How do I deal with metagaming? Tabletop tips from an anxious GM
How do I deal with metagaming? Tabletop tips from an anxious GM
How do I deal with metagaming? Tabletop tips from an anxious GM
June 11, 2022
By Rami Tabari
Summary
An author writing a novel knows what's going to happen to the characters, but that doesn't change how they write about them - maybe some foreshadowing, but they can't avoid their fate.
In this week's column of Tabletop tips from an anxious GM, I'll be answering "How do I deal with metagaming?" in response to my previous tips piece that talked about consent and asking permission to take negative actions.
Questionable metagaming can be making a tough call between what your character would do instinctually with or without information known to the player - ask your party and GM for advice! Unacceptable metagaming is just straight up cheating, giving yourself an unfair advantage that you normally wouldn't have within the narrative - don't do this! Remember, roleplaying is not a competition - it's a story.
The best way to curbstomp metagaming is to communicate with your fellow party members or the GM. If you think you might be metagaming, ask your party or GM for some insight.
The toughest kind of metagaming is an action that you're trying to avoid based on out-of-character knowledge but one your character might do regardless.
Another player could have gotten trapped in a combat scenario, but my character wouldn't know that unless they were suspicious about how long that character has been gone.
In my games, don't tell someone how to play their class, you don't know their character.
Reference
Tabari, R. (2022, June 11). How do I deal with metagaming? tabletop tips from an anxious GM. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.laptopmag.com/how-to/how-do-i-deal-with-metagaming-tabletop-tips-from-an-anxious-gm