Metagamers, Rule Lawyers, and Know-it-alls

Metagamers, Rule Lawyers, and Know-it-alls

Let’s face it; we have all, at some point in time been in the presence of one or more during a game session. They can make the campaign/encounter a less than favorable experience, putting it nicely.  Let me break it down by type. Hopefully, people will share about their experiences with such archetypes.

The Metagamer- this person leaves no room for role-playing, they build a character to win rather than to enjoy.   They can also be referred to as min-maxers. Don’t get me wrong, I fully appreciate the fact that they can come up with optimized character builds. However, sometimes their characters fall short in the role playing department. That can affect the flow of the game, especially for those who play for the story rather than the logistics.  They can turn things form a role playing game into a strategy game very quickly.

 Though I do enjoy strategy at times, but as a role player too much strategy, no es bueno! 

Rule Lawyers- sigh, where to begin. These are the people that really ruin a game. They challenge almost every call the DM/GM makes. Valuable game time gets wasted flipping through rule books, arguments sometimes break out, the DM/GM gets stressed out dealing with them, and the fun gets sucked out of the game really quick.

Here is a thought, why not just let the DM/GM make the call? Is following the rules to the letter really important enough to ruin the flow of the game?

 I have had way too many games ruined by rule lawyers.  It has gotten to the point where, if a known rule lawyer is playing I would rather miss out on the game.  If I am hosting a game, an invitation would not be extended to them. 

Know-it-alls-these are the jerks that think they know how to play your character better than you do. Who constantly tell you what moves you should make, where to place your character, and who to attack.

Most of the time, they fall under the description of metagamers as well. Even though, a lot of metagamers are not know-it-alls.  

They usually assume because I’m a girl, I don’t know squat about strategy and how to play. I just love the look on their faces when I completely ignore them, pull off some feat of epic win, and smirk cunningly at them.  

So, that pretty much wraps up my rant on metagamers, rule lawyers, and know- it- alls.  

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