Hot answers tagged metagaming
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Don't run a World X game. Run an alternate universe World X game.
Sure, your players are expecting a World X game. But you don't know enough details to run one. An alternate universe game lets the players enjoy the genre they want while you still retain control of the details.
Three basic steps:
Introduce some elements that are definitely wrong.
When ...
29
Run that dungeon with the weird clockwork. If the players like it, treat that dungeon as foreshadowing and continue with your clockwork invasion theme plans. If they don't like it, relegate that dungeon to a one-time "weird old place" and throw that theme away.
Trying subtle things and observing how the players react is a valuable skill for a GM who wants ...
29
Kick him out. No, really, kick him out. Just because he says he wants to play doesn't mean he wants to play the same game you all want to.
You are being too kind to him. He is doing to three people exactly what you are trying to avoid doing to one person. He is:
Preventing your group from enjoying the game.
Being selfish and wrecking a game when he ...
23
This entirely depends on your game, and your gaming group.
What you are referring to (acting as yourself instead of your character) is called "meta-gaming" and involves making decisions that are outside of the purview of your character's personality or knowledge. Whether or not this is an acceptable practice depends in part on your group and in part on the ...
22
Consider Partial Cooperative Storytelling
Many DMs engage their players more deeply in setting the story elements for their adventures.
See the article Worlds of “OUR” Imagination and GM-less games like Fiasco and Microscope for inspiration.
Since they know more about the places, history, and people of the world, ask them why they think your crisis is ...
21
From the player's seat
Offer something the other character wants. The player knows what to do here, and she just needs an excuse to do it. Supply one. A little bribe or rationalization is all she needs and you'll be off and running in no time.
Get the GM's permission to figure stuff out in-character. That means more than just knowing yourself, but rather ...
20
Erik Schmidt's answer is probably the better one to go with (as it'll help you find the root cause), but I'll contribute a bit based on what I see from your description.
From your description, you have a player who enjoys:
Building and optimizing new characters.
Participating in combat.
And who doesn't enjoy:
Long-winded intrigue.
And yet, this ...
17
Ok, I don't have time to answer this as I want to. My background is in psychology; and I fell into Roleplaying games when I turned 10 in 1976. So by the time I was in college understanding where the term Roleplaying game really came from; I understood the critical nature of immersion, how it is the most important ingredient for game success.
And to be ...
16
First off, it is the responsibility of the player of that character to not kill the plot. It's known as a "no-yes" where they vehemently oppose the progress, but continue to allow the plot to move in that direction. They are the "voice of NO" loudly dragging their feet even as they come with the rest of the party. Its their job to oppose the direction ...
16
As someone who has been GMing primarily since 2001, the answer is "Yes, but not disasterously so." The skill sets for being a player and being a GM in a game such as Pathfinder/D&D/White Wolf are entirely different, which means if you spend a lot of time doing one set of those skills (GMing), then the other set will get rusty, like any set of skills you ...
15
It sounds like a discussion away from the game table is in order, preferably between just you and him. Some day when there is no gaming going on, ask him what he dislikes about the campaign. Then ask him what can be done to make the game better for him. It's important that he not feel ganged up on or picked on, and that you get his honest opinion.
If he has ...
14
Try it out in-game and if it doesn't work then have a back-up plan for the campaign. I grapple with the same ideas as you - inevitable players will implement that knowledge and it would be so worthwhile to surprise them.
I'm a fan of the crazy guy in the bar who talks about his days of spelunking or out at war and encountering what I'd ask my players about. ...
13
From the DM's perspective, it mostly comes down to obfuscation and training your player base. Don't force your players to resist metagaming if you can reasonably help it.
Going down your list with some concrete examples:
Make truly trivial random encounters a regular (but not necessarily frequent) occurrence. If every encounter is non-trivial, then a ...
13
I'm sure everyone who is new to RPGing struggles with this question. The gaming answer is (IMHO) that you should act as you think your character would choose to act, not as you, "the gamer" would act. It is a "role playing" game, after all. The more you manage to play the game in character, the more realistic, dramatic, and enjoyable (not to mention ...
13
I think the thing you need to do first and foremost is remind them of the cardinal rule: What the DM says goes. They asked you to be the DM for a reason. If they wanted to run the show, they should've DMed instead.
That said, you don't have to make this point in a rude or confrontational way. Just gently remind your players of it and, if they're any ...
