D&D General "When I DM I do my Best to Curb Players Meta-Gaming or Using Out-of-Character Knowledge." (a poll)

[GMforPowergamers]

I routinely re-skin monsters to discourage this.

i do that more for ease of prep time and ease of quick kit bashing when my players pull a left turn out of no where

 

[Mannahnin]

I answered false.

We do occasionally ask folks not to act on info their character couldn't possibly know (like what's happening in another room while the party is split), but as a rule I've found that the less you try to police metagaming (use of rules knowledge or whatever) the less stressful the game is. If I'm worried about the players knowing monster stats I can easily change those and/or the descriptions of the monsters.

 

[Mannahnin]

It's also rarely a real problem, though, in my experience, and I don't really fault the player who remembers that X monster is weak to fire from a previous campaign, even though, if we micro-analyzed their PC, their PC probably wouldn't know that. I have met DMs who would try to insist on that micro-analysis though (in such campaigns you better believe I'm going to play some kind of loremaster Bard and justify the hell out of knowing stuff though!).

Yup. I'm playing in a game with a first-time DM right now, and I chose to play a wizard. The DM's actually happy when I know stuff about monsters and can communicate things in character to the other PCs. We've leveraged my knowledge to enhance the game rather than detract from it.

 

[overgeeked]

Yup. I'm playing in a game with a first-time DM right now, and I chose to play a wizard. The DM's actually happy when I know stuff about monsters and can communicate things in character to the other PCs. We've leveraged my knowledge to enhance the game rather than detract from it.

That's cool. Good job helping the new DM. I wouldn't mind a bit of metagaming on occasion if it wasn't almost always used to get around, minimize, or overcome obstacles. The game's already dead simple and laughably easy, maybe don't actively try to make it pointless, too.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Not my best. I just ask how they know that and if they can half-ass a justification, we're guchi

 

[Mannahnin]

That's cool. Good job helping the new DM. I wouldn't mind a bit of metagaming on occasion if it wasn't almost always used to get around, minimize, or overcome obstacles. The game's already dead simple and laughably easy, maybe don't actively try to make it pointless, too.

Oh no. My character happened to be tail end Charlie in us poking around a cave complex at one point, and the DM went into one on one chat over Roll20 when I got attacked and snatched up by a Grell. I kept my mouth studiously shut when we went back to the full group chat while they poked around before realizing I was missing. Nearly died there!

I haven't found the campaign to be laughably easy, tbh, but that may be based on the particular campaign (RotFM) and my group.

 

[overgeeked]

Oh no. My character happened to be tail end Charlie in us poking around a cave complex at one point, and the DM went into one on one chat over Roll20 when I got attacked and snatched up by a Grell. I kept my mouth studiously shut when we went back to the full group chat while they poked around before realizing I was missing. Nearly died there!

That's great. I wish I could find players who were more interested in roleplaying than winning.

I haven't found the campaign to be that laughably easy, tbh, but that may be based on the particular campaign (RotFM) and my group.

I'm going from my experiences with the game and the default assumptions. That's laughably easy. I haven't played or run that campaign, so here's to hoping it's fun.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Yup. I'm playing in a game with a first-time DM right now, and I chose to play a wizard. The DM's actually happy when I know stuff about monsters and can communicate things in character to the other PCs. We've leveraged my knowledge to enhance the game rather than detract from it.

we are a table of DMs... we remind each other all the time "Don't forget that monster has regen" or "Um you can counter spell" or the one that hurts the worst when I have to say it right after a failed save against my or a team members spell "do you remember they have legendary resistence"

As a DM it has saved my monster a few times... as a PC I can think of a handful of times it made fights noticeable harder... and at least once I can remember a TPK (sort of 1 character got out)

 

[Mannahnin]

we are a table of DMs... we remind each other all the time "Don't forget that monster has regen" or "Um you can counter spell" or the one that hurts the worst when I have to say it right after a failed save against my or a team members spell "do you remember they have legendary resistence"

As a DM it has saved my monster a few times... as a PC I can think of a handful of times it made fights noticeable harder... and at least once I can remember a TPK (sort of 1 character got out)

Oh yeah, I'm usually kind of a "rules guy" for most of my groups. I'll try not to break the game flow or speak if the DM's got it under control, but I'll usually have the rule handy if someone's forgotten one, and I'll remind the DM or the other players if they're forgetting a modifier or condition or what have you. I'm scrupulous about doing it both when it helps or hinders "my side", though.

 

[Bupp]

I cover knowledge about monsters in my session zero. If WotC published it, and it exists on my world, characters could reasonably know details about them. I don't care if they pull up the stat block during a fight either (playing online there is no way to police this anyway).

That being said, I judiciously use 3PP and homebrew content. Not to thwart player vs character knowledge, but because I like to be different.