Lousy Poker Face?

[Umbran]

You could try the mind-bogglingly simple approach of asking her to please not abuse the privilege. Or is that too rational between a husband and wife?

You could require them to rotate the question-asking role.

You could, as others have suggested, adopt an overkill expression to mask your tells. Giggle maniacally when they use her information to help make a decision.

Or, just let them have the benefit, but make the problems more difficult.

A variant on the above, an agreement between you and your wife - she may use her ability to read you, but only if she bribes you. As consenting, even married, adults, I'm sure you can figure out a bribe appropriate for her assets....

 

[Corathon]

Who's to say metagaming is wrong? I think the term gets bandied about too often.

Part of the challenge of an RPG is for the player, not the PC.

In the player's toolbox is stealing the GM's lucky 20-sider, sneaking a peek at his notes to see how many HP the bad guy has left, and knowing him well enough to deduce what he'll do next.

I agree about challenging the player as well as the character - but if I caught a player doing one of the 1st two things you mentioned above, I'd boot him from the game. Why would I let thieves and cheaters into my home?

I wouldn't complain if the players can read my facial expression, though. That seems quite different than stealing or cheating IMO. In that case I'd just try to hide or fake my facial expression.

 

[Stumblewyk]

You could try the mind-bogglingly simple approach of asking her to please not abuse the privilege. Or is that too rational between a husband and wife?

Certainly not! But that doesn't preclude me from trying to minimize the effect or opportunity she has to read me.

Please don't get me wrong - it's not like I gasped, acted shocked and appalled and then let the conversation drop. We talked, and I asked her not to do that, or to TRY to not let the rest of the party use her like some soothsaying gypsy (my apologies to any actual gypsies reading this). And to her credit, she agreed to try and curb the "activity". But people are people, and if she thinks I've tipped that Option A is a better choice than Option B, she can hardly be expected to operate against what she perceives to be her PC's best interests.

Even so, I like the bribery idea. Consenting adults, indeed.

 

[Oryan77]

I've perfected the "always grinning face" which works perfectly. It works so good that the players even screw themselves when they make a decision based on my smirk. Whenever they are discussing a situation among themselves, just smile. And always roll dice. I make it a habit to roll dice as often as a person might fidget. It has become my way of fidgeting. That way, they never know when I'm rolling for real, or rolling secretly.

The grinning thing is pretty funny though. It cracks me up when all the players turn just to look at my face to see if I give a reaction. My wife is the funniest about it. As long as they've known me, they still think that my smile means something and she'll be the one to look and say, "Look, he's smiling so he knows we are right!" That just makes me laugh and smile more. Even if they are right, I'll be sarcastic and say, "Go ahead. See what happens." Then I smile even more when they start doubting themselves, "Hmm, now he's trying to trick us."

 

[Infiniti2000]

Who's to say metagaming is wrong?

I say it. Metagaming is wrong. See? I said it again.

In the player's toolbox is stealing the GM's lucky 20-sider, sneaking a peek at his notes to see how many HP the bad guy has left, ...

This is terrible advice. For all the players out there reading this, don't listen to Janx. You'll get yourself booted from any decent game.

 

[Janx]

I say it. Metagaming is wrong. See? I said it again.

This is terrible advice. For all the players out there reading this, don't listen to Janx. You'll get yourself booted from any decent game.

I think you are over-reacting to what was intended as impractical options. They may not be tools you would or should use, but they exist and are ever available to you.

Though for the record, me and my friends get by just fine stealing our GM's lucky d20 and peaking at his notes with nary a crack in our 30 year friendship and 20 years of gaming.

It's about knowing what to take seriously and what not to.

 

[Stumblewyk]

Though for the record, me and my friends get by just fine stealing our GM's lucky d20 and peaking at his notes with nary a crack in our 30 year friendship and 20 years of gaming.

Yep. In all honesty, my players know I have a d20 that I brag about it rolling a disproportionate number of crits when I DM. If I emptied out my dice bag and couldn't find it some session, I'd laugh it off, and then fully expect whoever the culprit was to hand it over at the end of the night. At which point I'd halve their XP for the session.

RE: peeking at the notes, they've done that too, but only in the "He's got a huge mini behind the screen, guys!", and "Don't worry, I saw the map - there's only one exit from the next room!" kind of ways.

What Janx suggested is more about knowing your audience than it is about trying to pull one over on your GM, IMO. Would I, or one of my players try any of those kinds of tricks with a new group or GM? Oh, hell no.

 

[Umbran]

I say it. Metagaming is wrong. See? I said it again.

Well, that it was said doesn't make it universally correct.

Metagaming is the use of out-of-game information or resources to impact the game. And, despite your assertion, it isn't always wrong. "Out-of-game information," also includes the fact that you're playing a game, and there are other people at the table. Sometimes it is very good to use that information to inform in-game decisions.

If, for example, you're an assertive person, and you've got some new, less-assertive players at the table, holding back a little so they can get a word in edgewise (in other words, "sharing spotlight time") is metagaming. Staying within genre is typically metagaming. Recognizing that it is going on 11 PM, and most of the other players have to work tomorrow so maybe you should wrap things up is metagaming.

Not all these things are "wrong", so metagaming is not always wrong. It is only wrong when it breaks the (explicit or implicit) agreements among the people at the table.

 

[Janx]

What Janx suggested is more about knowing your audience than it is about trying to pull one over on your GM, IMO. Would I, or one of my players try any of those kinds of tricks with a new group or GM? Oh, hell no.

Absolutely. We're just yanking his chain. He usually notices his d20 is gone the next time he needs it. And he gets it back with the reminder that we're tired of him rolling fricking 20s all the time.

Note peeking takes place right in front of him while sitting next to him. It usually occurs on the 10th round of combat when the monster hasn't died yet. One player has gotten to where he can guess the HP left by watching the GM's hand movement as he writes the new total down.

It's also worth noting, we're Minnesotans. We only have two feelings: Hungry and Hot. Thus we are not saddled by the socially disabling emotions the rest of humanity suffers.

 

[Infiniti2000]

I think you are over-reacting to what was intended as impractical options. They may not be tools you would or should use, but they exist and are ever available to you.

That's inane. Those "tools" are no more available to me than keeping a copy of the adventure module on hand so I can look up what to do next. Or, say, threaten the DM with physical harm should he not give me that magical item I wanted. I reread your post and I can find no other way to infer from what you wrote than that you recommend that players out there should steal and cheat. This isn't about 30-year friendships and how it's cool to prank your buddy.