- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
So, what do you have in mind for Ivo to do? You're not picking either the A.M.A.Z.O. project or an A.M.A.Z.O.-relevant research field like AI, cybernetics, robotics, physics, or the brain.
Lex Sedet In Vertice: A Supervillain in the DCU CK2 quest
- Thread starter King crimson
- Start date
- Superhero
- Location
- Texas
[X] Improve AI
Going with AI over A.M.A.Z.O. for now.
Going with AI over A.M.A.Z.O. for now.
Last edited:
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Yeah, but right now they're kind of competing for spots.
Right now the ones with 'marginal' vote counts are
Investigate lost civilizations (12)
Finish construction of the LexCorp building in Tokyo (11)
Improve AI (11)
The A.M.A.Z.O. Project (10)
=====CUTOFF LINE=====
Design and produce spy drones (10)
Recruit skilled criminals (10)
Attempt to recruit the WIlson children (9)
Stuff above the cutoff line happens, stuff below doesn't- and note that while Improve AI has one vote more than the three below it, those three are tied for 16th place. For all I know, @King crimson will pick one at random. And we kind of don't want BOTH Improve AI and The A.M.A.Z.O. Project to win next turn, because we can only throw Ivo at one of them, and I'm pretty sure we have plans for Lex and Cass.
Truth be told, investigate kryptonite. Investigating bullshittium, some thing scientific, but science can't explain or replicate... Sounds like fun
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Sounds fun, yeah.
The thing is, Ivo isn't in this for fun. He's attempting a scientific crash project to upload his mind into a robot within the next few years, literally to save his life, because he is dying of a terminal disease that is melting and ruining his body like this. The man has about 3-4 years to live, tops.
I think we can manage his resentment level as long as we focus him on projects that have a realistic chance of helping him achieve his personal goal.
If we try to force him to do something largely unrelated to that goal (like fart around researching a random glowing radioactive rock), then even if he somehow manages to parlay that into useful progress on his own project, he's going to look at this and say "why are you trying to kill me by refusing to let me work on the project that may save my life? Fuck you, I'm going to ignore this dumb project of yours and work on my own research" or something like that.
It's not largely unrelated. Metallo came before Amazo. Putting him into a cyborg body would certainly work great as a stopgap to prevent him from dying. Either way, either Metallo or Amazo both require a power source, and this works pretty well.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
You're thinking in terms of what it would be convenient for Dr. Ivo to want to do, not what Dr. Ivo is likely to decide or want to do. Right now we have no experience with kryptonite as a power source and no special reason to expect it to serve as such without doing further research.
I'm trying to manage Dr. Ivo's discontent because we're seriously talking about keeping him off the A.M.A.Z.O. project for two turns in a row. We got away with it with the alien tech project because he learned so much that helped him with his own project. If we focus him on a random radioactive rock, there is no guarantee of similarly beneficial results, especially on a second turn in a row.
...
EDIT:
Unrelated note.
I think we really, REALLY need to start cultivating more surveillance and espionage capability.
Right now, an enormous number of potential angles we could pursue in terms of recruitment or finding the weaknesses of our enemies are gated behind Intrigue actions that are just too hard for us to take seriously. Anything with a DC of more than about 30-40 is out of our league, realistically, and part of the reason so many things are that, I suspect, is that we haven't taken steps to lower the DC of our Intrigue and investigation actions.
Basically, we want actions that make future actions easier, and enhance our capabilities to do what we please at a future time- to investigate enemies and reveal their weaknesses, to covertly remove obstacles to our success, and so on.
This is incidentally a good reason for us to try very hard to make progress in getting a search engine and social media platform. The kind of Big Data awareness Google and Facebook have is a staggeringly powerful asset for purposes of spying on people. Google and Facebook just aggregate those data and sell it to advertises; we will have other purposes in mind.
