Some Questions On Meta-Gaming

[j235]

It occurs when someone asked me a question through Tell on some not-so-crucial information of my PC and possibly on a possible arranged meeting at a certain place at about the time of this writing. And I believe it would be a good time to raise these questions again so that the player base are re-educated and re-informed of the evil known as Meta-Gaming, through possibly a DM response, given people come and go, and some of them apparently don't have a good enough memory.

And the question is thus, does revealing non-public IC information about the PC and asking to arrange an IC meeting over the Tell system that should have just been done with the IG sending system constitute Meta-Gaming? And is Meta-Gaming an offense?

I believe the answer is clear. And I hope the guy who sent me the Tell read this. And future people too.

[Howlando]

Metagaming is mostly not allowed in EFU. Here are some examples from a very old DM of common forms of metagaming that is not permitted:

At the behest of #efu, some examples:

"MEET ME AT THE QUESTGIVER FOR QUEST"

" BRING MR X TO TANK"

"MEET ME AT THE QUESTGIVER"

"TRAP"

"LOG IN YOUR OTHER PC"

"HEAL ME"

"GO INVIS"

"THERES THREE UP AHEAD"

"BRING MAGIC WEAPON"

"CAST PVE ON ME THESE THINGS HAVE MIND CONTROL GAZE"

"I AM AT LOCATION X, PLEASE COME TO ME AND GIVE ME THINGS"

Another good example (apparently that inspired this post) is that you absolutely can not OOC'ly figure out if someone is tolerant of necromancy or other things prior to meeting.

Yet another example of metagaming that is not OK in EFU is something like, "Hey I found an exploreable, want to come and help me with it?"

There are however some examples of metagaming that are OK given the realities of the game.

For example:

"Hey, if my character makes a sending to meet do you have time to do so now?"

"Hey, my character is hanging around Lower/Upper/an Inn looking for adventuring comrades, if you're looking for something to do feel free to bump into me" (note that the meeting place is a generic locale where PCs might reasonably be hanging around, not arranging a meeting in some very specific locale)

"Hey, right before you logged in there was a sending that said " or to a faction member, "Hey, our entire faction just left the HQ, the NPC would probably say in which direction we went"

Or, "Hey, my PC is around the House of Trade / Lower Market if you wanted to discuss that trade"

Or "Hey, if I ask the NPC at HQ if you're around in the HQ, would he indicate that you are?"

Additionally, if the purpose of the metagaming is to help a very new player (i.e. saving them from monsters, guiding them to an event, assisting them with some other purpose) it is OK to metagame so long as you help them understand that it is not normal practice.

All of this is not OK if there's any PvP purposes planned though.

I hope all of this makes sense!

[Spiffy Has]

I am perhaps the most informed player on what metagaming is and isn't, having banned 3 times over.

Frankly, any IG information disseminated over an OOC fashion is metagaming. Any knowledge you have not learned ICly and you utilize is metagaming.

Knowing player X died in the sewers is metagaming if you did not see him die and you weren't told IG. Knowing you can harvest rats when you enter upper for the goblins without entering lower is metagaming. Knowing where the Sand Crypt is in the Lowerdark without having been there or looking at a map is metagaming... Knowing that there is a monster den in the mines is also metagaming.

When IG, you should be on an OOC moratorium, tells are not to be used etc...

I am a bad example, but that is just how it is.


Howland's post is better.

[MaimedGod]

Poor Thomas :(