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<blockquote data-quote="Tequila Sunrise" data-source="post: 6812570" data-attributes="member: 40398">Hm, I'm on board with steenan here. I agree with his definition and overall conclusions. Metagaming can be good or bad, depending on the situation and the preferences of those involved. I guess my kneejerk reaction to the word 'metagaming' is 'temptation!' because when it's good (or not bad), I'm not really aware of it. Like if I'm playing a character who doesn't have any really compelling reason to set out on a particular adventure, I'm not really aware that I'm metagaming as such when I say &quot;Yeah sounds fun, I'll tag along!&quot; Because otherwise I'll either spend the session twiddling my thumbs, or holding everyone else up while I make a character who does have some compelling reason to tag along.If it sounds like I'm disagreeing with steenan here, it may be because I have a different focus. I'm a DM and an amateur designer, so I not only ask &quot;Is this behavior good or bad?,&quot; but also &quot;How can I set things up in order to encourage good outcomes and behaviors, and discourage bad?&quot; I have a habit of thinking about things systemically.Basically, I like knowledge of monster traits to be a matter of character knowledge rather than player knowledge, and monsters with quirky traits create a strong temptation to use the latter. Those monsters that can be looked up in a MM or referenced in pop culture, at least.Ideally, if there's a monster with quirky traits, that monster is the DM's own creation and so the players know no more about it than their characters do.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Tequila Sunrise, post: 6812570, member: 40398"] Hm, I'm on board with steenan here. I agree with his definition and overall conclusions. Metagaming can be good or bad, depending on the situation and the preferences of those involved. I guess my kneejerk reaction to the word 'metagaming' is 'temptation!' because when it's good (or not bad), I'm not really aware of it. Like if I'm playing a character who doesn't have any really compelling reason to set out on a particular adventure, I'm not really aware that I'm metagaming as such when I say "Yeah sounds fun, I'll tag along!" Because otherwise I'll either spend the session twiddling my thumbs, or holding everyone else up while I make a character who does have some compelling reason to tag along. If it sounds like I'm disagreeing with steenan here, it may be because I have a different focus. I'm a DM and an amateur designer, so I not only ask "Is this behavior good or bad?," but also "How can I set things up in order to encourage good outcomes and behaviors, and discourage bad?" I have a habit of thinking about things systemically. Basically, I like knowledge of monster traits to be a matter of character knowledge rather than player knowledge, and monsters with quirky traits create a strong temptation to use the latter. Those monsters that can be looked up in a MM or referenced in pop culture, at least. Ideally, if there's a monster with quirky traits, that monster is the DM's own creation and so the players know no more about it than their characters do. [/QUOTE]

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