So we should think about cultivating actions like:
[ ] Recruit skilled criminals (Diplomacy, DC 20)
[ ] Hire a private investigator (Stewardship, DC 58)
[ ] Design and produce spy drones (Stewardship, DC 20)
[ ] Create shell companies (Stewardship, DC 50)
[ ] Develop and produce disguises (Stewardship, DC 36)
[ ] Construct off the books servers (Stewardship, DC 42 (DC 32 if Felicity is assigned))
[ ] Develop a social media platform (Stewardship, DC 54 (DC 34 if Felicity is assigned))
[ ] Develop a search engine (Stewardship, DC 66 (46 if Felicity is assigned) )
[ ] Hire Lady Vic on permanently (Intrigue, DC 34)
[ ] Build surveillance satellites (Intrigue, DC 54, likely to get easier as our space launch capability improves)
[ ] Infiltrate the government (Intrigue, DC 46)
[ ] Create a worldwide spy network (Intrigue, DC 74)
[ ] Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Intrigue, DC 55)
[ ] Learn about possession (Learning, DC 22, mind control makes for good espionage)
[ ] Improve learning program (Learning, DC 72, Big Data/machine learning applications to crunch the information we obtain from various sources)
[ ] Improve tracking chips (Learning, DC 17)
A lot of these actions are themselves kind of tough, but stack enough of them up and hopefully they give us options and flexibility to investigate, spy on, and learn about things, instead of constantly having to throw two-hero teamups to accomplish basic investigative tasks.
Last edited:
- Location
- Somewhere else
[X] Push for green legislature
This makes Pamela happy and brings us good press.
[X] Finish construction of the LexCorp building in Tokyo
Finishing up what we started.
[X] Create combat planes
Something that plays to Carol's strengths and gives us something to sell to the US military.
[X] Expand McCabe Fashion
Easy and helps Mari, who we should ask for help with...
[X] Build dedicated living quarters for Jinx
She and Jinx would get along well on this project
[X] Begin producing children's television
Oswald's been waiting for this and there's no reason not to have him do this.
[X] Locate Intergang
Something that needs to be done, probaby an Lex action.
[X] Acquire test subjects for Helfern
[X] Build a hospital
Prepping for Helfern's bone growth formula testing
[X] Learn about robotics
This should lower the A.M.A.Z.O. DC as long as we don't roll a 2 or less.
[X] Search for hidden artifacts
Obligatory Ngyma busywork
[X] Construct servers
Easy way to boost our phones
[X] Enchant LexCorp tower
[X] Fortify Metropolis
Protecting out tower and our city. Lexcorp should be seen benefiting Metropolis, our home since we've put so much emphasis into recruiting Gotham residents.
[X] Investigate Kobra
Easy DC and will satisfy Helfurn
[X] Learn about kryptonite
Planning for Superman
This makes Pamela happy and brings us good press.
[X] Finish construction of the LexCorp building in Tokyo
Finishing up what we started.
[X] Create combat planes
Something that plays to Carol's strengths and gives us something to sell to the US military.
[X] Expand McCabe Fashion
Easy and helps Mari, who we should ask for help with...
[X] Build dedicated living quarters for Jinx
She and Jinx would get along well on this project
[X] Begin producing children's television
Oswald's been waiting for this and there's no reason not to have him do this.
[X] Locate Intergang
Something that needs to be done, probaby an Lex action.
[X] Acquire test subjects for Helfern
[X] Build a hospital
Prepping for Helfern's bone growth formula testing
[X] Learn about robotics
This should lower the A.M.A.Z.O. DC as long as we don't roll a 2 or less.
[X] Search for hidden artifacts
Obligatory Ngyma busywork
[X] Construct servers
Easy way to boost our phones
[X] Enchant LexCorp tower
[X] Fortify Metropolis
Protecting out tower and our city. Lexcorp should be seen benefiting Metropolis, our home since we've put so much emphasis into recruiting Gotham residents.
[X] Investigate Kobra
Easy DC and will satisfy Helfurn
[X] Learn about kryptonite
Planning for Superman
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
The big question is, are we putting a hero on this? If we do, then we're probably passing up one of several other VERY juicy Stewardship options. If we don't, the odds of success are... not great.
We've been trying to cultivate Carol's building trait as well as her aerospace trait, and we already have a ton of stuff to sell to the military.
