Metagaming: Help or Hindrance?

Metagaming is a fact of life. As roleplayers we can’t help but metagame, as much as we may try not to. It’s almost impossible for us to keep everything entirely to character knowledge. I mean one gelatinous cube looks like the rest, right? Some GMs get mighty fussy when it comes to metagaming, trying to clamp down on it with an iron fist. Others encourage it, and even some games just down right force it, but honestly does it really help or hinder?

Modifies Encounters

Let’s face it; this is the main gripe of the GM that’s against metagaming. They don’t like how their players can outthink them by thinking outside their character’s predefined box. GM’s, myself included, tend to try to predict how their players are going to react when building an encounter. Most of the time they only have their limited experience with the players and the characters they outlined to guide them. So the build the encounters in a pre-defined box in order to suit their needs, and honestly they should! The only baseline they have to go off of is what the information they have in front of them, their down fall is they fail to modify it before/during/after the encounter. Learning from your mistakes, and foreseeing possible changes are vital to a great GM experience. Metagaming or not GMs need to be adaptable, besides your players are smarter then you, it’s a time tested fact.

Effects the Speed of Play

So the perfect encounter aside speed of play is the biggest reasons I see players tending towards the metagame. Sometimes it’s to help play go faster by making suggestions, other times it’s to slow play down and analyze the problem. New players need to metagame; ask questions, analyze decisions and communicate with other players. It’s a part of learning the game, and frankly makes a more supportive environment for having a good time. For me the downside of the metgagame comes in when experienced players sit and over analyze the battle like a strategic chess match. This is especially true in D&D 3.0/3.5, your options are going to be, hit it, use that feat you’ve been looking for the right time to use, cast a spell at it, or hit it harder. Your choices are not complicated. So if you are going to play it like a chess match, use the speed chess rules; plan your move during everyone else’s turn.

Changes the Roleplaying Experience

The core of the metagaming problem is simply the changes in play style. A #savageworlds irc chatter was saying that his play style changes depending on if the group was metagaming. He pointed out that when he plays with a group that metagames he becomes more combat focused, and loses his perspective on the roleplaying aspects of the game. All the focus is around getting in the hits just right instead of focusing on the reasons they were facing off with Satan himself in the first place.

Is metagaming a help? It is if you’re a new player, your GM is more combat focused and is great at modifying encounters. Honestly though, I generally consider it more of a hindrance.

So where do you stand on metagaming? Do you allow it at your table or is there a strict no metagaming rule?