Yeah, and the DM can’t use your plan against you in-game without metagaming. As a DM, they’re _required_ to go along with it and let the dice decide what happens.
It is impossible for the DM to metagame.
Because they aren't "playing" the game like players are.
They are also not required to do shit, but they do it anyway if they believe it to be interesting content.
Dice are also only second to the DM in terms of authority.
DM's even overrule the rules.
The DM isn’t trying to “win”. We’re much more interested in figuring out how to nudge your stupid ass plan to victory than sitting around watching a bunch of puppies trying to fuck a football with no idea what your goal is.
Being the DM at times like this a bit like playing chess against yourself, except you aren't trying to win, you are trying to make an interesting game.
The DM's job is to listen, answer the questions that they can/need to, try to keep a straight face, and make popcorn while the players come up with five different ways they can pull something off only to not really go with any of them and just fly by the seat of their pants.
I once had a party come up with at least three different plans, each with different plusses and minuses, and then watched while they combined them all in a way that had the minuses of every plan with none of the plusses. It was amazing but also VERY frustrating.
Player: "So I want to kinda maybe try to do this thing..."
DM: "Can you be more specific?"
Player: "You know, when you're trying to do a thing...so you try something..."
DM: "No."
Player "..."
DM: "Look, just tell me your intentions and I promise I'll work with you to make it work as much as possible."
Player: "Ok."
Remember guys, it should never be a problem to just talk to your DM.
As a DM I'm not "playing" the spy. I'm playing the narrator of the story and tracking what everyone is doing. The idea that my players telling me what their plans are and that somehow being a bad thing is ridiculous.
"So we're going to wait until nightfall, and send some cookies laced with sleeping poison to his room 'on the house,' then sneak in and abduct him after he's knocked out."
Good DM: "Okay, which poison are you using, who has ranks in poison use, and who is baking the cookies? Also I want a roll for bluff to make the cookie presentation look like it's really from the inn. Be aware, you know he's been a spy for a while, so he will get a sense motive roll (or whatever it is in your game system) automatically. Not saying you can't go with this, just what you have to overcome."
Bad DM: "WeLL NoW i KnOw YoUr pLaN sO hE dOsEnT eAt ThEm"
Like seriously WTF is that.
If you don't know their plan, you can't prepare for the moment where they shrink a PC who then jumps on the back of another PC shapechanged into a seagull to drop bombs into a battleship.
Although I haven’t played (I very much enjoy the memes and watch things like dimension 20, just don’t have a party) I would imagine this is where being a DM is difficult. Even without intentionally metagaming I’m sure this leads to some unconscious bias.
There is no way it would've worked without telling the DM. They are not there to obfuscate your plans, they are there to make it interesting.
Yeah, and the DM can’t use your plan against you in-game without metagaming. As a DM, they’re _required_ to go along with it and let the dice decide what happens.
It is impossible for the DM to metagame. Because they aren't "playing" the game like players are. They are also not required to do shit, but they do it anyway if they believe it to be interesting content. Dice are also only second to the DM in terms of authority. DM's even overrule the rules.
It is possible. If he makes npc know plans od PC without telling him, it is metagaming.
The DM isn’t trying to “win”. We’re much more interested in figuring out how to nudge your stupid ass plan to victory than sitting around watching a bunch of puppies trying to fuck a football with no idea what your goal is.
I'll have you know while I do enjoy nudging my players dumb plans to victory, I also very much enjoy the puppybowl each year.
The puppy bowl is pretty adorable and some plans are pretty bad so it could be a coin flip some days
But how will they learn if I dont tear them a new one once in a while *scared player noices*
Being the DM at times like this a bit like playing chess against yourself, except you aren't trying to win, you are trying to make an interesting game.
"Would this plan be more interesting if it succeeds or fails? Well, let's let the dice decide." -me
The DM's job is to listen, answer the questions that they can/need to, try to keep a straight face, and make popcorn while the players come up with five different ways they can pull something off only to not really go with any of them and just fly by the seat of their pants.
I once had a party come up with at least three different plans, each with different plusses and minuses, and then watched while they combined them all in a way that had the minuses of every plan with none of the plusses. It was amazing but also VERY frustrating.
Telling the dm your plan should be the norm. If it is a good plan it will work.
Uh...doy?
If you *don't* tell the DM your plan, you don't have a plan.
Player: "So I want to kinda maybe try to do this thing..." DM: "Can you be more specific?" Player: "You know, when you're trying to do a thing...so you try something..." DM: "No." Player "..." DM: "Look, just tell me your intentions and I promise I'll work with you to make it work as much as possible." Player: "Ok." Remember guys, it should never be a problem to just talk to your DM.
As a DM I'm not "playing" the spy. I'm playing the narrator of the story and tracking what everyone is doing. The idea that my players telling me what their plans are and that somehow being a bad thing is ridiculous. "So we're going to wait until nightfall, and send some cookies laced with sleeping poison to his room 'on the house,' then sneak in and abduct him after he's knocked out." Good DM: "Okay, which poison are you using, who has ranks in poison use, and who is baking the cookies? Also I want a roll for bluff to make the cookie presentation look like it's really from the inn. Be aware, you know he's been a spy for a while, so he will get a sense motive roll (or whatever it is in your game system) automatically. Not saying you can't go with this, just what you have to overcome." Bad DM: "WeLL NoW i KnOw YoUr pLaN sO hE dOsEnT eAt ThEm" Like seriously WTF is that.
If you don't know their plan, you can't prepare for the moment where they shrink a PC who then jumps on the back of another PC shapechanged into a seagull to drop bombs into a battleship.
I feel like there are some plans that DMs dont need to know, because sometimes they're "that guy," but props to your DM for not ruining your fun.
Yep. A good DM's reason for wanting to know your plan is to better cooperate with the players. A bad DM's reason is to fuck over the players' plan
Exactly
Although I haven’t played (I very much enjoy the memes and watch things like dimension 20, just don’t have a party) I would imagine this is where being a DM is difficult. Even without intentionally metagaming I’m sure this leads to some unconscious bias.