Is living quarters for Jinx a major priority this turn? Bear in mind that we have other internal construction priorities like "fortify and enchant the tower so that it has strong defense against magical intrusion and high-powered Intergang commandos armed with increasingly scary alien tech."
]That would forbid us to do a Lex+Cass action (many want that and it's been a while), and also we can just have the supercomputer do it. Success is not assured with the supercomputer, but on the other hand we won't risk running into interference.
I don't think we should burn two actions in a single turn on this task. The bone growth formula just isn't that good. In general it just seems like you're spending like 5-6 actions on keeping our hero units happy; it's a bit excessive given that many of those actions don't directly benefit us.
Remind me how that works? Do server expansions have that effect?
- Location
- Somewhere else
I wanted to head off any problems with our employees by making sure they're loyal and happy, especially our bad luck charm.
According to the last update:
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
That's a valid point (and a good point tying Jinx's happiness to our, ah, luck...)
But at the same time, there are limits. I mean, if nothing else, "problems with" most of our employees probably wouldn't be an Intergang-level 'oh shit' situation where we spend several turns constantly worrying about defending ourselves against a pre-eminent threat.
Granted.
On the other hand, it's already really freaking easy for us to just take the Improve Phones option. We could. It wouldn't be a problem. We could do it this turn, or any turn. There is no need for us to build more server farms first.
ThatGuyWithIdeas
Treize died for our sins
- Location
- Romania
[X] Enchant LexCorp tower
[X] Integrate flight units into exosuits
[X] Push for green legislature
[X] Attempt to recruit the Wilson children
[X] Build production facilities
[X] Design and produce spy drones
[X] Begin producing children's television
[X] Produce Universal Translators
[X] Purchase controlling stock from a rival company (Gothcorp)
[X] Acquire test subjects for Helfern
[X] Investigate Ignition
[X] Kidnap a member of Intergang
[X] Learn about kryptonite
[X] Learn from the Project Atom data
[X] Investigate lost civilizations
[X] Improve AI
[X] Integrate flight units into exosuits
[X] Push for green legislature
[X] Attempt to recruit the Wilson children
[X] Build production facilities
[X] Design and produce spy drones
[X] Begin producing children's television
[X] Produce Universal Translators
[X] Purchase controlling stock from a rival company (Gothcorp)
[X] Acquire test subjects for Helfern
[X] Investigate Ignition
[X] Kidnap a member of Intergang
[X] Learn about kryptonite
[X] Learn from the Project Atom data
[X] Investigate lost civilizations
[X] Improve AI
Last edited:
- Location
- Germany
On the *other* other hand, servers are a) easy and b) helpful for other long-term things. Like social media, or search engines.
Every choice can be argued against another. Its heavily dependent on if the user is willing to write up hundreds of words to back it up.
Most of the choices are leaning towards protecting ourselves and growing our capital for clearly visible gains. I'd like to see more controlled risks taken.
Our current problem is dem Ayyliens Intergang so a focus on Exosuits and spending a turn focused on picking all the Exosuit options would be great. We lack heroes yeah thats going to be a problem so just roll the dice either way.
A good QM opens up reasonable opportunities from failure. I'd say that failure is a good way to spice things up.
Lex Corp does need a stronger (expendable)security force. Our security force excluding hero units are made up of what men with advanced armor and guns? What are we Coil? That is so mundane.
An army of Iron Men now that's hot.
Most of the choices are leaning towards protecting ourselves and growing our capital for clearly visible gains. I'd like to see more controlled risks taken.
Our current problem is dem Ayyliens Intergang so a focus on Exosuits and spending a turn focused on picking all the Exosuit options would be great. We lack heroes yeah thats going to be a problem so just roll the dice either way.
A good QM opens up reasonable opportunities from failure. I'd say that failure is a good way to spice things up.
Lex Corp does need a stronger (expendable)security force. Our security force excluding hero units are made up of what men with advanced armor and guns? What are we Coil? That is so mundane.
