One of Those Days...

So, my Monday night game this week was... well, see the title. Anyone else remember that book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day? Well, after Monday night's session, I wanted to move to Australia. It wasn't just the bad rolls (although, it's never fun to spend the entire night rolling 8 or lower other than one 15 and a 13...) but rather the stark juxtaposition of my crap-tacular rolling alongside the multiple crits of our fighter and rogue. Now, D&D is a cooperative game, so I'm certainly not complaining that my team was doing well. In fact, we would likely have ended up ground into paste if they weren't doing better than average. But it got me thinking about 4e, and the frequency of "Those Days."

So, in honor of all "Those Days" we've had, here are some ideas on how to avoid the need to move to Australia.

1. Don't take only attack powers. When you get the chance to pick up a utility, make sure it's not simply something that augments attacks. Grab at least a few of them that are encounter powers that you can use when you are scared of rolling a D20. Give someone else a save, remove a condition from someone else, teleport the heck out of a tight spot. If you only have dailies to rely on not needing to hit, you're going to spend a lot of turns doing nothing when the God of Dice is laying down the smack.
2. With the support of your DM/fellow players, make it an off-day for your character. Flubbing a lot of rolls? Come up with some hilarious antics to explain why your normally savvy hero is suddenly the Chevy Chase of high adventure. Things like grabbing the wrong weapon, forgetting the words to that Inspiring Refrain, or just straight up bad luck can not only make your wasted turns sting a little less, but they can also make the fight more fun for everyone. Tap into the groups Schadenfreude, get everyone laughing at the frustration you are experiencing. It may just make you feel a little better about it.
3. Help the DM out a bit. Maybe your rolls aren't the reason you're falling all over yourself, maybe the bad guy is just THAT AWESOME! Whenever you dump a roll, describe some incredible maneuver the enemy performed that caused your well-aimed attack to miss. This is, of course, subject to DM approval but most DMs will appreciate you playing up their villians. Especially when they feel like the dread has left the game, and no one is taking that evil warlock they spent three hours designing as the B.B.E.G. seriously. This could earn you some points, make you feel like less of a failure, AND help your fellow players enjoy the fight a bit more as they all experience more satisfaction when they manage to hit the guy on whom you couldn't lay a finger.
4. Finally, look at other benefits you can contribute. Give the rogue flanking. Sure you're a wizard, but use the bloody staff and go flank that goblin! Use the often-overlooked "Aid Another" action. +2 to defenses against an opponent, or +2 on the next attack roll against that opponent? You only have to hit an AC 10 with a melee basic attack. And if you're going to roll horribly, at least you have better odds against a defense that low.

So there are four ways to make that terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad session a little less painful. And hopefully, a little more fun! And who knows, maybe you'll accrue some handy karma that will get that evil God of Dice off your back before the end of the session. You might be back to fighting fit before you know it! Or you can always use Ode of Sacrifice to take the stun condition off the rogue. Those striker-types love when you do stuff like that!

Holiday Meta-Meta-Gaming

My apologies for not updating last week. Now that the trials of family holiday celebrations are at an end, I'm back at the grindstone, working away!

As a DM, I often recoil a bit from the term "meta-gaming." As a player, I find it less offensive despite my DM attempting to use operant conditioning to train us not to partake. But the prefix "meta-"is derived from Latin, and actually means "after, beyond, with, adjacent, self." When we have a discussion with another player about an over-powered feat, item, or combination, that is meta-gaming. When the DM puts his foot down and invokes Rule #1, that is meta-gaming. Ultimately, meta-gaming is unavoidable; and due to the nature of the game it is not even desirable to cut it out completely. But as with many things, each group must find the balance which works best for them.

There are several ways that meta-gaming can become troublesome. When one of these occurs, it can make a DM's life more difficult. The Dungeon Master's Guide already talks about how to tackle these problems as a DM, but ultimately the game relies on the participation of all for best results. Today, let's discuss when meta-gaming goes bad, and how to tackle it as a player at the table.

The first case where meta-gaming becomes problematic is when players damage the verisimilitude of the system in order to achieve optimal results. When a player rolls a Perception check to look for traps and gets a 1, the temptation is to say "Hey, meat-shield, come over here and step on this tile/open this door/open this chest!" This shatters the shared construct of imagination that the other players and DM have been creating up to that point in the game.

