Why do you hate meta-gaming? (And what does it mean to you?)

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

Oh yeah? You researched what all the futurists of the early 20th century posited as technological possibilities for the future?

I'm sure he didn't but except SCI FI of 1966 was star trek... and as I said in another thread we have surpassed computer and communication technology by leaps and bounds here in 2016... let alone the 23rd century... (We may not have teleporters or warpdrive,so there is still sci fi there)

My Android smart phone is as advanced as that AI/not AI computer they had even on next gen (Siri can totally answer even voice quastions, and my "OK Google" is only 1 step worse) I can say "Call X" the same way they said "Scottie" and it can do SOOO much more then any communicater in any star trek I have ever seen. Just imagine every "you have to see this" but now remember I can stream my video camera on my phone to your desk top computer...

HG wells was an amazing futurist, but I bet a smart phone would make him act shocked as well.

 

[Maxperson]

Oh yeah? You researched what all the futurists of the early 20th century posited as technological possibilities for the future?

Enough to understand what a computer really is and how to use one? No. However, since you won't accept that, let's go further back in time. Now you land in front of Henry the VIII. He's not going to have even an inkling of how to use a smart phone or computer, yet if someone from your playstyle were playing good ole Henry, he'd know just how to use it, because the player does. For a lot of us, it's impossible to remain immersed when stuff like that is going on.

 

[iserith]

Enough to understand what a computer really is and how to use one? No. However, since you won't accept that, let's go further back in time. Now you land in front of Henry the VIII. He's not going to have even an inkling of how to use a smart phone or computer, yet if someone from your playstyle were playing good ole Henry, he'd know just how to use it, because the player does. For a lot of us, it's impossible to remain immersed when stuff like that is going on.

Henry doesn't understand it as well as someone in the future, but he presses a few buttons and by happy mistake it works! He later meets a future bride on ChristianMingle. It doesn't end well for her.

I can justify this kind of stuff all day long. If you can immerse yourself in a world where Henry VIII has access to a computer for some reason, it's not too big a leap in my view to imagine him figuring it out by accident.

 

[Maxperson]

Henry doesn't understand it as well as someone in the future, but he presses a few buttons and by happy mistake it works! He later meets a future bride on ChristianMingle. It doesn't end well for her.

That sort of absurd coincidence doesn't work for many of us. We want things to make sense and be more realistic.

I can justify this kind of stuff all day long. If you can immerse yourself in a world where Henry VIII has access to a computer for some reason, it's not too big a leap in my view to imagine him figuring it out by accident.

The problem is that you cannot justify it reasonably. Absurd justifications like the one above you can come up with all day. We all can. Ones that make sense? Nope.

 

[Nytmare]

I think that maybe a narrower explanation, that at the same time allows for a broader range of uses is Clarke's Third Law. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

It would be easy to imagine Henry the Eighth seeing a wrist watch smart phone and being able to wrap his head around it and make it fit into his view of the world by explaining it in terms of "this is sorcery."

It's not only just as easy to imagine a 1930s thug explaining it and coming to terms with understanding in the same exact way, but it's also just as acceptable to understand it in terms of "It must be like a radio", or "it must be some kind of a trick", or even "it's a watch that does things that I do not understand."

But, regardless, it's silly and kind of arrogant to criticize someone's role playing choices and tell them how they could have done it better. Especially when any of the responses, from the entire spectrum of things she might have said were not only correct, but her choice to make.

 

[iserith]

That sort of absurd coincidence doesn't work for many of us. We want things to make sense and be more realistic.

The problem is that you cannot justify it reasonably. Absurd justifications like the one above you can come up with all day. We all can. Ones that make sense? Nope.

You could conceivably accept the "reality" of Henry VIII having access to a computer, but him figuring out how to use one by accident is a bridge too far?

Okay. Sure.

 

[Maxperson]

I think that maybe a narrower explanation, that at the same time allows for a broader range of uses is Clarke's Third Law. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

It would be easy to imagine Henry the Eighth seeing a wrist watch smart phone and being able to wrap his head around it and make it fit into his view of the world by explaining it in terms of "this is sorcery."

Yes, but he's not a wizard, so he couldn't know how to work it. Also, he'd make that connection just a short time before you got burned for being a witch.

It's not only just as easy to imagine a 1930s thug explaining it and coming to terms with understanding in the same exact way, but it's also just as acceptable to understand it in terms of "It must be like a radio", or "it must be some kind of a trick", or even "it's a watch that does things that I do not understand."

But, regardless, it's silly and kind of arrogant to criticize someone's role playing choices and tell them how they could have done it better. Especially when any of the responses, from the entire spectrum of things she might have said were not only correct, but her choice to make.

It's not a matter of better or worse. It's a matter of possible or not. A PC that does not have knowledge, but who just happens to always "know" how to do everything he doesn't know, is doing the impossible. A "happy accident" once every blue moon, sure. I can live with that. Blue moons happening every day? Nope. If a player wants to play that way, he's going to have to find a different game. I won't allow it as it ruins not only my game experience, but also the game experience of my other players.

 

[iserith]

But, regardless, it's silly and kind of arrogant to criticize someone's role playing choices and tell them how they could have done it better. Especially when any of the responses, from the entire spectrum of things she might have said were not only correct, but her choice to make.

The only ones criticizing roleplaying choices are those who suggest that one way is more or less "immersive" than another - and that ain't me. I think the aforementioned poster's decision was fine so long as it was fun for everyone and helped create an exciting, memorable story. I take issue with it being necessarily "less immersive" to have the character grasp what that smartwatch was all about, given the provided fictional context.

If, however, your comment was not directed at me, please disregard.

 

[Maxperson]

You could conceivably accept the "reality" of Henry VIII having access to a computer, but him figuring out how to use one by accident is a bridge too far?

Okay. Sure.

There are smart people in this day and age that have difficulties working a computer properly.

 

[Maxperson]

The only ones criticizing roleplaying choices are those who suggest that one way is more or less "immersive" than another - and that ain't me. I think the aforementioned poster's decision was fine so long as it was fun for everyone and helped create an exciting, memorable story. I take issue with it being necessarily "less immersive" to have the character grasp what that smartwatch was all about, given the provided fictional context.

If, however, your comment was not directed at me, please disregard.

It really isn't a matter of more or less immersive, it's just different, and for some people your way is immersion breaking. It would be impossible for me to stay immersed in a game like yours. I could have fun, but not as much fun as with a game like mine. My immersion would be constantly broken by those sorts of things.