12
Not an easy question!
What I try to do to enhance immersion while lessening the effect of metagame considerations includes:
Leading from the front. If I hope to make it easier for my players to immerse themselves in their roles, I must also be willing to immerse myself as much as possible in the NPC cast, and provide as much interaction as I can which ...
12
I like to work like this: I give the basic information to the players. One single page of 8.5 x 11 with all the info they certainly know. I tell them everything that is outstanding. How many moons, color of the sky, name of the main constellations if they are relevant. Any info about the basic religion, main genesis myth everything relevant for the first ...
12
I wouldn't say GMing detracts from player experience. I will try to use a parallel example.
Do you know TV tropes site? They dissect every piece of fiction into tropes that are like boulders that are used again and again in other works, like "Lonely hero", "Redemption of the bad guy" or "Holy villain" (those aren't the actual names, but they're clearer for ...
11
I advocate for an out-of-game solution to such problems.
Remind the player in question that the old mantra "It's what my character would do!" should never be allowed to lead them into anything that's less fun for them (or for the group at large). What their character "would" do is entirely within the player's control, and both can and should change if it ...
11
A lot of good answers, but I haven't yet seen on point addressed: stance.
Some background on stances.
There has been a lot of more-or-less academic* study of how RPGs work and how roleplaying works as an activity. One of the concepts that's been defined is stance, which is roughly defined as your (the player's) relationship to the character you're playing.
...
10
In the five year long deep immersive campaign I ran, here's how we did it.
We took scheduled breaks - 10 minutes every hour. Besides those breaks, if you were sitting at the table, you were in character, period, There was seldom any reason to engage on a meta level during play - usually the only time it would come up was when they were confused by the ...
10
In the final analysis, it's up to your players to prevent metagaming -- as you've noticed, it's easy for them to figure out what's a minion and what isn't. That said:
I like to keep monster knowledge checks in mind. I know which PCs have high Nature, Arcane, Religion, and Dungeoneering skills, and I make sure the players know the things their PCs should ...
10
What's fun? Do that.
This excellent question doesn't have One Right Answer, because the hobby of roleplaying doesn't have one right approach. Some people want to tell a story, while others are trying to beat the game mechanics somehow, and still others are enacting complicated daydreams. And then yet another group is just there to hang out. So, if nothing ...
10
The analog to White Wolf and the World of Darkness game lines in the classic World of Darkness setting is the Black Dog Game Factory. They were detailed fully in Subsidiaries: A Guide To Pentex, although there are earlier references in other books. The staffers described therein are parodies of the employees of White Wolf, and the entire sourcebook entry is ...
9
There is no smooth, gentle way to introduce players to a truly alien setting. You have three choices as a GM who wants to successfully run an alien setting:
make the players aliens to the setting, and let them explore it. (gentle means of introduction)
make them study up prior to play. (smooth play, but heavy handed)
Play with people who already know the ...
9
The best thing to do is write multi-faceted aspects as much as possible, so that they withstand the rigors of a shifting storyscape, including a jittery cast.
In other words, make sure your aspects aren't too focused. Make them implicit if needed. If Bob has Suspicious of Joan as an aspect, redefine it as Suspicious of blondes with a southern accent ...
9
Whatever you do, avoid making your players feel cheated.
If you're playing a game where planning an 'optimised build' is important, don't let the new elements render existing build less useful, or introduce new content that only works with builds they didn't take.
Let your players play with the new toys. If Dark Lord George's clockwork soldiers wield ...
8
Three Roads
I see three major methods to take:
Alternate Universe
Study up like mad
Narrative gaming
Alternate Universe
Explain to the players that, "Yes, I'll run the game, as I understand the setting. Consider it an alternate universe." Try to get it right. But don't worry if you get it wrong. And, if they've been asking, make certain they understand ...
8
For years I was primarily a gamemaster. Only within the last three years have I been gaming as a player on a regular basis. It's been great.
GMing makes me a better player because I am continuously exposed to player techniques. How players reveal character motivation, how they approach tactical challenges, how they handle group dynamics - as a GM I get to ...
7
You need to "keep the story moving"? Isn't the party breaking down and potentially splitting up part of keeping the story moving? (See also: the fellowship's disintegration in the Lord of the Rings.)
However, that's just glib. Many RPGs, both as written and as played, encourage the group to work together to solve a given problem. In, say, D&D, ...
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