The second is when a player uses broad, system knowledge to motivate their actions: "Oops, that green lumpy monster is a troll, obviously, alright everyone, use fire attacks!" This use of meta-gaming also damages the verisimilitude, and additionally, makes balancing fights harder for the DM. If the DM balances the fight predicated on difficulty with a new, unknown (to the characters) monster, a player using their own extensive knowledge of the system can vastly skew that balance, and what was intended to be a significant, tense, challenging encounter can become a tedious, underpowered distraction.

The third is when a player uses system knowledge to attempt to strong-arm the DM. The rules are in place to keep the game fair, and certainly should only be broken on the rarest of occasions. However when a DM modifies the rules, or flat-out breaks them, for dramatic effect or to keep things interesting, it can be detrimental to have a player calling out what rules were violated and why the events or actions described by the DM couldn't have happened.

While it is often the DM's job to adjudicate disputes and rule on grey areas of the game, when the DM is one of the disputant parties, it can often seem like bullying or "cheating" when they try to resolve such a dispute. In addition to struggling with impartiality, the DM might overlook how the situation appears from the perspective of the players. For these reasons, it is important for players to have a few tricks up their sleeves to help out in these critical moments.

When a player is gaming the system, as in our first example, it can help not to play along. The "meat-shield" should refuse to set off the trap. Especially if they are not the person who usually opens a chest or door, or who walks down the hallway in the front position. If you aren't the player who can directly refuse, suggest that the player who is swerving into meta-game territory describe an in-game reason for the request. While it can damage the verisimilitude to simply call out for someone else to open the chest on a 1, it can reinforce it if the player who was searching changes the process to exclaiming, in-character, "I've got a bad feeling about this chest here, no trap? Not sure I buy it. Jarvis, try popping this open with that sword of yours; I'd rather not have my face right in it if I missed something!" Everyone at the table can then enjoy an additional moment of role-playing, the verisimilitude of the game remains intact, and the rogue with only two surges left does have to eat the symbol of pain trap he missed on the chest.

When a player is using their knowledge of the system to gain an advantage for their character, as in the example with the troll, a DM can often remedy this by swiftly swapping out abilities. Perhaps, with quick thinking, the troll becomes fire-resistant and only vulnerable to acid, or even cold. However, it is also possible for players to help in this situation. When a player declares "These must be trolls, hey guys, use fire and acid attacks!" you might help in two ways. If you are the "knowledge skill-monkey" in the party, ask the DM what type of skill check is required and then gently remind the player who "stole" your thunder that you would like to have the chance to use your skills when they are relevant. If you aren't the "knowledge skill-monkey" you might say something like "Garris has no way of knowing that, having never seen a troll before. He raises his ax and charges forward, shouting his battle cry!" Often, setting an example of how you would like to play is more effective than chastising another player, which can set up disagreements and tensions that will hurt the group and the game.

Finally, when a DM is called out for fudging or breaking the rules, it can be helpful for a player to perform two functions for the group. The first is to act as the "voice of reason." If the rule amendment or breakage seems to be onerous or unfair, rather than challenging it by declaring it "against the rules," try to explain why you think it would be harmful to the game. The DM probably thinks that the change is necessary, but may have overlooked some repercussions that you could bring to light. This type of meta-gaming can be quite helpful, and can often prevent hurt feelings and antagonism between the people at the table. The second role for the player in this critical situation is, if the changes seem reasonable, to remind the "rule-lawyer" that the DM has the prerogative to adjust the rules slightly if need be. Sometimes, simply voicing support of the changes can bring the opposition around. Other times, you might need to explain why you think the rule change would be good for you, the players, not just the DM. Suggest that you record the change in some form as a "house rule" for perpetuity. This can also ease the concerns of a gamer who feels strongly about the sanctity of the rules.

In these ways, players can help ease some of the tensions at the table caused by misplaced meta-gaming. Many times, meta-gaming is also the answer to the problem. When players rely solely upon the DM to keep the game running smoothly, they are bound to be disappointed. RPGs are a team game, and it takes the whole team to keep things moving on the right track. A little balance, the right people at the table, and everyone chipping in can make all the difference!

Happy Holidays, and may the New Year bring many 20s!