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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kouk" data-source="post: 4440535" data-attributes="member: 55992">Personally, I don't think I could really enjoy a game where everyone hid their mechanical information like that. I don't think my players would enjoy that either.I view mechanical information like Hit Points, Defenses etc. as abstractions of the "real world" of the fantasy world. If I ask out of character, "Hey, what spells does your Wizard know?" I don't have more fun with the game when another player says, "You need not concern yourself with Meldar the Powerful's arcane repertoire foolish Ranger!" When obviously he uses the certain powers and I will see him use those certain powers during a game session -- it's just an extra step for secrecy that leads (me) to annoyance. If I want to talk to him "In character" I will do so, and obviously will not expect blunt answers like "Magic Missile."It is not player against player or character against character. The PCs are supposed to travel/eat/sleep/fight/die together, so they should be fairly knowledgeable about each other in certain aspects that are best represented to everyone involved using the numbers.A player knows all sorts of things by different terms than the characters would -- what character refers to his abilities as "Encounter powers" or having the "Implement Keyword?" What Fighter calls himself a "Fighter?" However, those terms clearly represent something that the characters are fully cognizant of in their own little universe, namely that some powers can't be used as much as others, and some powers benefit from magical implements, and some guys know how to use weapons and armor pretty darn well.'Hit Points' is just the tool used to indicate how well you're doing, that's about it. If characters have eyes, and battle experience, they should be able to know how good that hit was by the way the receiving target moves/bleeds/screams. In that way they are keeping track of relative "hit points." But because we players aren't really seeing what the characters are, we need game terms to represent things. Just the act of a player giving an "approximation" is metagaming as well, unless the PCs are constantly shouting back and forth "How you doin?" "Eh, I've been better."Keeping things numerical is an ease and speed consideration for players to understand the world that their characters are in. It keeps everyone on the same page the way that playing with a battle grid (if you do that) keeps everyone on the same page when it comes to positioning and movement.I'm really not sure why Hit Points are so frequently singled out as "Metagame (bad) Knowledge" when damage numbers, attack roll bonuses, your own AC,  and status effects you inflict or receive etc. are clearly known, especially when those things are frequently stated at the table and apparently something the character initiating and receiving the action is aware of.You asked for opinions so I gave mine. But, your players will be more important to ask. I know (and it is apparent here) that lots of players prefer to keep certain things in the dark.</blockquote>

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