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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bagpuss" data-source="post: 457037" data-attributes="member: 3987">Most DM's use cut-scenes at some point.For example the party split up but you deal with both groups in turn at the table. Since they are likely to share the information they gain once they are together again, it saves time and is generally helpful. For each group the other groups activity is effectively like a cut-scene.If one group is attacked only some players might act on that Out of Character knowledge, this isn't a big problem. On occasion this metagaming in such a situation actually adds to the game. For example experienced players might realise when one group is in serious trouble and using that ooc knowledge decide IC it might be a good time to 'report in' with the other group. They happen to arrive in the 'just in the nick of time' to even the fight. Now we know there decision to go back to the other group was influenced by ooc knowledge, but for the Character it could just have happened to be a luckly coincedence they arrived when they were needed. It happens all the time in movies, books and even in real life, how often have had a friend call you just when you were going to call them?Metagaming is not always bad in my opinion. In the case above it saves the DM from killing half the party and makes for a fun and exciting game.Generally in a cut-scene its totally safe to do if the only information you reveal is something the players are likely to discover eventually anyway, or something they already know about.A good example is to have a cut scene of an advancing orc army coming through the mountain pass then, a little later in the game, have a look out come charging into the players village saying he's spotting a dust cloud approaching... this sort of foreshadowing adds to the pace and tension of the game without the worry of players acting on OOC knowledge.Other safe cut-scenes are ones where the players can have no opportunity to act on the OOC knowledge they gain. Having your major village torch a town hundreds of miles north of the party as his army advances south lets them know how evil he is and what is in store for their home if they don't do something about it. If you really need to justify it as IC knowledge refugees from the town could arrive before the advancing army with such knowledge. But you really don't need to have that scene with the refugees, since there a certain bits of knowledge the players are likely to hear about via the rumour mill.I've used them on a few occasions and never really had any trouble with metagaming.</blockquote>

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