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Message: <blockquote data-quote="painandgreed" data-source="post: 3036595" data-attributes="member: 24969">Well, I see it mostly as a way of getting things done. In a game where the players are being competitive, I found it trouble to keep track of what each player was up to and what the others knew. So, I simply stated in this game of intrigue that after a certain point, all player knowledge is character knowledge. If you want things secret from the other characters, you have to keep it secret from the other players. This involved lots of taking players into other rooms to play out solo encounters. I was afraid that this would distract from the game, but found it really wasn't an issue as long as everybody got their turn and it let other players gossip about RL (and kept them from doing so during the game).In more recent games, it has been decided that they are not competitive* so it is a lot less of an issue. The players are good about policing themselves and respecting other players wishes if they state that they are trying to keep secrets from other players. Other than that, it boils down to common sence. Obviously, a player can't act on knowledge they can't possibly know such as what another player is currently doing on the other side of town. What the other character did on other side of town might become charater knowledge if a reasonable amount of game time passes, the original player didn't make an issue at the time that they were keeping their actions secret, and doesn't object if another player uses that knowledge. Even then, if the character was serious about keeping such knowledge secret from other characters, then the player has to put in the effort to keep it secret from other players. Then there is no dispute as to what each character knows. For that matter, I think it really does make for a better game of intrigue if secrets are actually kept secret. That allows player who make leaps of logic to make them and act on them. Sometimes they are right, sometimes they are wrong, but at all times, they can be considered the characters thoughts and actions without dispute of what is player or character knowledge.*Due to such issues, I usually begin any game I run by asking if the PCs want a competive or non-competitive game. It's usually a non-competive game and thus PCs don't have to worry about being killed by other PCs and can accept new PCs into the party without trying to roll play or even worry about their reasons for trusting this previously unkown person. It is meta-gaming that simply helps the game progress and gets rid of senceless interparty BS. If nothing else, it makes sure that all players are working on the same assumptions, because when one player is looking to screw everybody else because that's what his character would do and another is thinking he can be trusted because they are a PC, it can lead to issues.</blockquote>

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