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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 7579465" data-attributes="member: 82106">A few problems arise:First we have the known knowns, that's easy, the PC knows it, and the players know that the PC knows it, like 'how to swing a sword'. Even then the player probably doesn't know the thing itself, so we run into the problem of being able to describe doing it, or even exactly what the results are. Still, no meta-gaming seems to arise here.Second we have the known unknowns, this is fairly easy in the sense of we just don't know, the PC and the player will find out through play, dungeon exploration at work.Third we have the unknown knowns, and this seems to be where we are stuck now, which is that we don't even know that there is something for the character TO know, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know it, just that the player (and maybe the GM) are ignorant of the existence of such a fact. This would be where "does the player know about the town?" arise.Then we have the unknown unknowns, most everything falls into this category, nobody even knows the knowledge exists. Since the world is so 'thin' in description this is most stuff. In any of those cases the player might have the knowledge, and/or the PC might, but given that we don't generally know what PCs do or do not know, as general facts, you can never rule out, nor can a player be accused of meta-gaming, for trying to establish some sort of knowledge. To reduce this to concrete, if my PC meets a troll, and I know to fight trolls with fire, why is it unfair for me to assume my PC has this knowledge? Why is it fair for me to assume he does not? This is arbitrary. Not only is it arbitrary, but it is a situation rife with bias, the player wants his character to know and act, the GM may not! What is better about one vs the other having the authority here?This is why I think a lot of narrative focus games have it good, this sort of question doesn't really arise in the same way. The focus isn't on imagining that a certain character exists in a certain way that is deemed 'the proper way', but instead on telling a story. If it is an interesting story for the PC to fight the troll with fire, then he does, and it works. If not, well, maybe it doesn't work, or maybe he just doesn't do it because the player isn't trying to 'win', he's trying to participate in a drama about what happens. Thus in DW this kind of thing wouldn't be an issue, for instance.</blockquote>

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