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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 6077227" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Issue 305: March 2003part 8/9DM's Toolbox: Time for another discussion about the benefits and problems to metagaming. A certain amount of it makes things run so much smoother, especially when players make decisions based on what would be good for the story, rather than their own characters. But the wrong sort can break the verisimilitude of the world, especially if their character uses information they couldn't possibly have. In such circumstances, you may have to engage in similarly metagame methods to encourage what you want and nip what you don't in the bud. The first option should always be to talk about the problem openly, but if that fails, they do suggest other tricks you can try to make them behave. The best idea, as usual, is to combine the carrot and the stick, making sure you reward good as well as punish bad. And if they find magical ways to pass on information at a distance IC, just let them, as it will save a fair amount of hassle in the long run. This once again seems like pretty solid advice. You can't stay completely immersed in character all the time, so it's better to prepare for those moments when you're not. Dungeoncraft: Monte's next bit of citybuiding advice has us considering what reason the city has to exist in world. There are very good reasons why one settlement remains tiny, while another bloats to hold millions and experiences daily traffic jams as everyone tries to get from A to B and back again each day. What's the terrain and weather like, what resources are there to exploit, how high is the tech level, etc etc. The order of the questions is such that knowing the answer to the previous ones should make answering the later ones easier. After all, technology is shaped by resources, and layout is very dependent on the transportation technology and building materials. Sort out the big questions, and then move onto filling in smaller details, if you have the time. Once again, good organisation helps you get the most practical use out of your creativity. If you do things in the right order, you don't waste so much time running back and forth fixing problems you inadvertently created yourself.</blockquote>

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