5.16 Metagaming

Metagaming is when someone uses out-of-character (OOC) knowledge and methods to affect in-character (IC) actions and occurrences. Metagaming's effects can run the spectrum between constructive and destructive. Constructive metagaming acknowledges that we are all humans behind the characters we play and allows for kind interactions based on OOC knowledge. Destructive metagaming can disrupt roleplay and the immersive in-game environment as well as create a situation in which players feel unsafe roleplaying in Starmourn.

For the sake of roleplay and immersion, we strongly discourage destructive metagaming and encourage instead that any information your character needs to know or any actions they take are grounded in IC roleplay interactions, as would befit your character and your character's organisations and background.

Examples of constructive metagaming include (but not exhaustively):

o You know a certain player is having a hard time in real life, and so your character, within roleplay limits, acts in a way to make their character's day (and perhaps their day) better.

o You talk OOCly before or during a difficult roleplay scene to check for triggers and establish consent.

o You talk OOCly in addition to ICly about finding a good time for a planned in-game event (e.g. festival, special ceremony) to ensure people who wish to can make it.

Examples of destructive metagaming include (but not exhaustively):

o Player A tells you on an OOC basis that player B's character is a spy, and suddenly your character knows and treats player B's character as a secret spy without any IC indication of such.

o There is an election, and its outcome is determined by OOC player opinions regarding the candidates' players, or by OOC player collusion on a desired outcome.

   o (Note - this does not mean that election rigging cannot happen on an IC basis - that is valid roleplay, as is simply canvassing for your favoured candidate IC. But there is a difference between election campaigning and rigging conducted in game and IC, where such actions could be noticed and reacted to, leading to possibly interesting roleplay consequences, versus OOC planning of elections without IC involvement, wherein no IC recourse can be made, as OOC forces entirely affected the outcome.)

o You learn about another player's alternative character and reveal it to other players to affect how other players treat that character or that player.

o You treat another player poorly OOCly due to their character's IC actions.

o You read an OOCly accessible player log of an IC event and act in game as if your character had knowledge of the event.
   o (Note - Game news, the 'comms', wiki and Flogger are acceptable to use as IC accessible knowledge, as are the Histories available on the Starmourn website.)