D&D 5E DMs: How Do You Handle Metagaming?

[Boarstorm]

If a vital adventure clue is "that staff was carved and enchanted by the former imperial inquisitor herself," I'll give that clue to anyone trained in Arcana or History who asks. No roll needed, so no worries about metagaming.

I make them roll, then tell them anyway regardless of the outcome of the dice. That way, they're always wondering how much more they might have learned.

I feel like the impression of imperfect information, even if its a false impression, adds something to games. I could be wrong.

 

[Joe Liker]

most people in our world had never heard of a lion before globalization brought on by technology. Even today, i bet there are people in less developed countries who don't know what alligators or electric eels are. It's not unreasonable to assume that an adventurer might have knowledge like this, but it should just be given away without a roll.

I have to disagree with your statement about lion-knowledge. They are mentioned over a hundred times in the Bible, and even before the printed Bible, Christian oral tradition spread familiarity with the beast far and wide across Europe. Lions appear on crests and coats-of-arms all over the place, dating back long before anything resembling modern technology. In short, you vastly underestimate the power of oral tradition.

In the case of the electric eel or, say, the playpus, those are creatures from faraway lands. In D&D terms, they are more the equivalent of something like a couatl.

I assume the trolls in your campaign haven't been suddenly imported to the party's environs from halfway around the world. In most campaigns I've experienced, the trolls plaguing the nearby mountains have been doing so for quite some time. Even though few people have actually seen one, most people know they are there and what they are capable of, which is why no one goes into the mountains without a very compelling reason.

I'm not saying the PCs should automatically know every detail about every monster. But the example given in this thread, the troll, is not nearly exotic enough to require any sort of knowledge check IMO, unless it truly is a world where absolutely no one has ever seen one, and even the bards know no tales of hero-vs-troll derring-do.

 

[Haval]

Problem is, said oral traditions say nothing about lion's looks or habits (except that it is apparently a massive beast capable of mauling and eating several unarmed men at once), and heraldic lions don't really look much like the real deal in many cases, except the colour maybe. If a common militiaman from 13-14 century would suddenly encounter a lion on a forest road, would he recognize it as such?
Likewise, in D&D reality an unexperienced fighter on encounter with a massive beast wouldn't necessarily put it as a troll, or an ogre, or maybe a hill giant? Sorry, too busy soiling undies.

 

[Lerysh]

No adventurer, first level or otherwise, is going to soil himself in the presence of danger. They are heroes after all.

In simplest terms, the game flows much better if the heroes know how to defeat the bad guys. Weather that's meta knowledge or in game knowledge is somewhat immaterial. You can fabricate reasons for in game knowledge of any meta knowledge you like really.

 

[Nebulous]

I make them roll, then tell them anyway regardless of the outcome of the dice. That way, they're always wondering how much more they might have learned.

I feel like the impression of imperfect information, even if its a false impression, adds something to games. I could be wrong.

Sometimes I wonder how much of this game could actually be played completely without dice. Because I do this too, they get what they need to know to move the story forward, regardless of the dice.

Edit: here's where i use dice: the player says "oh, that wall looks suspicious, i'll check it for a secret door." If they roll high, sure, i let them find a secret door and just make up something hidden behind it. Makes them feel good, and it's fun to invent things on a whim.

 

[Boarstorm]

Likewise, in D&D reality an unexperienced fighter on encounter with a massive beast wouldn't necessarily put it as a troll, or an ogre, or maybe a hill giant? Sorry, too busy soiling undies.

I dunno about you guys, but I can absolutely analyze evidence whilst I soil my undies.

Kidding aside, welcome to the boards, [MENTION=6785051]Haval[/MENTION].

 

[Astrosicebear]

It's not theatre of the mind to expect them to watch the on-going game and have their spell range/area of effect prepared for their turn.

I didnt take your initial comment as a time-saving gripe, but took it as you didnt like them using the hex map to strategize.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

No adventurer, first level or otherwise, is going to soil himself in the presence of danger. They are heroes after all.

Depends on the game.

 

[Greg K]

Depends on the game.

Yep. Have the first level character encounter an ancient red dragon while traversing the wilderness.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Yep. Have the first level character encounter an ancient red dragon while traversing the wilderness.

And just the tone of the campaign, for some 1st level PC's are already heroes to some they are fresh off apprenticeship or from the fields.

And the ancient red will probably make most hardened adventurers rethink their choice of profession for a few.