterans for the nth time, I'd rather go through the motions and have some conversational RP to spark up the mood rather than pretend I don't know where the key to the next door is and spend 5 hours looking for it

[Starkwold]

I think we can fairly distinguish acceptable forms of metagaming, and unacceptable forms of metagaming.

On the "acceptable" end of our proverbial metagaming spectrum: switching into your fire robe from your acid robe, because you know the next monster casts fire spells.

On the "unacceptable" end: Running up to a tiefling character (who is hiding their identity) and asking him how it feels to be a demon (after having read about it from his background story in Tales & Stories).

[ChikenKannon]

I think we can fairly distinguish acceptable forms of metagaming, and unacceptable forms of metagaming.

On the "acceptable" end of our proverbial metagaming spectrum: switching into your fire robe from your acid robe, because you know the next monster casts fire spells.

On the "unacceptable" end: Running up to a tiefling character (who is hiding their identity) and asking him how it feels to be a demon (after having read about it from his background story in Tales & Stories).

Thank you Falcon? But yeah what'd be cool is if the difficulty was based on obviously visible things.

Like Strength (His arms are wider than your legs), Dex (Nimble and never bumps into things), Constitution (He looks like he has the plague). Then it'll be grouped into, weaker than you, around your level, and he will eat your legs.

[ActivationX]

A good roundabout summary of Metagaming is bringing knowledge you know OOC (Out of character) into IC (In-Character)

A good way to prevent yourself or others from metagaming (Or pridegaming!) is this simple chart!

OOC = OOC

IC = IC

OOC + IC = Nono.

[Atharin]

That was the most shameless necro I have seen in a long time.

Sir, I commend you.

[Pristorn]

I've always seen metagaming as more of the number-crunching type of thing. In my opinion, a metagamer is a bad RPer, because they are simply striving to create the best warrior/mage/rogue/whatever possible and are using the rules and character creation to achieve that. The greatest examples of this I saw on Ol' Evercrack, where people would walk up to my character and offer OOC advice.

"You know, a dwarf would have been a better choice for a Paladin. They have stats that match better to the role."

My argument was always that I didn't want to play a dwarf Paladin. I wanted to play a human one, stats be damned. I've always enjoyed the thrill of character creation and the fleshing-out of the character. What are his motivations? Why does he act the way he does? What are his goals? flaws?

To me, a metagamer is someone who only plays because they want to be the best. They have no real conception of what RPing means, and are only in it for the best loot/stats/etc. possible. (This would also reason why many use OOC knowledge they shouldn't for IC concerns.)

Sure, a half-orc might not be the first choice for a cleric, but it'll make for some interesting RP. That's what I'm in it for, and I believe that's what makes me different from a metagamer.

Now where are my character sheets? I have a Kobold fighter to write up.

[Wyvern]

I've always seen thread-necromancy as meta-gaming.

And no one is allowed to reply to this thread until 2015.

[Wyvern]

You had better be posting from the fkn future, Wired....

[Krylan]

I understand it to be using knowledge that you the player knows, but your character could not, to gain an advantage for said character. An example would be me using my rogue to sneak into a private meeting, overhearing something, and then using the information he learned with another character who has nothing to do with the rogue. Where the water gets muddied, is that it is easy to come up with an RP excuse to justify it:

"Oh, I met this rogue in the tarvern last night. He got really drunk and he said that such-and-such said this, and did that."

Such a thing could happen, but between two of your own characters, it is bordering on metagaming.

And thats why NONE of my characters know each other, they're always in different places at different times

[Daimondheart]

Your time traveling is boggling my mind. But since the necroing has gone this far...

I've always seen metagaming as more of the number-crunching type of thing. In my opinion, a metagamer is a bad RPer, because they are simply striving to create the best warrior/mage/rogue/whatever possible and are using the rules and character creation to achieve that. The greatest examples of this I saw on Ol' Evercrack, where people would walk up to my character and offer OOC advice.

"You know, a dwarf would have been a better choice for a Paladin. They have stats that match better to the role."

My argument was always that I didn't want to play a dwarf Paladin. I wanted to play a human one, stats be damned. I've always enjoyed the thrill of character creation and the fleshing-out of the character. What are his motivations? Why does he act the way he does? What are his goals? flaws?

To me, a metagamer is someone who only plays because they want to be the best. They have no real conception of what RPing means, and are only in it for the best loot/stats/etc. possible. (This would also reason why many use OOC knowledge they shouldn't for IC concerns.)

Sure, a half-orc might not be the first choice for a cleric, but it'll make for some interesting RP. That's what I'm in it for, and I believe that's what makes me different from a metagamer.

Now where are my character sheets? I have a Kobold fighter to write up.

This I believe is actually an example of power gaming, or cheeze wizzing for any fellow old school RPers out there. It goes hand in hand with number crunching as well as inventing ridiculous powers and abilities for your character when you're role playing free form. I admit to succumbing to this when I first started RPing with my friend about 15-20 years ago... but give me a break! I was only 10 at the time. >.> I thought Spider Monkey Man was pretty awesome.

[Atharin]

We're almost there!

[Kell]

And no one is allowed to reply to this thread until 2015.

Soon...