An army of Iron Men now that's hot.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I favor that too, but I also favor us expanding our resources and capabilities, especially with this enormous bounty of alien technology. That's going to put us comprehensively beyond what most rivals can accomplish, if we work at it... but we have to work at it.
In the Terry Mcguiness future Batman episodes Lex actually sort of dealt with Supes.
Lex had Kryptonite laced into construction materials and pipes. He pretty much had trace amounts of Kryptonite mixed into everything.
Superman was soft exiled into space. The amount of Kryptonite isn't enough to kill him nor weaken him from fighting bad guys but it causes him perpetual pain.
King crimson
Confusion Will Be My Epitaph
- Location
- Los Angeles
So right now there is a massive tie for the 16th action (everything with 10 votes) if the tie is not broken then I will randomly select which option wins
King crimson talks about metagaming
King crimson
Confusion Will Be My Epitaph
- Location
- Los Angeles
So I've promised this ages ago but I finally had time to finish it. In this post I am going to be taking about metagaming. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like to further discuss metagaming.
King crimson Talks About Metagaming
Before I can get into the nitty gritty of my opinions on metagaming and how those opinions work I first need to define what metagaming really is.
What is Metagaming
Metagaming if broken down means literaly "beyond gaming". Essentially it is factors outside of the game impacting how you play the game and the strategy employed within. Some people might have heard of the term a "metagame" before. However this is distinct from what I want to talk about. A metagame is essentially the optimal way to play a video game. Thus if a character is the best in a fighting game they become the "metagame" of their respective games and everything revolves around them. I have no interest in discussing a metagame for a quest as it is irrelevant. There is no optimal path and you don't have enough time to truly figure out what is the best possible moves to make. Instead I want to talk about information outside of the game that allows you to play it more optimally.
If I were to give an analogy what I will be referring to as "metagaming" is the equivalent of looking at your opponents screen during a splitscreen video game. In an ideal world you would not have the information available to use but because you have it you can act on it and optimize your play. In the case of a quest you are using information not presented within the quest to better optimize your play of the quest. For example you all know who Superman or Batman really is even if Lex Luthor does not. You know what certain characters can become given enough time and which individuals are potentially dangerous even if you shouldn't be worried about them (Jack Napier for example would set off all of your warning flags because you know it is the Joker). Metagaming gives a massive advantage to those that can use it and simply knowing what paths can lead to makes it so that you are far less likely to make mistakes.
The Impact of Metagaming
So I mentioned that metagaming makes it easier to avoid making mistakes. However it does more than that. It makes mysteries much, much easier to solve. If you read the appropriate comics than a lot of surprises and twists can be countered much more effectively. For example the entire mystery of Atrocitus' prophecy about the War of the Light is no longer a mystery because you can easily figure out what events he is referring to. Likewise you know what something like Project Cadmus is likely to yield or what Abracadabra's true powers are or who the leader of the Wildebeest Society is (and if you don't google can fill you in on the details very quickly). Personally I think metagaming's impact is unavoidable. I cannot take away information from the participants in the quest so I have to be careful with what information I do present if I don't want every choice to merely boil down to mere preference of what character people like the most. Essentially metagaming reduces risk which I feel is an integral part of any game, especially one about choice like a quest. Without a good risk reward balance a game is either unfulfilling or almost self-congratulatory, neither of which is something I want this quest to be.
Countering Metagaming
So there are three main methods I use to reduce metagaming. The first and most dangerous one is altering background information to not match up what is out there. This includes things like changing the nature of Whisper A'Daire (she is an alien instead of a shapeshifting assassin), altering identities or switching up alignments. While I have done this a good amount I have to be very careful when doing this. Many of the big informational changes I try to either let you know in advance or give you ways to discover in advance. Things like the JSA and the DEO are significantly different from comics and the Menagerie is a gang that has no history in Gotham. However by showing you the impact of the butterfly effect in advance and hinting that things are not quite the same you are given a chance to adapt to the circumstances. I try to give as much information as possible in these circumstances so as to not blindside you. If I decided to make Batman be someone other than Bruce Wayne and let you all operate under the false assumption that Bruce was Batman before pulling the rug out from under you, I believe you would feel cheated and lied to. When making alterations I have found it is best to be as open as possible about changes existing even if you cannot reveal what they are since it allows the participants in the quest an opportunity to react and not blindly stumble onto buried landmines.
