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<blockquote data-quote="HJFudge" data-source="post: 7624121" data-attributes="member: 6997593"><p>What?</p><p></p><p>Of course players are allowed to consider your word choice. That is the primary tool that is used to communicate the game environment. It is not metagaming. You, the DM, are describing the scene to the players so that the players may make choices and react to the scene in character. Asking them to ignore what you tell them and not consider why you decided to describe the Spike Demon as friendly as opposed to threatening is nonsense of the highest order.</p><p></p><p>You, the DM, choose the words and tone to best help the players act within your world. Not in the way you want them to, but in the way THEY want to. And in order for them to be able to make proper decisions, they need to have accurate information presented to them. Yes, even if the 'accurate information' is the lie the NPC is telling them, it needs to be presented in such a way that either seems believable, if the NPC is good at lying, or in a way that is pretty obviously a lie, if the NPC sucks at lying. </p><p></p><p>By using a constant neutral tone and giving 'just the facts', you are actually depriving your players of freedom and choice and ability. You are hindering their game, handicapping them in a way that is just...well, it's adversarial DMing. </p><p></p><p>It's not metagaming. It's responding to the scene you are setting as their character would.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="HJFudge, post: 7624121, member: 6997593"] What? Of course players are allowed to consider your word choice. That is the primary tool that is used to communicate the game environment. It is not metagaming. You, the DM, are describing the scene to the players so that the players may make choices and react to the scene in character. Asking them to ignore what you tell them and not consider why you decided to describe the Spike Demon as friendly as opposed to threatening is nonsense of the highest order. You, the DM, choose the words and tone to best help the players act within your world. Not in the way you want them to, but in the way THEY want to. And in order for them to be able to make proper decisions, they need to have accurate information presented to them. Yes, even if the 'accurate information' is the lie the NPC is telling them, it needs to be presented in such a way that either seems believable, if the NPC is good at lying, or in a way that is pretty obviously a lie, if the NPC sucks at lying. By using a constant neutral tone and giving 'just the facts', you are actually depriving your players of freedom and choice and ability. You are hindering their game, handicapping them in a way that is just...well, it's adversarial DMing. It's not metagaming. It's responding to the scene you are setting as their character would. [/QUOTE]
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