Metagaming: the Good , the Bad and the Ugly

Metagaming: the Good , the Bad and the Ugly

So let us start by looking at what Metagaming, why it can negatively affect the LARP

By definition, metagaming means the utilization of out-of-game information to affect in-character play. While in some forms of games metagaming is a neutral idea, within LARP communities the term has a lot more baggage. The word conjures up images of confrontations between players over misused knowledge and hard feelings over player cheating. However when examining the concept of what it means to metagame, it becomes clear that the complex issue comes down to a question of player intent rather than a hard and fast rule. Often this is why rules about metagaming are hard to create and enforce.

There are two types of metagaming generally, Story metagaming and Mechanical or rules Metagaming.

Story Metagaming is using information that you know as a player often from some form of Out of game talk at a meetup, private conversation or even simple the car ride home, as your character in game who doesn’t have that knowledge. This might be as simple as knowing to go directly to the person that has the item you want to buy, to know how to avoid actions being taken against you by others, to outright taking advantage of information to ambush and kill a fellow pc.

Mechanical Metagaming is using rules or Monster information that is known to the player to govern the actions of the character, from knowing what spell was just casted, to what monster’s hit points are, to any other knowledge that gives you an advantage in combat or other interaction that you couldn’t know in game.

That maybe all well and good you think to yourself but why is it bad? That is a good question, so let us start with what a LARP is at its core, LARP is a Cooperative game that one group of people plot for the rest group so that together they can tell a series of stories within a common setting. Note I said a series of stories, each player has a story, there is the main story and then there are group stories. Each of these stories are affected by all PC and NPC. Characters act in that story according to how they interacted with people in the various stories. So when you metagame you inject an elements that doesn’t match with what people know even that disconnect caused by you knowing who has that item you wanted can cause a serious disconnect in the person you are not trying to buy it off, or threaten if that more your thing.  You can break a person’s immersion this way for starters and may cause them other issues in game. That just a simple example, changing the direction of some one’s story through Metagaming or changing your without caring who else it affects can really affect the experience of other players. Metagaming the main plot in some manner will affect everyone, if it done for your gain but at the expense of others you are basically flipping off the social contract that LARP runs on. There almost no way that Metagaming at that level isn’t affecting nearly everyone.

So in Cooperative LARP, Meta gaming is almost always selfish and not in the interest of the game.

So we much change and support the community into not Meta gaming because it is a benefit to the game. It allows more natural stories and enriches everyone’s playing experience. That should be the end goal for all players to have fun and have an enriching set of stories share.

So Lessons for this are;

Lesson one, always assume that an out of game statement is NOT known to your character in game, unless you are very clearly told that your character knows it in game. Defaulting to knowledge isn’t in game knowledge is the best way to not accidental meta gaming, short of not telling people stuff they shouldn't know.

Lesson two, keep you secrets, the best way of not having people use Out Of Game is to keep your secrets, be mindful of what you say, when talking about game especially in atmosphere of Afters or at Meet up which are very public spaces, were people can hear things without you knowing or noticing.

Lesson three [formally lesson two], never tell another's story that was told to you Out of Game. NEVER!!! You can't tell what they may or may not want known by the group at large.  

Lesson four, if you can’t remember how you know something assume it from an out of game source and don’t act on it.

Lesson five, understand why you doing things, if you find that answer involving out of game information or actions you shouldn’t move forward. It not a nice thing to learn the hard way trust me.

Lesson six, it really bad form you use information from the rules that you character doesn’t know, whether it abilities of other classes, spells or Etc. It isn’t in any case to use knowledge from the Monster manual to do the same thing because that isn’t even general player knowledge.

In short, everyone should have fun and remember that every PC is here at LARP to have fun and be part of the story. There isn’t a win condition, nor are there winners and losers, there are only players.