You cannot metagame an object; you can only metagame a person. If you have made actions for or changed the personality of a character not of your own creation, then you are metagaming. At Foster Forest Family Role Play, this could result in a ban.
The reason I'm bringing this up today is because one of our members asked the question of whether or not it is considered metagaming to find scrap around the community compound.
Obviously the simple answer is that "no," it is not, because in order to be metagaming, one would have to be acting on behalf of, or characterizing, a character not belonging to them. Since the objects have no ability to act independently and have no personality, this is not metagaming.
In the case of my specific example (which I gave yesterday in my article about metagaming), the individual who was causing the problems adjusted the personality of at least two entire families to reflect their own needs so that their thread would work.
Metagaming is never okay, and the majority of groups have some kind of a policy against it. However, object placement for convenience may be a different story, depending on the group that you are in.
In the case of Foster Forest, we allow limited object placement. For example, one new member changed the entire structure of the main house at Foster Forest (and was asked to redo their arrival thread as a result). This type of behavior is not okay. However, getting into the scrap wood pile (which does exist) and digging out some boards is acceptable.
The important thing here is this: When in doubt, ask. If you are visiting the Williams house and you need to use the clothes line, why don't you ask first if there is one instead of making an assumption that could be upsetting to the person who lives in that home? It might take a bit longer, but you are virtually guaranteed not to get into trouble over it!
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