D&D 5E How to deal with Metagaming as a player?

[Lanliss]

It's a case of squares and rectangles.

In this case, any time you decide to do something in-character because of something you only know about out-of-character is a rectangle.

But only times where you decide to do something in-character because the thing you know about out-of-character is specifically that you are playing a game is a square.

So while things like assuming a monster you encounter is within your character' capabilities to defeat because the DM chose to put it there are metagaming, things like punishing your character for stuff you/your character did are not.

The character yelling "Have you killed the old man yet?" Is metagaming . The character did not know anything about an old man.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

The character yelling "Have you killed the old man yet?" Is metagaming . The character did not know anything about an old man.

One need not know of an old man to yell out a sentence referring to an old man. And it's not something that requires the player to be thinking of the game as a game, either, so it isn't metagaming - even though it is, in this particular case but not necessarily all others, a jerk move.

 

[Caliban]

One need not know of an old man to yell out a sentence referring to an old man. And it's not something that requires the player to be thinking of the game as a game, either, so it isn't metagaming - even though it is, in this particular case but not necessarily all others, a jerk move.

This has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever read.

*Moderator Note*
I addressed this post more than a week ago. You can stop reporting it now, folks.
-Darkness

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

I am shocked by how it seems that the longer a user has been a part of this forum, the less familiar they are with this forum's rules.

 

[dco]

He is not metagaming? Ok, he is roleplaying a god or a madman, good to know.

OP, A friend of mine when he was young played that way with his friends, it was the Vampire Masquerade, all vampires with their all agendas fighting between them, they had some fun but that thing couldn't last and didn't last. I see 3 option, play their way, metagame and steal/kill them, try to change things speaking with the players, search a better roleplaying experience with another group.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Are you sure that other players are the problem? This is not meant to be snarky or to be a dig. Maybe the other players don't want to play in a game with someone who attempts to go over on their own, get distracted by an opportunity to screw over and steal from helpful NPCs. I'm not judging how you play your character or how they play theirs.

But it seems obvious that there is a disconnect between you and the other players, and perhaps the DM as well. Maybe his "there is not much I can do about it" is his passive aggressive way of saying he doesn't want to do anything about it--that he agrees with the other players' actions to get you "on track."

Either way, whether the other players are "ganging up on you" unfairly, or whether you are playing in a way that bothers them, you all need to clear the air. It may be that you will all be happier if you just roll up a different character. Or, as others have said, you may be happier in another group.

So, yes, confront the issue head on. Respectfully but assertively bring up the issue at the start of the next session or at least send out an e-mail before hand (these things are best addressed in person, I believe, but some people may object to delaying the game session to address the issue). Just make sure you go into this with a willingness to look at yourself. It may be helpful, to keep them from getting too defensive to simply say:

"Hey guys, I've not been having fun the past few session. I feel like my character is being ganged up on by my own party. Is there something about my character or the way that I'm playing that you don't like? I'm willing to roll up a new character. Let's discuss and make sure we are all on board with the kind of game we want to play."

Yeah, this.

As the Angry DM says, problems with so-called "metagaming" is usually a sign that not everybody at the table is in agreement about what constitutes "fun".

 

[cbwjm]

One need not know of an old man to yell out a sentence referring to an old man. And it's not something that requires the player to be thinking of the game as a game, either, so it isn't metagaming - even though it is, in this particular case but not necessarily all others, a jerk move.

This is weird reasoning. It is clearly a case of metagaming, the player knew about the old man, their character didn't. All their character knew was that the rogue was off collecting firewood, unless we're missing part of the story where they went looking for the rogue, then the character had absolutely no reason to shout out asking if they'd killed the old man.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

This is weird reasoning. It is clearly a case of metagaming, the player knew about the old man, their character didn't. All their character knew was that the rogue was off collecting firewood, unless we're missing part of the story where they went looking for the rogue, then the character had absolutely no reason to shout out asking if they'd killed the old man.

I was basing my response off what the OP said, in this case, this bit is the relevant one (bold added for emphasis):

"They spot me from a distance, talking with a hooded figure. There is no way of them knowing who he is or how he looks.
Then one of them shouts, "Did you kill the old man yet?"."

The player having the character shout about the old man is clearly doing so to grief the player of the rogue, which is a jerk move - but that doesn't make it metagaming.

 

[cbwjm]

I was basing my response off what the OP said, in this case, this bit is the relevant one (bold added for emphasis):

"They spot me from a distance, talking with a hooded figure. There is no way of them knowing who he is or how he looks.
Then one of them shouts, "Did you kill the old man yet?"."

The player having the character shout about the old man is clearly doing so to grief the player of the rogue, which is a jerk move - but that doesn't make it metagaming.

Well all right then, clearly I missed that bit. Then the only metagaming is that they couldn't have known it was an old man as you said. It's minor metagaming, they knew they were talking to someone, I suppose they somehow guessed it was an old man.

 

[Ancalagon]

Then one of them shouts, "Did you kill the old man yet?". We end up fighting him and I'm falling unconscious. The old man was a leper and after the fight one of my companions intentionally threw his body over me and looted me not checking if I was dead or alive.

After that I wake up and try to find a cure or something. I end up in a small village and I'm trying to raise money to find a cleric and heal me from leprosy.

Did the player who threw the body on you caught leprosy as well? Because otherwise, it sounds like the players *and* the GM are messing with you.

edit: Leprosy takes weeks to appear, if not months.