A little while back I made a post regarding the “Roleplay
Standards” that I hold and expect from other people. I’m really pleased with
how the list turned out, but I want to use this post to expound on one of the
items—something you’ll find in the rulebook of almost any RP site you’re visiting: Metagaming. The term is kind of clever sounding, but to break it down, you
might define ‘meta’ as “a prefix added to the name of something that
consciously references or comments upon its own subject or features.” In other
words, Metagaming might be literally defined as the act of commentating on the
functional properties of the “game” or “roleplay”. My understanding is the term
originally gained a lot of use for tabletop games, but one way or another here
it is, and it really is a helpful rule for a roleplay. The language I chose to
use in my standards went something like this:
“The knowledge, emotions, and values of a writer are separate
and different from that writer’s character. This distinction must never be
compromised or confused.”
I stand behind that rhetoric pretty firmly, and I think it
speaks for itself. For as seemingly obvious as it is, though, I think some
people miss certain elements, and that’s what I want to talk about here.
