Hot answers tagged metagaming
41
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 ...
30
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
22
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 ...
16
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 ...
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 ...
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
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
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 ...
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
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 ...
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 ...
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
No, depending on what you mean by detract.
Yes, depending on what you mean by detract.
This has more to do with why your play RPGs. Is it because you want to build a dramatic story exploring various themes? Is it because you want a bigger, better board game? Would you enjoy playing an adventure that you GMed or that you had read?
Connie Willis said (I ...
6
Ask the players if they're okay with a twist to the theme, but don't say what kind of twist it will be. Since you can't tell them what you will be changing, tell them what you won't be changing.
Start off by making a list of the themes of the setting your players are expecting. (I'd link to tvtropes, but since you probably have a life, I'll just link to ...
6
This reminds me of a link you yourself posted to me.
The issue I believe will be solved by not having Too-specific aspects. As noted in http://www.rickneal.ca/?p=619
The original aspect might have had a base on a previous story. But a good aspect will have people tagging it even if they didn't have any means to be a part of that specific encounter.
Like ...
6
You should do everything you can to save the party, and keep the player in. If you ever push him out, however smooth and nice you do it, friendship will surely suffer. I have had part in such twice already, and it was tough.
I think that Eric Schmidt, AceCalhoon and Flamma all gave good advice, and I just wish to give you some practical ideas you may try at ...
5
It really depends on what your goal with this is, I think.
As I understand it, the joy in playing a tabletop game is twofold. First, you get to be "anything you want to be". If you've always dreamed about being a Necromancer or a Super-Saiyan, you can explore that and pretend for a while that you are. But secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, it ...
5
Always wanted to do this and never done it - mainly because it's a huge amount of work, and my GMing days are pretty much over. Random bits of advice:
Make sure the players are OK with this approach. It might end up being more talky than a typical adventure. You'' probably end up doing a lot of explaining.
Start the characters young, so they haven't ...
5
GMing in general, I'd say no.
GMing or even playing in a system where the characters have no real ways to decide the story except by convincing the GM that their ideas are good, I would say yes.
Pathfinder is a GM-intensive game where the GM needs to prepare a lot of things, from a plot to full-fledged statistics. It is a harsh role who's ridden with things ...
4
We used to do that a lot in a group we had. They weren't any rules at all, simply one came with an idea for an adventure and took control of the game, when other's adventure was finished.
For more ideas, take a look to Ars Magica's troupe roleplay, or this comment.
Now, answering your questions:
1- It depends on the situation. I usually prefer to retire ...
4
There are a bunch of good answers here. Two more things I've seen done (addressing the general question, though I suspect neither one would work with your particular situation):
A friend played a game in college in which all the players started out by reading a novel that the GM had written set in the game world. That required heavy commitment from the ...
4
Personally I've been playing for many years and only GMing more recently. Oddly enough coming at it from a players perspective I often found that I meta-gamed or at least analysed the game more initially (even without the GMing experience), so ended up with a similar issue.
I think the thing is as a GM you are invested in the world, all of it, how it works ...
3
The false premise: A crucial part of most FATE play is having aspects that relate to the other PCs at the table.
There is no real need for aspects to relate to other PCs in general, nor to any specific PCs at all.
The real requirements
Aspects need to meet several requirements:
Useable by the Owning Player of that Character
Useable by other characters' ...
3
From yersterday talk, I think this is a very difficult problem, one we possibly can't give a definite answer, given the premises.
I'd try the following approach, but I don't guarantee success:
Talk with your players about your game expectations and styles.
Reach a compromise all together. Everyone must make concessions.
Make everyone understand that they ...
3
Does sitting in the GM Chair ruin you as a player? No.
All of the symptoms you describe I have done at one point or another. Generally before I took up the DM chair myself. To some degree metagaming happens whether it is acknowledged or not. Roll a 15 to hit and miss, but a 16 hits? You now know this guy's armor class. My game group tends to not ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
