Riddles!

[Wofano Wotanto]

Who the heck are you playing with? I haven't experienced this player behavior since middle school.

Oddly enough, 9th grade would be the last time I heard someone openly boasting about memorizing the MM - so 1980-ish. Much more recently, I've sat at organized play tables in 4e where one or more of the other players seemed remarkably well-informed about monster stats, as well as "coincidentally" finding hidden loot and "guessing" plot details just a bit in advance of everyone else. They were much more subtle about it than some teen in the Seventies, but it still earned some dubious looks. The only guy I ever saw get the boot for that kind of nonsense got caught out on video playing the same event at different store a day before he sat down at ours - and even then I think it was more because he'd shop at the competition and just use our FLGS for OP events, which made the store owner a real fan of his.

I don't understand that particular cheating mentality, but it certainly exists.

 

[WayneLigon]

In general, in RPG's, I intensely dislike them because very, very seldom are they actually riddles - usually they are word games or manipulation puzzles of some sort.

 

[Richards]

I know Harry Potter doesn't like Riddles...at least not those named Tom.

Johnathan

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Who the heck are you playing with? I haven't experienced this player behavior since middle school.

Players intentionally ruining everyone's fun in order to "win" an RPG literally isn't a thing I've encountered in decades.

It's fairly easy to innocuously do this when you play with other DM's. My Thursday night online game is myself and 3 other GM's running for each other, all of whom have played and run 5E. It can be difficult to pretend you don't know things.

My brother in law jokes that he's been playing Call of Cthulhu since the actual 1920's, so has probably run or played most of the older published scenarios.

 

[el-remmen]

I love them. But never lock progress or success behind answering one and I always let the whole group discuss them. Even if “in actuality” just the genius character is answering, polling the group becomes the stand in for a degree of intelligence the player does not actually have.

 

[Gradine]

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Even if “in actuality” just the genius character is answering, polling the group becomes the stand in for a degree of intelligence the player does not actually have.

This is a good default.

 

[Gradine]

 

[CreamCloud0]

what are people's opinions on riddles requiring 'in-universe' information to solve as a means to invoke various kinds of knowledge checks? or otherwise having the party seek out ways to learn the required information.

 

[Deset Gled]

what are people's opinions on riddles requiring 'in-universe' information to solve as a means to invoke various kinds of knowledge checks? or otherwise having the party seek out ways to learn the required information.

Sounds fine to me. But in general, seeking out info like that feels more like a typical "fetch the key" quest than a riddle. YMMV.