What if metagaming is part of the setting?

In many ways metagaming is just the players letting you know that they love the setting and know everything about it. The bad news, of course, is when that behavior disrupts the game. There are tons of ways to deal with metagaming and you can find excellent advice online (the best one still is: “Don’t play with jerks”). Some RPGs in my opinion actually reward metagaming: take for example some approaches to OSR/Old School where what counts is player skill, not character skill. Following that premise, it makes sense that a player can use everything that he knows to beat the adversary.

I think one of the best metagaming examples in D&D (and F20 in general) is the troll. When PCs see a troll they all run to find fire or acid so that the creature can’t regenerate, even if they never saw a troll before. It became common knowledge. How to deal with that? (That is, if metagaming is a problem to you)

From where do you think Fire Trolls came from?
From the Metagaming Hell!

Modern F20 games like Pathfinder try to restrict monster knowledge to certain skills. I personally don’t enjoy that approach, I believe instead that “monster lore” should give some concrete mechanic benefit. Things like lore or pure information should be a result of the game and the interaction at the table, not just a mere skill roll.

Most tables that I know simply link “monster knowledge” with encounter experience (i.e. if you faced a troll and discovered its weakness, you can use it in future encounters). The bad news is that D&D (especially the latest editions) is all about beating monsters, so facing a monster like a troll, where you know you can use fire, but being denied it because it would be considered “metagaming” just doesn’t feel right. The players can feel that they’re being punished for being prepared.

In the end I believe that common sense is the best option: talk with your players and see what they think about this. In most of my tables I like to let them know that it is OK to use a certain degree of metagaming if they check first to see if they characters would know that. Now, if I find a player that wants to abuse that trust “to win the adventure”, disregarding the table and the fun, I don’t punish him. No sir, I do something worse: I change the critter. Trolls are my favorite example because in one of my Forgotten Realms campaigns I decided that they weren’t vulnerable to fire. That was actually a rumor. Trolls there were actually flammable! Setting them on fire leaves them in a crazy berserker state. If you can survive a flaming and berserker troll long enough until it “burns out” and becomes fatigued, then you can chop him to pieces but it is a crazy tactic (and one that professional troll slayers only use in desperation, when facing packs of trolls, because while berserker they will attack anything on sight, including other trolls). If, after that funny (for me) lesson, the player still wanted to abuse metagaming knowledge, I would just invite them to leave the table.

However, I found a new option recently that I really like. I believe it came from John Wick, from Legend of the Five Rings and 7th Sea fame. For someone who doesn’t like d20 games, John certainly has a lot of cool ideas for it (check Santa Vaca, his latest bundle of rules for F20).

Basically: make the metagaming a part of the setting (OSR/Old School make it a part of the game, but not the setting). Give adventurer parties a social place in the society.

I really like campaign settings where “adventurers” are integrated into the culture. It is not only a clever twist but it actually makes sense (besides giving the PCs a stronger link to the world). After all, adventurers are powerful and resourceful, so why not use it? That was one of the benchmarks of my campaign setting - Chronicles of the 7th Moon. If you like it, check the excellent OSR-inspired hack for 13th Age - The King of Dungeons. It follows the same idea and it has some cool mechanics for that.

OK, adventurers in this approach could be the young sons and daughters of nobility. They can’t inherit land or power, but they have the right education, resources and training. Instead of staying in civilization, these Scions are sent out to destroy monsters that threaten the borders of the “World of Light”.

The “World of Light” is how “civilized” races (Humans, Elves, Dwarves… your choice) call their realms. The rest of the entire setting is “The Dark” or the “World of the Dark”, where disorder, beasts and Chaos reign. Scions have the job of getting rid of the Dark. That is the excuse for adventuring here: to purge the “monsters” and the “Chaos” worshiper.

The Scions of Light ride to destroy the Dark!

 

That is where the metagaming comes in. While they were trained, the Scions had access to tomes of lore regarding the Dark, all the accumulated knowledge of the civilized races against “the Enemy”. In other words, the PCs through their Scions basically have access to the Monster Manual. They KNOW that trolls can be wounded by fire and acid, and that they must burn and kill ALL trolls!

