What Is Meta-gaming?

[*Vandole]

Topic: What defines meta-gaming to you? aaaaand go.

[[ To be sure, I already have an understanding of it myself. I always try to avoid it from happening or having it pushed on me. ]]

[*Sinlinara]

Meta-Gaming is when a character uses knowledge that shouldn't be known to them but is known to you the player, and other similar variations along that theme.

It is, however, separate from Godmodding which can be 1) the declaration of things that govern how another character or part of the setting acts, responds, or is effected (I.E. You can't simply say that you draw your axe and cut off someone's head in a single swing); 2) the deliberate ignoring things effecting or concerning your character that you disapprove of (I.E. If someone attacks you you can't just ignore them / if your character is hated by a certain group don't include descriptions of that group being friendly to you); or 3) when a character either performs an action that they shouldn't be able to do or when the consequence of their action isn't within the realm of what it should be (I.E., no casting spells while bound and gagged / no being able to level a mountain with a swing of your sword from a mile away).

[*Neethanial]

Metagaming can be very specific or quite broad.
Holding grudges player to player is metagaming, unless OOC bullying or griefing has occurred and you want to avoid future problems (See: Griefing, a violation of rules on its own).
Making a new character just to mess things up for another character or organization in an effort to further your other character's goals.
Being the same exact asshat with the same exact moral issues and preaching them on multiple characters because you personally have a problem with something.
Name dropping without A - established RP to justify, or B - ooc consent. If you're going to play someone's kid/spouce/mortal enemy - make sure it's alright first.
Forcing others to bow to you because of some title that your character has not earned in game or had recognized by the appropriate parties (eg. The Lady), and griefing them for not going along with your self proclaimed importance. This is borderline metagaming, but closer to the griefing thing again. (Noticing a pattern of what leads to what?)
Wiping a character and using the same name on a new one to get out of the consequences of your actions.
Telling people how their character should act based on race/class/religion/etc to avoid IC conflict. (Again, borderline griefing)

I could go on for days with examples. Bottom line: 90% of all metagaming and griefing goes away if people just remember to separate IC from OOC and try not to be jerks to one another.

[*Strawberry Jam]

Informed about the game in character.

There are thousands of classes, tens of thousands of spell, feats too, and at least hundreds of races.

Of course the player has narrowed it down to what is available on the creation screen. Some players deny all options and imagination beyond what they know is possible in the game mechanics. It might also mean knowing all selectable gods despite no lore or religion knowledge.

[*cryptc]

The general meaning I think is well known.

To me, the main place where metagaming happens a lot and isn't really dealt with in any way is when there is some sort of intrigue or plot going on (either DM/EM or player initiated) where you as a player can tell that something is obviously not as it appears, but your character probably shouldn't. In some cases players will even grasp for straws to protect their character from deception by either claiming actions or abilities, or just plainly casting spells that will break said deception.

Examples:

1. When in a small area and seeing a player on playerlist that you cannot see ingame, causing you to cast spells like See Invisible and Amplify. "I'm obviously very suspicious about this room not being empty, I think I'll throw flour around the whole room and see if something hidden by chance appears, I totally do this every time"
2. When someone impersonates another or just gives a false identity to hide their true one, while you can obviously see that they are lying by seeing the ingame name.
3. When a friend has told you OOC how something happened, and IC you are told a different tale from someone you don't know as well, easily jumping to conclusions that your character maybe shouldn't have.

I always encourage players to try avoid these metagaming traps, since although you are apparantly "letting" yourself get tricked/beaten, it will generally lead to more logical and more interesting roleplay in the long term, as well as make oppositional roleplay easier to do when you don't feel like everything you do will be ignored by people because of OOC knowledge.

[*Neethanial]

Oooh. I like those examples better. Those are really easy to overlook in the moment if you're not on top of it.

[*Hydra]

Meta-Gaming is when a character uses knowledge that shouldn't be known to them but is known to you the player, and other similar variations along that theme.

That's a very short and satisfying explanation imho.

In a way, metagaming is unavoidable unless it's your first time on the server, there are places and maybe people you're perhaps going to avoid or know where to go because you the player know how it works.

[*Godolia il Magus]

Metagaming is benevolent or malevolent cheating, depending on the case. You use tricks and means outside the regular game - which rotates around roleplay and mechanics - to gain an injust advantage over others (being those the dm and the other fair players).

The equivalent of a metaplayer using an outside role/mechanic knowledge to her advantage, is a european football player using his fore-arm to adjust the ball's position and score a goal, kicking that ball into the net. Whether the referee is aware or not, that was an injust advantage that contravenes the rules and the fair play.

It's also metaplay (and a childish thing) to lie to the master and do such things as hiding stuff from her eyes or cheating on dice rolls - thing that I've seen done by over 30 years old adults.


As further info, "metà" in ancient Greek means "after/over/beyond", as in "metaphysics" which means "after the physics". So "metaplay" is anything that hasn't got anything to do with the playing and every rule both, which have been accepted at the start of the game.

[*Vandole]

1. When in a small area and seeing a player on playerlist that you cannot see ingame, causing you to cast spells like See Invisible and Amplify. "I'm obviously very suspicious about this room not being empty, I think I'll throw flour around the whole room and see if something hidden by chance appears, I totally do this every time"

2. When someone impersonates another or just gives a false identity to hide their true one, while you can obviously see that they are lying by seeing the ingame name.

3. When a friend has told you OOC how something happened, and IC you are told a different tale from someone you don't know as well, easily jumping to conclusions that your character maybe shouldn't have.

Thanks cryptic, this is pretty much clarifies what I was looking for, specifically.

#3 especially. - It's easy to fall into this trap.

#1 Again, very easy to fall into this trap, especially if combined with number 3.

Thanks everyone for providing great examples of the various kinds of Meta-Game.
Will be interested to see what else comes of this.

[*Godolia il Magus]

Thanks everyone for providing great examples of the various kinds of Meta-Game.
Will be interested to see what else comes of this.

Reducing the matter to "don't cheat, don't be afraid", which is the best thing to do, to clarify it I will cite a phrase I've once read: "Good sense is like the Abominable Snowman, everyone knows what it is but no one has seen it", again translatable to "don't be like people talking about fair play, do it yourself first". :D