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[Lotc Official] Guide - What Is Metagaming? [With Sammiches]


chaotikal
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Metagaming

 

 

... The act of using knowledge that you gain out of character on in-character mediums. To enact the usage of this information to disrupt an immersive roleplay environment. The strive for this information, in the intention of gaining knowledge for your character is the term considered Metagaming. From telling your friends on Skype to come aid you with no roleplay background, to recognizing your daily bandit whilst he's purposefully wearing full coats of armor.

 

Metagaming is a recurring law-breach in LoTC, with it's broad definition, it's often broken intentionally and unintentionally. With these small post I offer some insight on what is Metagaming, it's definitions, it's common breaches, and examples on what is metagaming on the day-to-day roleplay.

 

 

"..using knowledge that you gain out of character on in-character mediums. []"

 

Basically, you gain the information (Be it on Minecraft, Forums, Skype, TS, Etc...) as a player, and enact it's use in-character.

 

Examples;

 

Balerion overhears a conversation Rosso and Meta are having about sammiches behind a thick wooden door and thick stone walls, whilst they are in the basement of the threshold, thus breaks the door down, yelling down to Meta and Rosso "Chicken sammich is the best sandwich!"

 

Here Balerion has gone wrong as he wouldn't of heard the conversation In-Character, as both Meta and Rosso were behind thick objects, thus muffling the sound, or even so, making the entire outside silent. Balerion is, thus, metagaming.

 

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There are even more cases, such as the following examples. Note metagaming is, in definition, the use of OOC (Out Of Character information, or information gained by you as a /player/, whilst not playing your character.) Information in Roleplay.

 

 

Balerion grabs Meta, whom is currently hiding behind a full set of sapphire blue armor, even with a heavy dark shrouding helm, immediately yelling. "Where is my Chicken sammich!?"

 

Here, Balerion is metagaming as Meta is wearing full armor, which shrouds his identity, thus, Balerion is metagaming by recognizing him.

 

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Balerion looks at Rosso's MCname, which is "SammichEaterJistuma", thus, Balerion storms forth, whispering into his ear; "Hello SammichEaterJistuma."

 

This is metagaming in the sense Balerion has not met Rosso, but has used his OOC MCname (Nameplate, hovering name above the player.) and used it in-character.

This would apply the same way if Balerion was to Shift-RightClick Jistuma, to see his character card, and call him "Rosso", without knowing his roleplay name before-hand.

 

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Balerion has been summoned to fight off the murderers of Meta, as Meta has told Balerion through Skype that Gronkk has killed him with an orcish sammich and is raiding his chests, in look for his hidden loot, Balerion, thus, logs in and kills Gronkk.

 

This is metagaming as Balerion has not learnt about Meta's death in roleplay, and Meta would also be metagaming, as he was killed in roleplay, and is still using the knowledge he wouldn't know, as when you are killed you lose all memory of the events leading up to your death.

 

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Balerion has died five minutes ago, he was killed by the evil Hiishtgul of lost sammiches. As he's healed by the monks he runs off, in search of the evil Hiishtgul.

 

Balerion has clearly metagamed as he has died, and when you die, you lose gathering of all events leading up to your death, thus, by Balerion remembering it, he is breaching this rule and the Metagaming rule.

 

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Balerion is fighting Rosso, Meta's love at stakes. The odds don't look good for Balerion, as he begins slowing down the roleplay. The roleplay becomes nearly-stalled, emotes coming in once per five minutes, and suddenly, Gronkk appears, eating Rosso and patting Balerion on the head.

 

This is known as Meta Stalling, or metastalling, it is basically slowing down the roleplay, in the expectation someone you called (Like the situation with Skype above.) to come and help, thus, you slow down the roleplay. This is a rule-breach and is considered metagaming.

 

 

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Balerion is thinking of giving Meta and Rosso his recipe to his secret "Super Chicken Sammich", but, reading Rosso's VA, he finds that Rosso sells information for cookies, and thus, he decides not to tell Rosso, and leaves off to the sunset with Meta, on his horse.

 

Here, the metagaming comes as Balerion doesn't tell Rosso because he has read his VA, and has read what he does and why he required a VA, thus, he won't tell him as his VA describes he sells information.

 

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Balerion loves cookies, but that's a different story. Balerion meets Meta, who's a Frost Witch. Balerion has read all the threads there are for Frost Witches, and he's excited to meet one. He henceforth goes to shake his hand (Which will reveal Meta's frost witchness as his touch is frozen cold.), without Meta asking and it looking PRETTY awkward.

 

This is metagaming in the sense that Balerion is TRYING so hard to acquire the information IC that Meta is a Frost Witch that he goes to bring OOC information to IC, thus, this is metagaming.

 

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Balerion knows Rosso is an assassin who kills (with sammiches) everyone who knows his identity, thus, after Rosso has killed a poor children's parents, leaving the orphan alive, he goes onto the street where he meets eyes with Balerion. Balerion, knowing he'll die if he sees Rosso's face, goes to wail his arms and throw them at his own eyes.

 

This is metagaming as Balerion doesn't want to RP seeing Rosso's face, as he knows the fate of it, 

 

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Balerion is being hunted by Rosso and Acaele, proffesional extraodinaire murderers, for not sharing his sammiches - He hides under a table, and oh so fortunately, the murderers don't look for him in that place, but they do search for Balerion everywhere else. Balerion then goes to eat a sammich.

 

This is a very complex way of Metagaming. Essentially, this metagaming is the act of trying NOT to Metagame, thus making your character stop doing things he'd normally would (Checking under tables for his/her victim.), and thus you do disrupt some RP from happening.

 

 

 

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In these examples and brief descriptions, I hope I have enlightened you on Metagaming, and why you should avoid it... Have a sammich instead!

 

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I made this whilst eating sammiches.

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Yay! First guide from the Guide team in a while, now for me to finish mine :P

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I came here for a guide how to MetaGame :} None the less marvelous guide, and I appreciate your love of sammiches. Also this bit made my day:
 

Balerion meets Meta, who's a Frost Witch.

 

Thank you for your service to the community, and thank you for the sammiches.

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Nice guide! Hopefully it'll prevent the rampant amounts of meta-gaming in the server.

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Well, in the one where Balerion is emoting that Meta is hiding sapphire armor, it's okay to do the emote because the emote is from a third - person perspective: Balerion grabbing meta is an action, he doesn't know meta is hiding the armor, yet he still CAN do that emote. If he knew Meta was hiding armor and did it in a First - Person perspective, basically saying it, it would count as metagaming.

 

Great tutorial though, I learned much more than I did when I found out the meaning for the first time.

 

EDIT: Disregard this, I'm sorry, I was wrong because the character stated "Where is my chicken sammich" whereas he was never supposed to hear the conversation at all.

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Pinned and officialized. ^-^

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