The second way I reduce metagaming is by hiding information. hiding information is the most straightforward of the three and is the easiest to pull off effectively. By simply not telling or refusing to confirm what does and doesn't work there is no possibility of me influencing the vote with information I give. I've done this numerous times when I refuse to confirm or deny information or when I hide DC's of actions from you guys. While this might unintentionally influence readers if I'm not careful (as I noticed when doing DC ??? actions) it is a way to make certain things more risky and enables good guesses to be rewarded. The trickiest thing about this method though is giving sufficient information. If I give players too little information then I am not doing my job as a QM properly. As such I am constantly striving to make players as informed as they possibly can be when going over things. So far this method has been a mixed bag for me as I feel that while effective it ends up discouraging risk taking as people tend to avoid unknowns. So while it cuts down on metagaming it doesn't avoid it.
The third and final method I use is puzzles. As you might have observed I love to use anagrams and such to hide characters true identities. Jack Sepana, Sasha Glynul and Orin Komarov are all successful examples of me making up an alias for an existing character in order to hide who they really are. As such if you attempt to search for the individual you get no real results for them. I love this method and think it has been very effective in what I am looking for. Knowing that each false name I give is a puzzle of some kind as well as including some information on the individual in question allows the participants of the quest a fair chance to guess who the entity in question is (and you guys have gotten it right for the most part even if I am a little perplexed by how you caught Orin Komarov and not who Linda Zekab is). These types of mysteries are fun and introduce and encourage people to think about actions beyond the obvious.
Using Metagaming
While I've talked about metagaming like it is solely a bad thing it is not. It can be utilized. Part of the appeal of this quest is being able to effectively make ripple effects in specific directions. I have seen some people try to keep all information available solely to what you should know in character. This is impossible. The very nature of quests in settings people understand encourages and enables metagaming. Heavily restricting information will just make viewers feel like they are getting cheated of meaningful information and that their choices do not matter because they cannot proceed forward with a plan of action or a general strategy. As such I do not try to avoid metagaming.
In fact I've incorporated it into certain elements of the quest. Knowing that Superman is arriving gives you a ticking clock to work against and adds pressure to recruitment. Similarly knowing that set individuals are out and about has given you reasons to be wary of them and makes you play around them differently. Prior knowledge can also make you dismiss an enemy who turns out to be far more dangerous than you expected. Like Intergang has used a lot of metagaming to mess with you guys. Because they are relatively minor as Superman foes it is very easy to underestimate them and yet they have been a much larger problem than a well known group, the League of Shadows, ever was for you.
Using metagaming allows questgoers to impact the future more efficiently. Isley has been another experiment in letting players metagame in trying to get the best possible results and created interesting risk reward scenarios within that. I believe that metagaming when handled carefully can add to an experience so long as it is used to increase decision making rather than decrease it.
My Philosophy Towards Metagaming
I'll end this post discussing my philosophy with metagaming. Metagaming is unavoidable. Any attempts to counter it can lead to more metagaming later on down the line. Doubling down and removing as much information as possible feels unfair and dissatisfying. However while it has its risks it can be used well. Metagaming is ultimately a game makers tool. The main goal when utilizing metagaming is to get your players to think. Bad metagaming leads to your players being able to flowchart optimal responses which is boring and uninteresting. Good metagaming should make your players have to think and is usually composed of making players pick between multiple equally valid options. Furthermore in quest good metagaming can consist of things which make people reconsider what they do and do not know for sure and create mysteries that feel fair and understandable since they aren't impossible but they aren't obvious either (examples of this kind of mystery in this quest include trying to find who instigated the fight between LexCorp and the League of Shadows, figuring out who Boodikka is working with, what is Ignition's endgoal, figuring out who is Holiday this time etc.).
King crimson Talks About Metagaming
Before I can get into the nitty gritty of my opinions on metagaming and how those opinions work I first need to define what metagaming really is.