Now the catch: did you notice all the “ ” above? That is because the World of Light is not a black-and-white setting, there are shades of gray here. The civilized realms label anything they don’t like as belonging to the Dark. So, while PCs have metagame knowledge, some of those tomes might be wrong. Usually, it is not about the mechanics (i.e. trolls are still vulnerable to fire and acid, but maybe there some mistaken information, DM’s call), but about the lore (maybe trolls are actually a race of giant curse by the Elves after they killed the original troll gods, maybe trolls actually were once more beautiful than Elves). The idea is that after a few sessions slaying monsters, the Scions (the PCs) will start to see that not all monsters are actually monsters. Maybe the “true” monsters are the haughty and unbending rulers of the World of Light (the Scions’ own families). What will the PCs do with that information? That is the true question for this campaign.

While I’m having a blast running my current DCC RPG campaign, where the PCs are a bunch of raiders and Chaos worshippers in the most classic Warhammer Fantasy fashion, I still want to try the World of Light with them in the future.

World of Light

Twilight of Elves and Dwarves for DCC RPG

I tried to do something different with the Luck stat for my Cyclops class, based on the awesome Krull movie. Basically, Cyclopes in fiction know when they are going to die, so instead of Luck they have something closer to Doom. When a Cyclops' Luck runs out is time to meet their Doom (and because of that they can have some extra tricks with the Luck rules).

A friend of mine read that article and gave me the idea of using Luck to modulate the fall or fading of Elder Races. In a more Tolkin-like campaign setting, races like Dwarves and Elves are disappearing from the world, while the Dominion of Man grows. Why not use Luck to reflect that flavor? That is, if you want a mechanic for that in the first place and if you want a different take than the DCC Core Rulebook. I always like to change stuff, so here is madness to reflect that.

Following that premise, only Humans and Halflings have Luck. Man is on the rise and Halflings are considered lucky, things that already work great for a Tolkien-like setting. Now, let's change Dwarves and Elves. The idea in settings that follow these rules is that both Dwarves and Elves are extremely rare creatures. You can probably see one or two in the biggest cities, but they don’t have cultures of their own, their realms faded away centuries ago. Probably in a generation or two there won’t be any more Dwarves or Elves.

Both variant Luck rules below use what I call Thresholds. You have 2 Thresholds, the 1st is when you reach half your Luck score, the 2nd is when you burn your last point of Luck. Also, by using these rules both Dwarves and Elves can’t use Luck to gain bonus to checks, like Humans and Halflings (the good news is that they can’t have their Luck reduced, unless they want, that includes things like curses and spells).

DWARVES

Dwarves here are like Ents. In the same way that Ents are going to sleep and become more tree-like with each Age, Dwarves were beings originally awakened from Stone. Actually, they believe that their creator, the Forger, placed in their hearts True Fire, awakening them. When that flame is finally spent, a Dwarf goes back to Stone, literally. Dwarves here have cold and grey skin, almost rock like. They are very heavy for their height and can’t swim. The good news is that they suffer half damage for bludgeoning or crushing attacks. When a Dwarves dies (i.e. their True Flame burns out), their flesh is instantaneously fossilized (usually trapping the enemy’s weapon within, although the Judge can allow a Refl save or Agility check).

Today, that original magic is being unraveled by Time itself (or maybe something those damn Humans did) and the few Dwarves still around are slowly going back to Stone. Usually a Dwarf could hope to live a few centuries, sometimes more if they lived underground. These days they are lucky if they reach a bit more than 100 winters. Dwarves know that they are their last generation.

If you want, go ahead and change Luck to Fire. Dwarves don’t count on Luck, that is for Humans and Halflings that live and see so little. Dwarves burn inside like Fire. When their Fire goes out, they die and go back to Stone. Here are rules for Fire (i.e. Luck) if you’re a Dwarf:

• Dwarves can burn 1 Luck to suffer half damage from magical fire or ignore non magical fire for 1 minute.
• They can burn 1 Luck to automatically ignore a petrifying attack or poison.
• Dwarves can burn 1 Luck to transform a critical hit in a normal hit.
• Dwarves reduced to 0 hit points can burn 1 Luck to automatically stabilize and survive (they still fall unconscious at the mercy of their enemies until healed and the Judge has the final say when this ability can be used; for example, it probably won't save you from a disintegration attack).
• When a Dwarves hits his 1st Threshold his AC is increased by +1d4 and his speed is reduced by half.
• When Dwarves burn his last point of Fire, they are invulnerable to all damage and effects for 1d4 rounds. That roll can explode (i.e., if you roll a 4, roll that again and add it). Effects include things like charm person for example. In other words, your Dwarf can’t be cut, smashed, pierced or controlled, but he can still be pinned, thrown far away or buried. Use your last point of Fire to go full heavy metal in a blaze of glory!
• Dwarves recover 1d3 Luck when they gain a new level. At the Judge’s choice, a Dwarf that reaches level 10th turns to stone after 7 days and 7 nights, unless he goes down to the underworld and never returns to the surface.

