D&D General "When I DM I do my Best to Curb Players Meta-Gaming or Using Out-of-Character Knowledge." (a poll)

[Baldurs_Underdark]

Some players know a lot more about the lore of the Forgotten Realms than me. So, if they meta-game that into the story it is at their own risk. I may homebrew some details differently than in the books/wiki.

Example:

PCs arrive in Silverymoon, after a long travel.

• Player: My character will check in with Sernius Alathar of the Knights in Silver.
• DM: The who? What?
• Player: Sernius Alathar of the Knights in Silver - who defend Silverymoon. Those knights may help us. They are sworn enemies of the orcs.
• DM: You walk around the town, but find no such person or organization.
• Player: I'm sure they are here. I will search harder.
• DM (out-of-char): Your PC has also never heard of such organization, and you realize you must have dreamed this.
• Player (now also out-of-char): But that's nonsense, they are famous. Everyone knows that. Check the wiki.
• DM: Yes, but I didn't know that, and I didn't read the wiki. Instead I wrote something different. Stop meta-gaming.

(I would allow a History check if the player asks if they know any enemies of the orcs and/or if they know who defends the town, and other checks if they simply go to the town guards).

 

[Lazvon]

My best? No, I could kick out folks who do.

At the moment, also DMing for young kids, only one of which has read everything… easy to know when he is meta gaming and I just remind him to think like his character not him as the player… he is getting there, and the other three have heard it enough that as they get more interested in reading everything or DMing, I think they will remember.

Now the hard thing for me, is to let them do some of the things they do, that everyone who has played for more than a couple years knows. My wife is also playing to help a bit, but we want them to make mistakes so they learn from them… but man it hurts when they go after what they perceive as the “boss” when it terms of the fight they should be really worried about the giant spiders first that are about to web them all up…

 

[Lazvon]

• Player (now also out-of-char): But that's nonsense, they are famous. Everyone knows that. Check the wiki.
• DM: Yes, but I didn't know that, and I didn't read the wiki. Instead I wrote something different. Stop meta-gaming.

Exactly this. Interestingly, on the Forgotten Realms front, my knowledge is dated. I haven’t pulled out the box set to read in years… even then, I was amazed to learn about Mt Hotenow and Neverwinter issues since in the current age. Heh.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I jist call it out and ask for justification.

sometimes I ask... not so much for justification but for clarity... in another thread someone brought up 4 walls climbing any will get you over the obstacle and having 4 different DCs... if the player chooses the hardest one I may ask why... not to make them justified it but to understand.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Some players know a lot more about the lore of the Forgotten Realms than me. So, if they meta-game that into the story it is at their own risk. I may homebrew some details differently than in the books/wiki.

Example:

PCs arrive in Silverymoon, after a long travel.

• Player: My character will check in with Sernius Alathar of the Knights in Silver.
• DM: The who? What?
• Player: Sernius Alathar of the Knights in Silver - who defend Silverymoon. Those knights may help us. They are sworn enemies of the orcs.
• DM: You walk around the town, but find no such person or organization.
• Player: I'm sure they are here. I will search harder.
• DM (out-of-char): Your PC has also never heard of such organization, and you realize you must have dreamed this.
• Player (now also out-of-char): But that's nonsense, they are famous. Everyone knows that. Check the wiki.
• DM: Yes, but I didn't know that, and I didn't read the wiki. Instead I wrote something different. Stop meta-gaming.

(I would allow a History check if the player asks if they know any enemies of the orcs and/or if they know who defends the town, and other checks if they simply go to the town guards).

Aside... I HATE the realms... back in 3e I made an adventure between thay and another kingdom... I read some basics on the 'other kingdom' 'sorcerer queen... really hot, of course elmunchkin might be sleeping with her... got it' then in game the players that knew the realms better are all like "The symbol can handle this" and I'm like "Look the queen isn't some high level superhero" que PCs showing me her godly stats...

that game got me to coin my phrase i use all the time "justice league MIDNIGHT" because like running a superhero game in the DC universe anywhere you go someone knows a local Justice League member that should care about what's happening.

 

[dave2008]

I think this is not your clearest poll @el-remmen

While a direct my players to not use meta-game information, I don't do my "best" to stop it. I could do more, if I wanted too.

 

[el-remmen]

I think this is not your best question @el-remmen

While a direct my players to not use meta-game information, I don't do my "best" to stop it. I could do more, if I wanted too.

People are really hung up on the word "best" as if it means an extreme effort. Your "best" might be diplomatically discussing it between sessions because you are trying to be persuasive and not put them on the defense or something. Your "best" might be just saying "cut it out!" because you don't feel like it is worth doing anything more than that.

As I said earlier, I should have put "actively" instead of "best" but too late now.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Is it the player characters who have to tone it down, or the players?

Characters can't metagame because they are not real, so it is always the player who uses knowledge the character would never have.

 

[Lanefan]

I mean, if a player character has died, and the player needs to have a new character join the group, the group should do lots of due diligence, potentially interview other candidates and maybe ultimately decline to put their life in this stranger's hands, turning down the offer to join the party.

I've seen this happen in the past - a PC tries to join a party and is rejected (or, in a couple of memorable cases, outright killed) by those already in said party. In all cases it was due to a player - intentionally or not - trying to bring in something that just didn't fit with the established group.