Sir Poley's Blog, page 68

Is there a difference between genre-aware characters and metagaming? I play a Wizard who has spent several decades of their life sitting in a tower reading books for fun. Comments like the example you gave of the vizier's goatee fall right in line with the

I wouldn’t worry about it, because acting in character—almost regardless of what that character does—actually helps immersion. Even if your character is a total nutcase (although at that point, you’re running into problems of Tact).

If you think it’s causing a problem, however, it’s easily remedied. Here’s what you do: talk to your DM and say that you really enjoy playing this bookish, genre-aware character. It’s helping you get immersed into the setting and feel in line with your actual character.

Then, remind your DM that he/she is free to break conventions whenever he/she wants. The goatee’d vizier that your character inherently distrusts because of decades spent reading genre fiction? He’s actually a saint, and it’s the lost scion of the king living in the wilderness that you need to worry about. Your character can then go through a development process where she/he learns that there’s sometimes a difference between books and the ‘real’ world.

The most important thing is that you’re all having fun. If your point about the vizier’s evil goatee makes everyone around the table laugh and enjoy themselves, that’s what counts. Just remember—there’s actually a difference between gaming story conventions and novel conventions (which is where Milo often screws up). This means that while your Wizard might identify evil viziers on sight, he/she probably doesn’t know, for example, about random encounters, wealth by level, that anybody you fight will probably be balanced for an interesting battle, and that kind of thing. That kind of misunderstanding can lead to all kinds of interesting scenarios, misadventures, and general fun while preserving Immersion.

This is actually a super interesting topic. Feel free to let me know what you think (you might need an account to reply? I don’t know) and I’ll get back to you.

Is there a difference between genre-aware characters and metagaming? I play a Wizard who has spent several decades of their life sitting in a tower reading books for fun. Comments like the example you gave of the vizier's goatee fall right in line with the

I wouldn’t worry about it, because acting in character—almost regardless of what that character does—actually helps immersion. Even if your character is a total nutcase (although at that point, you’re running into problems of Tact).

If you think it’s causing a problem, however, it’s easily remedied. Here’s what you do: talk to your DM and say that you really enjoy playing this bookish, genre-aware character. It’s helping you get immersed into the setting and feel in line with your actual character.

Then, remind your DM that he/she is free to break conventions whenever he/she wants. The goatee’d vizier that your character inherently distrusts because of decades spent reading genre fiction? He’s actually a saint, and it’s the lost scion of the king living in the wilderness that you need to worry about. Your character can then go through a development process where she/he learns that there’s sometimes a difference between books and the ‘real’ world.

The most important thing is that you’re all having fun. If your point about the vizier’s evil goatee makes everyone around the table laugh and enjoy themselves, that’s what counts. Just remember—there’s actually a difference between gaming story conventions and novel conventions (which is where Milo often screws up). This means that while your Wizard might identify evil viziers on sight, he/she probably doesn’t know, for example, about random encounters, wealth by level, that anybody you fight will probably be balanced for an interesting battle, and that kind of thing. That kind of misunderstanding can lead to all kinds of interesting scenarios, misadventures, and general fun while preserving Immersion.

This is actually a super interesting topic. Feel free to let me know what you think (you might need an account to reply? I don’t know) and I’ll get back to you.

Is there a difference between genre-aware characters and metagaming? I play a Wizard who has spent several decades of their life sitting in a tower reading books for fun. Comments like the example you gave of the vizier's goatee fall right in line with the

I wouldn’t worry about it, because acting in character—almost regardless of what that character does—actually helps immersion. Even if your character is a total nutcase (although at that point, you’re running into problems of Tact).

If you think it’s causing a problem, however, it’s easily remedied. Here’s what you do: talk to your DM and say that you really enjoy playing this bookish, genre-aware character. It’s helping you get immersed into the setting and feel in line with your actual character.

Then, remind your DM that he/she is free to break conventions whenever he/she wants. The goatee’d vizier that your character inherently distrusts because of decades spent reading genre fiction? He’s actually a saint, and it’s the lost scion of the king living in the wilderness that you need to worry about. Your character can then go through a development process where she/he learns that there’s sometimes a difference between books and the ‘real’ world.

The most important thing is that you’re all having fun. If your point about the vizier’s evil goatee makes everyone around the table laugh and enjoy themselves, that’s what counts. Just remember—there’s actually a difference between gaming story conventions and novel conventions (which is where Milo often screws up). This means that while your Wizard might identify evil viziers on sight, he/she probably doesn’t know, for example, about random encounters, wealth by level, that anybody you fight will probably be balanced for an interesting battle, and that kind of thing. That kind of misunderstanding can lead to all kinds of interesting scenarios, misadventures, and general fun while preserving Immersion.

This is actually a super interesting topic. Feel free to let me know what you think (you might need an account to reply? I don’t know) and I’ll get back to you.

Is there a difference between genre-aware characters and metagaming? I play a Wizard who has spent several decades of their life sitting in a tower reading books for fun. Comments like the example you gave of the vizier's goatee fall right in line with the

I wouldn’t worry about it, because acting in character—almost regardless of what that character does—actually helps immersion. Even if your character is a total nutcase (although at that point, you’re running into problems of Tact).

If you think it’s causing a problem, however, it’s easily remedied. Here’s what you do: talk to your DM and say that you really enjoy playing this bookish, genre-aware character. It’s helping you get immersed into the setting and feel in line with your actual character.

