What is a "Narrative Mechanic"?

[Crimson Longinus]

But a player asking other players for feedback on which spell should be cast is just as meta. The characters aren’t stopping to discuss the best course of action on their turn.

Ah, I see what you mean. Such conversations would obviously be highly unimmersive too. But in the game our characters literally were hiding and discussing what to do, but the mechanics forced the discussion to be weirdly meta rather than properly in character.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Ah, I see what you mean. Such conversations would obviously be highly unimmersive too. But in the game our characters literally were hiding and discussing what to do, but the mechanics forced the discussion to be weirdly meta rather than properly in character.

It may just be a matter of preference, overall. I don't find out of character discussion to ruin immersion for me. But, I also don't think that my BitD game have required the kind of discussion you're talking about. I'm sure it happened a bit, but I don't think it's a necessity.

I would expect it would become less so for your group as you guys get used to the game.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You just abstract it a bit.

The conversation between the players and the one between the characters (if there even is one) is different.

Is this all that different from a player in a D&D game saying something like “Should I cast Invisibility and sneak past this guy or try and charm person him?”

Yes, because those are options the PC has at the time, whereas what you're talking about are options the player has, so you can't have an in-character conversation in the present.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Yes, because those are options the PC has at the time, whereas what you're talking about are options the player has, so you can't have an in-character conversation in the present.

Sure you can!

"Good thing you thought to bring the climbing gear!"

 

[Micah Sweet]

Sure you can!

"Good thing you thought to bring the climbing gear!"

I'm not going to tell you how that sounds to me.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Sure you can!

"Good thing you thought to bring the climbing gear!"

More I like:

"Did you bring climbing gear?"

"Should I have?
I means, seriously guys, should I have?"

 

[hawkeyefan]

Just, like, use your imagination, guys.

 

[Fenris-77]

The characters in Blades have pretty identifiable specialties and their gear tends to line up with that specialty. Faced with an obstacle that leans directly into that specialty there usually won't even be a conversation - using gear is always better than stacking stress. If I were playing the spider in the example above and the group decided that climbing was the way to go I'd just check off the gear and describe unpacking it. As I mentioned above though, the conversation is always possible and it is a matter of experience, as it is in any game, to have that conversation whatever way best scaffolds table goals.

The particular case of quantum equipment in Blades is one that can veer sharply from solidly diegetic to very meta in feel depending on how the group is handling things. It's also not a feature that everyone will love or even like. Personally it doesn't bother me at all, but we all have our caveats and peccadillos at the table.

 

[Aldarc]

More I like:

"Did you bring climbing gear?"

"Should I have?
I means, seriously guys, should I have?"

“Did you bring climbing gear?”

“I can’t remember. Let me check my bag… Ah-ha! (Take on me…) Found some!”

 

[Aldarc]

Ah, I see what you mean. Such conversations would obviously be highly unimmersive too. But in the game our characters literally were hiding and discussing what to do, but the mechanics forced the discussion to be weirdly meta rather than properly in character.

I have no desire to invalidate your experience, but I will say that coming into games like Dungeon World or Blades in the Dark from D&D that my experience was almost the opposite. Out-of-character meta discussion of optimal strategies occurred far more frequently per session in my games of D&D than in Dungeon World or Blades in the Dark. If I had not been following the discussion, I would have personally assumed based on my own experiences with roleplaying that you were talking about D&D here and not Blades in the Dark!