About meta-gaming player

[yuki_sc]

Hi! How's going?
Thank you for answering my previous questions.

I have a problem...
In Japan, playing pathfinder is very diffucult. However, Totally, I could start this game Lv1 and now Lv3.

Some says that like this...

(1) GM likes turtle. So Next boss enemy should be "turtle".
(2) This item's data is printed in XXX YYYp. It is very useful! (Without knowing it by check)
(3) This is 3lv session. Based on this, final boss will be XXX.
(4) Enemy X's stat is... (Without checking monster)

I think that these are totaly "meta-gaming" actions.

What should I do to enjoin these actions.

Very thanks!

[ossian666]

OOOOOPH GROD! GROD! We need a translation from Grod!

[karpad]

Hi Yuki

1) If I understand correctly, the player is disrupting the game with making guesses and declaring them out loud.

In this case you should talk to this player and figure out why they're doing it. Maybe they want a more comedic or lighthearted game style. There's no easy answer on how to deal with a situation where the group's expectations are too diverse to match, but you can try alternating the mood of the game. In the end if the majority finds such out-of-character exclamations too distracting then this player will have to adapt or find another group.

2) Using the knowledge the player gained by reading rulebooks instead of the knowledge the character gains by interacting with the game world is pretty close to a definition of metagaming.

First is again talking to the player. Also, to help them avoid this behaviour you should refrain from using the same words the rulebooks use to describe the item. For example, instead of saying 'You find four tanglefoot bags on the table' you could say 'on the table there are four small pouches with a drawing of a tied foot on each of them'. Of course you only need to do this the first time they encounter the item. Once the character knows what it is and how to use it, it's not a problem anymore.

3) See my advice on 1).

4) See my advice on 2). Additionally, monsters are easiest to present differently than what's written in the bestiary. Unless you tell the exact name of the monster, there should be no way for the player to tell which one it is. Plus you are under no obligation to use the stats as written. Nothing stops you from rewriting kobolds to be CR 3 creatures for example.

The player has no right or basis to make assumptions based on player knowledge until the character has interacted with the object/monster/etc within the game world. Just remember to be fair and keep things the same way once the character has interacted with them!

[Derwalt]

After reading it a few times I have a guess at what's being said. Not sure at all though...

But it could be that yuki_sc is the GM or a fellow player. But another player knows that the GM likes turtles. He knows they have 3 sessions to play, and this is third session. He looks up the turtle in "XXX YYYp"(?!). Therefor he now knows the "boss" monsters stats.

So - I'll try to answer going with the above assumptions: The player might know the monsters stats, but the character does not. That's what the "Knowledge" skills are for. Therefore it doesn't matter if it's metagaming or not. The important thing to remember is, that he cannot use his knowledge in-game, or else it is metagaming, and should be stopped by the GM and the other players. If he continues to metagame, talk to him about it, restrict his actions or remove him from play.

...what I really wanted to reply:

Quote:

(1) GM likes turtle. So Next boss enemy should be "turtle".

Turtles are the baws!

Quote:

(2) This item's data is printed in XXX YYYp. It is very useful! (Without knowing it by check)

I find my XXX YYYp to be most useful when checked. If left unchecked it can result in bad digestion.

Quote:

(3) This is 3lv session. Based on this, final boss will be XXX.

But the turtle is baws? It's an xxx-turtle? Is that a nude turtle or an ex-turtle? Ah! An undead turtle! Awesome! (Bawsome?)

Quote:

(4) Enemy X's stat is... (Without checking monster)

Yup - the enemy is exstatic that it's a bawsome undead ex-turtle! I would be too!

I hope this helps, very thanks for reading my reply.

[Grod, Son of Grod]

Grod say punish player for meta-thinking.

He say "Enemy be turtle", you make enemy DRAGON!

He say "Item has these stats", you make item DRAGON!

He say "This 3 level adventure, boss will be this", you make boss DRAGON RIDING BIGGER DRAGON.

[Vicon]

This is great thread. I laughed, especially with Dewalts bawsome Ex-girlfriend necropheliac turtle paradigm. But as for Yuki's issue:

I totally understand what you've got on your hands here... the player is using information his character would never know, or should have to come up with a reason for knowing it (Ie, did he learn about this monster in school? if so, where are his ranks in X(Knowledge)? If he can't justify knowing, the party should NOT use that information in game. You're the GM, you can forbid it. The PLAYER read a book or online info on the monster that the character doesn't have access to. So he can't act on the information. Period.

If this activity detracts too much from your enjoyment, or other players enjoyment, or even your perception of other players enjoyment... you should talk to him about stopping it, or if you have to, don't play with him. If he just wants to share the information and nobody else is bothered by NOT acting on it, you can just keep playing with the understanding XXX YYYp is not something the character would ever know.

If he REALLY wants to be the guy who knows everything, encourage him to MAKE A CHARACTER that HAS ALL THE SKILLS to know WHAT HE KNOWS. that way he can share (or roll to share) all the info he knows and he's useful and important for the very reason he used to be "Bakka."

Keep GMing! Be awesome!

[Lightbulb]

Talk to the player. Explain to the player that he is causing a problem.

If he does not stop then try changing things when he guesses. If the boss was a turtle make it some thing different. He should then stop.

[MacFetus]

You could always give the turtle different powers.

Breath weapon?

Web ability?

Flight?

[Helaman]

Change the appearance of monsters without changing the stats is good...

"The creature is whip thin like an eel with thin, spiny arms that hold a spear. Its waving body makes it a difficult target to strike. It co-ordinates with its fellows by hoots and clicks - which they seem to use to plan traps and ambushes"

Its a Kobold but with a different - totally different - appearance but the player in question will never be able to work that out.

[Addicted2Fail]

I hate metagaming with a passion, it is the bane of my roleplaying existence.

Anyone doing this 'IS NOT' roleplaying.

There have been some good ideas above, another thing you can do. Change weaknesses, or give things class levels.

If they see a troll, fail their knowledge checks, and begin to burn the troll for no apparent reason, make the troll heal the fire damage.

=D

ANTI-TROLL TROLLS