What is Metagaming
Metagaming if broken down means literaly "beyond gaming". Essentially it is factors outside of the game impacting how you play the game and the strategy employed within. Some people might have heard of the term a "metagame" before. However this is distinct from what I want to talk about. A metagame is essentially the optimal way to play a video game. Thus if a character is the best in a fighting game they become the "metagame" of their respective games and everything revolves around them. I have no interest in discussing a metagame for a quest as it is irrelevant. There is no optimal path and you don't have enough time to truly figure out what is the best possible moves to make. Instead I want to talk about information outside of the game that allows you to play it more optimally.
If I were to give an analogy what I will be referring to as "metagaming" is the equivalent of looking at your opponents screen during a splitscreen video game. In an ideal world you would not have the information available to use but because you have it you can act on it and optimize your play. In the case of a quest you are using information not presented within the quest to better optimize your play of the quest. For example you all know who Superman or Batman really is even if Lex Luthor does not. You know what certain characters can become given enough time and which individuals are potentially dangerous even if you shouldn't be worried about them (Jack Napier for example would set off all of your warning flags because you know it is the Joker). Metagaming gives a massive advantage to those that can use it and simply knowing what paths can lead to makes it so that you are far less likely to make mistakes.
The Impact of Metagaming
So I mentioned that metagaming makes it easier to avoid making mistakes. However it does more than that. It makes mysteries much, much easier to solve. If you read the appropriate comics than a lot of surprises and twists can be countered much more effectively. For example the entire mystery of Atrocitus' prophecy about the War of the Light is no longer a mystery because you can easily figure out what events he is referring to. Likewise you know what something like Project Cadmus is likely to yield or what Abracadabra's true powers are or who the leader of the Wildebeest Society is (and if you don't google can fill you in on the details very quickly). Personally I think metagaming's impact is unavoidable. I cannot take away information from the participants in the quest so I have to be careful with what information I do present if I don't want every choice to merely boil down to mere preference of what character people like the most. Essentially metagaming reduces risk which I feel is an integral part of any game, especially one about choice like a quest. Without a good risk reward balance a game is either unfulfilling or almost self-congratulatory, neither of which is something I want this quest to be.
Countering Metagaming
So there are three main methods I use to reduce metagaming. The first and most dangerous one is altering background information to not match up what is out there. This includes things like changing the nature of Whisper A'Daire (she is an alien instead of a shapeshifting assassin), altering identities or switching up alignments. While I have done this a good amount I have to be very careful when doing this. Many of the big informational changes I try to either let you know in advance or give you ways to discover in advance. Things like the JSA and the DEO are significantly different from comics and the Menagerie is a gang that has no history in Gotham. However by showing you the impact of the butterfly effect in advance and hinting that things are not quite the same you are given a chance to adapt to the circumstances. I try to give as much information as possible in these circumstances so as to not blindside you. If I decided to make Batman be someone other than Bruce Wayne and let you all operate under the false assumption that Bruce was Batman before pulling the rug out from under you, I believe you would feel cheated and lied to. When making alterations I have found it is best to be as open as possible about changes existing even if you cannot reveal what they are since it allows the participants in the quest an opportunity to react and not blindly stumble onto buried landmines.
The second way I reduce metagaming is by hiding information. hiding information is the most straightforward of the three and is the easiest to pull off effectively. By simply not telling or refusing to confirm what does and doesn't work there is no possibility of me influencing the vote with information I give. I've done this numerous times when I refuse to confirm or deny information or when I hide DC's of actions from you guys. While this might unintentionally influence readers if I'm not careful (as I noticed when doing DC ??? actions) it is a way to make certain things more risky and enables good guesses to be rewarded. The trickiest thing about this method though is giving sufficient information. If I give players too little information then I am not doing my job as a QM properly. As such I am constantly striving to make players as informed as they possibly can be when going over things. So far this method has been a mixed bag for me as I feel that while effective it ends up discouraging risk taking as people tend to avoid unknowns. So while it cuts down on metagaming it doesn't avoid it.
