MPNP Metagaming and Role Playing

Mage Wars PnP is, quite obviously, a role-playing game. As such, the GM will often be required to reveal information to all players that only one character will actually know.

A good example is in the detection of traps and hidden doors. Only the character who passed the perception-check actually spotted the hidden door, but the GM will have to announce to everyone that the character has spotted it.

It is then the responsibility of the player to role-play the sharing of this discovery to his or her party-members.

Metagaming

In such situations as the characters are separated, they must role-play as if the information is unavailable to them (as it is unavailable to their characters).

Example: A group of players has become separated. Two of them find a hidden door and go through it, & the door closes behind them. The next two adventurers come along; if they fail the perception-check, the characters will be unable to locate the secret door, and even though the players are aware of its existence, they must play their characters as though the characters have no idea.

The use, by the character, of information that the player has, but the character does not possess, is called Metagaming. As a general rule: no metagaming, unless one of the characters who knows, is said to inform one who did not.