ELVES

Elves never belong to the mortal realm. Older than sun and moon, children of an eternal starlit kingdom, Time was always anathema to this Folk. It is remarkable that Elves remained in these realms for so long. Most of their people left eons ago, back to those timeless shores between Night and the Void, Dream and Madness.

Because they were born literally before Time, Elves never understood the linear way of thinking of Humans and Halflings. These always accused Elves of being aloof or even cruel, and they are probably right. Elves think that Humans and Halflings should live intensively and strongly, because they have so little time left, always so little time.

Even those Elves born in Time have minds and souls that stretch back to the original Night and Void. They see things no one sees and think in ways no one understands. But all Elves know they can’t defeat the Enemy - Time - without breaking the world. Oh, they tried, long ago and failed. That is why they are now fading. The few left are those that still believe they can break Time, or those that want to see the amazingly fast vicissitudes (for an Elf) of these constantly decaying mortal realms.

Elves don’t die of age but only through violence or when they can’t hold against Time. In the later case they Fade. Some still linger as maddened or sad spirits, most just remain as flavors or weirdly beautiful hauntings. Elves also don’t sleep or dream. For them Dream is a place, close to their original home. They need no rest and very little food or water in fact. Sometimes they seem to know things before they happen.

Because Elves came before Time, change is something hard for them. An Elf today is probably the same Elf a thousand years later. Those that change usually fade faster. That is why an Elf’s word is binding.

Elves are disturbed by the very old and the very young between Humans and Halflings. Such concepts are alien to them, although Elves seem to have lineages, families and to marriage. 

If you like this take, change Luck to Fading. The world has changed and your kind’s war, the Greatest War, against Time itself, was lost. You sought to end Death, to bring to Humans, Halflings and all those miserable mortals something greater but you failed. You’re Fading. 

• Elves can burn 1 Luck to treat spirits, ghosts and incorporeal beings (in the ethereal or astral planes) as physical entities that can be touched and hurt. He can see such beings too if they are invisible. This lasts for 1 minute.
• They can burn 1 Luck to ignore fear, illusions, mind control or madness for 1 minute.
• Elves can burn 1 Luck to go without food or water for the rest of that game session or adventure (Judge’s call).
• Elves gazed at the Void, on the shores of Night. They can burn 1 Luck to ignore Corruption or Patron Taint until the end of the game session. They can also burn 1 Luck to recover a lost spell, although most Elves only use this in desperation.
• Sometimes you can still see through Time. Burn 1 Luck to have a small item with you that you could have bought or taken.
• If an Elf gave his word, that is binding. Breaking an oath or outright lying cost an Elf 1 point of Luck. However, Elves always know when someone lies.
• When an Elf hits his 1st Threshold, he is more There than Here. The Elf does not need to eat, drink or even breath. He can move to any place that he can see without crossing the distance, but he must finish his move on a surface (consider that the Elf still has the same speed, but instead of moving he can disappear in one spot and reappear in the end of the movement). He can’t do this if shackled with pure iron. Under direct sunlight the Elf seems pale and weak, and sometimes you have the impression you can see through him.
• When an Elf hits his 2nd Threshold, he finally Fades away. He can touch in person, enemy or item of his size or less in melee range and automatically take that with him to the Shores of Night, never to be seen again (unless the Judge has a new Quest for the Impossible in mind).

Your wizards are losers!

Everyone, after reading enough D&D, will eventually ask why do wizards (or magic-users) adventure at all? Their magic is derived from their knowledge, from their grimoires… from books! So, if they read and study more, they should be more powerful. I can’t count how many times a player told me that he would like to use downtime to study magic (i.e. level up).

