infected slut princess wrote:Kuri Näkk wrote:I suppose you have some specific example of GM metagaming in mind. In general, metagaming is not necessarily a bad thing. For instance, trying to maximize fun for the group is sort of metagaming because the overall aim of the game - 'to have fun' - exists outside the game world and should not influence the actions of NPCs from a viewpoint of simulation. So, what kind of GM metagaming would you like to discourage? Any examples?
Sure. A certain degree of metagaming is unavoidable. That's fine. But there are situations where it seems clearly bad for the game. There are many such examples.
Let me choose one you may have experienced: Ever had one of those battles where the NPCs or monsters just happen to know and anticipate all your party's tactics and abilities and weaknesses? Even when they have no in-game justification for this, like a knowledge skill or special intel.
That kind of stuff is horrible.
Many bad DMs will metagame to try and fuck the player over (player illusion spells are frequently targets of DM metagaming, granted the rules for illusion spells are often not good). Some DMs will also metagame to insulate the player from bad things in the game.
Back on topic, in D20 I warn that during combat, tactical discussions are going to be limited to brief exchanges and anything said out loud unless explicitly stated otherwise is going to be said in character in some language everyone understands. That means that intelligent creatures *might* understand what the PCs are shouting at each other and react accordingly. Usually the PCs start out conversing in like draconic or celestial or something like that until they level up, and then I heartily suggest that someone invent a battle language. It only costs a skill point. If you're super paranoid (and at high level you should be), then something like an earring of telepathy becomes a worthy investment, and it becomes a null issue.
But I do intelligence rolls and stuff to see if NPCs pick up on PC tactics. In fact, if I had to put one thing into the DM's guide and nothing else, it's that when dealing with adversaries, treat them as living creatures. Namely, unless they're particularly stupid (and even animals have cunning), they have some level of self-preservation.
That means that if the orcs have a choice, they're going to lay an ambush every single time. Maybe not a *good* one, but if they attack it'll always be in a situation where they think "I probably will survive this".
Yes there are exceptions to the rule, but that should bear the rule out.
The corollary to this is that animals will run away when wounded, intelligent creatures will surrender if they suspect they'll receive mercy, and just about anyone will retreat if they think they will lose. Maybe it's just to rally and attack in a different way, but this idea of being outnumbered and hacked to death and standing to the last man shouldn't be the default AI for your NPCs.
It's interesting that most games I run if an NPC shows self-interest or self-preservation, the players automatically peg those characters as "important" or "memorable" even if they aren't. They help cross the uncanny valley of MMO NPCs with exclamation points over their heads and become characters the players care about.
Small anecdote towards that end: in Dark Heresy I introduced a throwaway character who was a former quartermaster in the Imperial Guard. He was literally a one-scene-character, meant to provide another link in the chain. They came back later during a city riot and I thought it'd be good texture to have him with a bedroll and a bottle of hootch at his landing pad worksite sitting on a crate drinking and watching the city burn, remembering his time in the IG. They asked him why he was there, and he shrugged and said "Too dangerous to go home tonight, so I'll sleep here. I've slept in worse places". The players decided to have the PCs join him, shoot the shit, and watch the riots burn until they simmered down and the PCs could get back on the case. It was this weird lull in the action that served as a wonderful beat.
Because of that one line I tossed out, the players made that NPC one of their favorite characters in the entire game. Not important mind you, but they'd always stop by to see how the guy was doing when the plot allowed and to do what they could to help him along in the world. Eventually they recruited him to much satisfaction among the players. They bonded with him simply because he was smart enough to not go out during a fucking riot.
So think about your NPCs. Even that shitty ass orc in the next room. Yeah he's amped up, but he's also a little weak-kneed because these murder-hobos have killed half his tribe and who the fuck is he to stop them? But fuck it, his buddies are here, he's got a pigsticker, and if he can, he'll kill these pricks and eat them. Treat him with dignity and respect, and your PCs will enjoy killing him all the more.
