Meta-gaming

[Abbot Vivian]

We should include a rule against meta-gaming in the Site Regulations. Meta-gaming is when a role-player grants their character information that the character could not possibly access or possess.

One example is when two characters meet each other for the first time and the good character who supposedly loves peace attacks the other one because they somehow know that the character they are attacking wants to kill people when the bad character had done and said nothing to provoke them. Another example is when a character sets up a well-hid trap for unwary travels and a character passing by stops and suddenly announces to anyone with them that they are walking into a trap and insists on taking another route.

On the flipside of the aforementioned scene, the trap layer could be meta-gaming if they knew exactly where their enemy was going to be days in advance and spent hours setting an elaborate series of traps. The trap layer could be severely meta-gaming if the traps target their enemy’s exact weak points and renders their strengths useless to them if caught even though the trapper had not spent sufficient time with their target to learn of their strengths and weaknesses.

[lorki]

I agree mostly, but I think it's fair to let assumptions be made. I mean all animals have natural instincts about danger and what not, as especially in a Redwall based RP there are always going to be those who automatically will attack a vermin creature for no reason, on assumption that they are evil. But I agree that randomly acting as if it is a for sure thing is not fun, but as long as theres wiggle room (for example a wanted beast isn't going to stroll around and have no one think 'huh... you know they look an awful lot like that one mass murderer.... huh')

I think this could vary from beast to breast, over all there are a lot of factors to figure out, and for clever rpers there are a lot of ways to figure these things out (and for even better rpers to figure them out but still let it go for the sake of a sense of reality), but it is unfair to foil every plan or know everything.

[redclaw]

Thats true, but could an exeption be made for people such as Merce, who has the power to look into people's pasts, if I say that is doing it?

[Abbot Vivian]

I have no desire to outlaw making assumptions or having a character suspect something isn't right. However, characters shouldn't go about behaving in a way that contradicts their personalty. A trusting character who believes everyone deserves chance or belives in peace is not going to attack another first chance they get without even knowing who the other guy is even if the other guy has killed.

[lorki]

That makes much more sense. lol

[Grath]

I know this is a little late into the discussion, but in response to Redclaw:

If Merce looks into a character's mind and past without the consent of the other player, it is powerplaying, plain and simple. Most writers are more than happy to consent to something like this, if requested, but are irritated when their consent is just taken as a given.

Just sayin'.