[UA] Powergaming: we CAN find a cure!

[Rae Gunter]

I think the problem is split between powergamers (who munch, and are
annoying to other players, and tiresome for the GM) and metagamers
(who use player knowledge to affect their characters' actions, and
must die painful deaths - character or player, whichever).

Powergamers can be dealt with - either through the "that's really not
necessary" route, or just the GM overrule.  I had that once with a
player in a campaign I ran; ten or twenty thousand iterations of "Can
I have a [big, massive gun he had no reason to get]?" "No." and
eventually he dropped it... then left the campaign, because if he
couldn't have BFGs he didn't want to play.  After a certain point it's
a matter of compatibility of gameplay style.

On the other hand, I've reformed a couple of powergamers through
teaching them that it's more interesting if you actually hve to be
resourceful to win.

Metagamers are more of a problem.  I generally solve the problem by
rewriting canon ridiculously, making what they think they know wrong,
while having NPCs take characters' actions at face value.  One
character, who suspected occult activity when he had no reason to know
it existed, got a reputation for being crazy and paranoid (even with
the other PCs, who weren't metagamers), and was still completely wrong
once they started discovering actual occult things.

Having NPCs (and PCs, if you can swing it) react to metagaming
behaviour as they would generally react to someone who, say, is
convinced on absolutely zero evidence, actual or rumoured, that
there's an occult conspiracy at the local burger joint is a
surprisingly powerful way to defeat it; the player, who may be seeking
to avoid making mistakes/getting into trouble/looking silly through
his metagaming, will find himself making more mistakes, getting into
definite trouble, and looking like an idiot.  Aversion therapy does
wonders.

Rae