Then, remind your DM that he/she is free to break conventions whenever he/she wants. The goatee’d vizier that your character inherently distrusts because of decades spent reading genre fiction? He’s actually a saint, and it’s the lost scion of the king living in the wilderness that you need to worry about. Your character can then go through a development process where she/he learns that there’s sometimes a difference between books and the ‘real’ world.

The most important thing is that you’re all having fun. If your point about the vizier’s evil goatee makes everyone around the table laugh and enjoy themselves, that’s what counts. Just remember—there’s actually a difference between gaming story conventions and novel conventions (which is where Milo often screws up). This means that while your Wizard might identify evil viziers on sight, he/she probably doesn’t know, for example, about random encounters, wealth by level, that anybody you fight will probably be balanced for an interesting battle, and that kind of thing. That kind of misunderstanding can lead to all kinds of interesting scenarios, misadventures, and general fun while preserving Immersion.

This is actually a super interesting topic. Feel free to let me know what you think (you might need an account to reply? I don’t know) and I’ll get back to you.

Is there a difference between genre-aware characters and metagaming? I play a Wizard who has spent several decades of their life sitting in a tower reading books for fun. Comments like the example you gave of the vizier's goatee fall right in line with the

I wouldn’t worry about it, because acting in character—almost regardless of what that character does—actually helps immersion. Even if your character is a total nutcase (although at that point, you’re running into problems of Tact).

If you think it’s causing a problem, however, it’s easily remedied. Here’s what you do: talk to your DM and say that you really enjoy playing this bookish, genre-aware character. It’s helping you get immersed into the setting and feel in line with your actual character.

Then, remind your DM that he/she is free to break conventions whenever he/she wants. The goatee’d vizier that your character inherently distrusts because of decades spent reading genre fiction? He’s actually a saint, and it’s the lost scion of the king living in the wilderness that you need to worry about. Your character can then go through a development process where she/he learns that there’s sometimes a difference between books and the ‘real’ world.

The most important thing is that you’re all having fun. If your point about the vizier’s evil goatee makes everyone around the table laugh and enjoy themselves, that’s what counts. Just remember—there’s actually a difference between gaming story conventions and novel conventions (which is where Milo often screws up). This means that while your Wizard might identify evil viziers on sight, he/she probably doesn’t know, for example, about random encounters, wealth by level, that anybody you fight will probably be balanced for an interesting battle, and that kind of thing. That kind of misunderstanding can lead to all kinds of interesting scenarios, misadventures, and general fun while preserving Immersion.

This is actually a super interesting topic. Feel free to let me know what you think (you might need an account to reply? I don’t know) and I’ll get back to you.

Is there a difference between genre-aware characters and metagaming? I play a Wizard who has spent several decades of their life sitting in a tower reading books for fun. Comments like the example you gave of the vizier's goatee fall right in line with the

I wouldn’t worry about it, because acting in character—almost regardless of what that character does—actually helps immersion. Even if your character is a total nutcase (although at that point, you’re running into problems of Tact).

If you think it’s causing a problem, however, it’s easily remedied. Here’s what you do: talk to your DM and say that you really enjoy playing this bookish, genre-aware character. It’s helping you get immersed into the setting and feel in line with your actual character.

Then, remind your DM that he/she is free to break conventions whenever he/she wants. The goatee’d vizier that your character inherently distrusts because of decades spent reading genre fiction? He’s actually a saint, and it’s the lost scion of the king living in the wilderness that you need to worry about. Your character can then go through a development process where she/he learns that there’s sometimes a difference between books and the ‘real’ world.

The most important thing is that you’re all having fun. If your point about the vizier’s evil goatee makes everyone around the table laugh and enjoy themselves, that’s what counts. Just remember—there’s actually a difference between gaming story conventions and novel conventions (which is where Milo often screws up). This means that while your Wizard might identify evil viziers on sight, he/she probably doesn’t know, for example, about random encounters, wealth by level, that anybody you fight will probably be balanced for an interesting battle, and that kind of thing. That kind of misunderstanding can lead to all kinds of interesting scenarios, misadventures, and general fun while preserving Immersion.

This is actually a super interesting topic. Feel free to let me know what you think (you might need an account to reply? I don’t know) and I’ll get back to you.

I just wanted to say that I really liked your post on the three skills for being a good player, and I eagerly await the next two installments (especially the one on Tact). As someone on the autism spectrum (and thus a very inadequate ability to interact wi

Thanks! I think the part on Tact is probably going to need a followup article or two, because there’s just so much to talk about and I don’t want to create a gigantic wall of text.

I hope that anything I say enhances your gaming experience!

I just wanted to say that I really liked your post on the three skills for being a good player, and I eagerly await the next two installments (especially the one on Tact). As someone on the autism spectrum (and thus a very inadequate ability to interact wi

Thanks! I think the part on Tact is probably going to need a followup article or two, because there’s just so much to talk about and I don’t want to create a gigantic wall of text.

I hope that anything I say enhances your gaming experience!

I just wanted to say that I really liked your post on the three skills for being a good player, and I eagerly await the next two installments (especially the one on Tact). As someone on the autism spectrum (and thus a very inadequate ability to interact wi

Thanks! I think the part on Tact is probably going to need a followup article or two, because there’s just so much to talk about and I don’t want to create a gigantic wall of text.

I hope that anything I say enhances your gaming experience!

I just wanted to say that I really liked your post on the three skills for being a good player, and I eagerly await the next two installments (especially the one on Tact). As someone on the autism spectrum (and thus a very inadequate ability to interact wi

Thanks! I think the part on Tact is probably going to need a followup article or two, because there’s just so much to talk about and I don’t want to create a gigantic wall of text.

I hope that anything I say enhances your gaming experience!