So the admin of your favorite role playing site has told you that you've metagamed, and you've been given a warning that if you do it again, you could be banned! But what is metagaming, and why is it such a bad thing? How do you know if you've metagamed? What should you do if you realize that you've done it?
Metagaming refers to one member writing for a character that they are not logged into or, more importantly, do not play.
If you are new to role playing, or if you've been in the ageplay role playing community for a while, you might not know what metagaming is. It's not a word used outside of the role playing community, and the term most often used in the ageplay community is "power play" (which is incorrect and which I will address in a later post).
Here is an example: I play Peter Grisson at Foster Forest Family Role Play. He is an artistic type, often brooding, not always thinking through everything that he says or does. He loves women. Lots and lots of women. He is fastidiously tidy, health conscious and a great cook. He gets totally absorbed in his work when he's painting, but he is a wonderful and loving father.
Two members of Foster Forest decided that Peter was pretty stupid, mainly because he's always lost in his own world and doesn't always remember names particularly well. They played the game of continually poking at his intelligence until one of them finally got bored. But the other found that it was humorous, and continued to do this for a very long time (to the point that it was annoying not only to me but to other members). Later on, this same member made a post suggesting that Peter had chosen to leave an area of his home untidy enough that there were usable items left outside the house (on the porch or lawn). Peter would never, ever do this. This is a clear example of metagaming.
The previous paragraph is a true example of something that happened recently on Foster Forest. A temporary ban was implemented as a result of this behavior due to the fact that the member was a persistent metagamer who had been corrected on several occasions.
So why is metagaming bad? You have a story that you want to tell, and you need a specific situation in order to make that story happen. Why can't you use somebody else's character as a vehicle to make your story happen, as in the example above?
The answer is pretty simple: Because you don't know that character as well as the person who created them.
Returning to my previous example, Peter wasn't as stupid as he was coming across to other members. This might have been poor writing on my part, or it could be that his apparent absentmindedness was a vehicle that I was using for his own character. I know my characters better than anybody else does. I know what they would do. I know who can cook, who's a bad driver, which ones are strict, which ones are pushovers. Just as you know your own characters best, I know mine best.
The golden rule applies here: Do unto others what you would have them do unto you. If you prefer not to have someone else decide how your character thinks and acts, don't metagame somebody else's character!
Is metagaming ever okay?
Yes, sometimes. If I am logged into Peter's account and I need for Toby to make a small action, I might metagame Toby. If I am playing Peter and he is in an argument with Kevin, I can ask Kevin's keeper if it's okay with her if I make a minor action for Kevin.
Let me make it clear that this only pertains to Foster Forest. If you are in another role playing group, their metagaming rules might be entirely different. However, I would like to point out that metagaming is always seriously frowned upon in role play circles.
Metagaming is when you post actions for another character other than the one you are playing yourself. It is generally frowned upon and at Foster Forest, it may get you banned.
If you need more help understanding metagaming, you can also view this post.
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