The third and final method I use is puzzles. As you might have observed I love to use anagrams and such to hide characters true identities. Jack Sepana, Sasha Glynul and Orin Komarov are all successful examples of me making up an alias for an existing character in order to hide who they really are. As such if you attempt to search for the individual you get no real results for them. I love this method and think it has been very effective in what I am looking for. Knowing that each false name I give is a puzzle of some kind as well as including some information on the individual in question allows the participants of the quest a fair chance to guess who the entity in question is (and you guys have gotten it right for the most part even if I am a little perplexed by how you caught Orin Komarov and not who Linda Zekab is). These types of mysteries are fun and introduce and encourage people to think about actions beyond the obvious.
Using Metagaming
While I've talked about metagaming like it is solely a bad thing it is not. It can be utilized. Part of the appeal of this quest is being able to effectively make ripple effects in specific directions. I have seen some people try to keep all information available solely to what you should know in character. This is impossible. The very nature of quests in settings people understand encourages and enables metagaming. Heavily restricting information will just make viewers feel like they are getting cheated of meaningful information and that their choices do not matter because they cannot proceed forward with a plan of action or a general strategy. As such I do not try to avoid metagaming.
In fact I've incorporated it into certain elements of the quest. Knowing that Superman is arriving gives you a ticking clock to work against and adds pressure to recruitment. Similarly knowing that set individuals are out and about has given you reasons to be wary of them and makes you play around them differently. Prior knowledge can also make you dismiss an enemy who turns out to be far more dangerous than you expected. Like Intergang has used a lot of metagaming to mess with you guys. Because they are relatively minor as Superman foes it is very easy to underestimate them and yet they have been a much larger problem than a well known group, the League of Shadows, ever was for you.
Using metagaming allows questgoers to impact the future more efficiently. Isley has been another experiment in letting players metagame in trying to get the best possible results and created interesting risk reward scenarios within that. I believe that metagaming when handled carefully can add to an experience so long as it is used to increase decision making rather than decrease it.
My Philosophy Towards Metagaming
I'll end this post discussing my philosophy with metagaming. Metagaming is unavoidable. Any attempts to counter it can lead to more metagaming later on down the line. Doubling down and removing as much information as possible feels unfair and dissatisfying. However while it has its risks it can be used well. Metagaming is ultimately a game makers tool. The main goal when utilizing metagaming is to get your players to think. Bad metagaming leads to your players being able to flowchart optimal responses which is boring and uninteresting. Good metagaming should make your players have to think and is usually composed of making players pick between multiple equally valid options. Furthermore in quest good metagaming can consist of things which make people reconsider what they do and do not know for sure and create mysteries that feel fair and understandable since they aren't impossible but they aren't obvious either (examples of this kind of mystery in this quest include trying to find who instigated the fight between LexCorp and the League of Shadows, figuring out who Boodikka is working with, what is Ignition's endgoal, figuring out who is Holiday this time etc.).
[X] Attempt to recruit the Wilson children
Tie breaker for now
Tie breaker for now
What options is there a tie between, and how long do we have to resolve this before random roll is done?
King crimson
Confusion Will Be My Epitaph
- Location
- Los Angeles
I also don't remember who it was but someone asked me for some comic recommendations. Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography is a great noir comic featuring Lex Luthor with no Superman. DC Comics Presents Issue 41 features a team up between the Joker and the Prankster that has Prankster double crossing Joker and somewhat getting away with it and is a fun old comic. The 1989 Secret Origins Special contains a bunch of good stories including my favorite Riddler story of all time "When is a Door" which was written by Neil Gaiman. Feel free to check them out.
King crimson
Confusion Will Be My Epitaph
- Location
- Los Angeles
aezeiken broke the tie so currently there is none.
I'll be closing the vote at 9:00 pm PST.
The tie was between a bunch of different options at 10 votes. That has still shifted but there are still a lot of options (too many for me to effectively list out) within three votes or so if you want to change things
King crimson
Confusion Will Be My Epitaph
- Location
- Los Angeles
Never mind there is a tie again for sixteenth place. Feel free to check out the list