One of my favorite RPGs (and in fact one of the best ones) is Ars Magica. Wizards in Ars Magica follow almost the same flavor as traditional D&D Wizards: they’re bookworms who learn magic from experiment and ancient texts. They are “medieval scientists” if you prefer. Ars Magica’s wizards spent most of their time locked away in their towers and covenants studying and perfecting their Art. You can say that one of the awesome things about Ars Magica is how every wizard trope makes sense in the setting and in the system (there are a lot of other awesome things regarding Ars Magica and you should definitely take a look if you don’t know it yet: the 4th Edition is free!).

Still one the best RPGs out there!

Anyway, as I said, D&D Wizards work (in terms of setting and lore) almost like Ars Magica mages. They should indeed get more powerful by spending less time adventuring and more time researching. Of course, that is a rather boring way of playing D&D if you ask me. So why does it not happen?

Basically: your wizards are losers!

Yes, losers. Wizard PCs are the failures, rejects, heretics, the unorthodox, the mad and those who for same reason couldn’t stay locked in the tower studying. Maybe they disgraced their masters, or betrayed them or discovered the dark about them. I don’t know. That is the funny part and the players (and the table) should figure that out.

Without access to a master and powerful knowledge, your wizard is forced to crawl in the mud with other pariahs, doing lowly things like treasure hunt or (worst) living side by side with sorcerers and warlocks. What a shame! That is literally rock bottom!

Arcane scum! That is who you are!

OK, now you have something to work for your Wizard PC the entire trope of “book mage” makes more sense maybe***. Lets move to the second aspect of this post, what I’m calling at the moment the Tower Wizard.

Illusionist's Tower... don't trust anything you see, hear, touch etc. Also don't trust your party.

Tower Wizards never failed their master (or just killed and took their place). They never lost time with such stupid things such as adventuring and carousing. No sir, they remained locked in their sanctums and demesnes, devling in forbidden and powerful arcane knowledge nonstop. They are the real deal. Most are mad and too much removed from mortal life or reality itself. Practically all of them are dangerous and uncaring (even the rare good ones, actually I would say especially the good ones… they are almost as dangerous as your usual holier-than-thou saint).

Necromancer's Lair and its guardians: lots of dead trees.

Thankfully, Tower Wizards are completely uninterested (most of the time) in the affairs of the world - or if they are interested it is because they need a charmed minion, dominated slave or bound demon to fetch something for them (or those misfits known as adventurers). Or maybe they need to place an entire city sleeping, so they can harvest the perfect 11.111 nightmares provoked by a Far Realm abomination as a component for that one ritual that will prove that the Demiplane of Shadows and the Nightmare Dimension are one and the same. You see, that kind of “academic” stuff.

Yup, that is an Evoker Tower (of course, it is also a volcano).

Tower Wizards are the bogeyman of the arcane world and their domains are filled with treasure, monsters, traps and grimoires. In other words: the perfect place to raid (and die).

Abjurer's Fortress and its scary arcane defenses.

I would treat a Tower Wizard as a boss monster. A thematic one. Forget the spells that Wizard PCs use. That is the “player side” of the game. Create new stuff. After all, Wizard PCs are losers that play with just a shard of true arcane magic. Create a dungeon for each Tower Wizard around the chosen theme. For example: if facing a Necromancer, fill the place not only with undeads, but also with a nexus between the Positive and Negative Places, machines powered by ghosts etc. Instead of a spellbook, the Necromancer keeps his arcane knowledge locked in skulls of dead wizards. Create a Transmuter obsessed with teletransportation and space, his dungeon filled with non-euclidian rooms, gates, creatures that play with space and time etc. You see, Tower Wizards are like “small Saurons” - a great part of their mojo is invested in their domains. That is why they don’t adventure and why they are so powerful. But destroying those places and picking together part of the rubbles, your PC Wizard can discover new spells and stuff.

Transmuter's Tower... hidden behind that gate/trap/monster/thing.

***Actually, older editions of D&D came up with all kinds of interesting stuff to explain why wizards adventure. I remember fondly how D&D BECMI defined the relation between a low level wizard and his master, and how you would always return to your master between adventures to learn more. Other campaign settings, like AD&D Dragonlance, also created good excuses for the Wizards of the High Orders to travel and adventure. I just wanted to create something different.

That is some cool wizardly real estate!