Define 'Powergaming' 'Metagaming' 'Powertrading' etc.

[Angelfire]

I have my own ideas as a casual gamer, but methinks there will be someone out there with clear definitions.

:cool:

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The Chronicles of Angelfire

[Jinx]

its nothing really....

these are terms used by people to rant about "others" and call them names. - ( well, except metagaming )

but for the sake of definition:

powergaming:
playing to have your will/way or to win on every level. - so if you cannot win RPwise, you ll try ooc.. you extend the powers of your character beyond whats possible for this character in terms or roleplay - often using ways only the player has access to.

metagaming:
using knowledge the player has, but not the character. - that includes knowledge about close communications, diplomacies, secret deals etc. and make it so that they affect the characters roleplay or even activly interfering with it. - it includes pre-emptive stikes based on knowlede one does not have.

powertrading:
basicly the trading of goods for personal gain only. - regardless of how much a route is in RP or not. - in the recent past also applied to traders doing 100% RP runs though - and applied by people who think that others shouldn t earn as much as they do.

all three are for 90% hypocracy - and for 10% actual problems.

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Shipdesigns made for DiscoveryGC

[AJBeast]

Powegaming would be, for example, to cut cannon relationships for no reason, like Outcasts saying they don't need the Rogues or the Corsairs saying they don't need the Hogosha.

Metagaming is roleplaying as having knowledge of things your character wouldn't know about

Powertrading is just flying around , doing the most profitable route in the mod, using the best transport and either refusing to speak with anyone at all or do so in an irritating and completely OORP matter.

[Tenacity]

Powergaming/Metagaming are both basically the same thing - Using information or knowledge that your character should not have to meet a situation. For example, if I see something on one character, I shouldnt use that knowledge on another character of mine who was not present at the time. Each character is it's own entity and not connected to the rest unless some form of communication goes on between them.

It doesnt even have to be character related. There are secrets in this game that should only be known by certain individuals, but due to forum access, wiki access, and other sources outside of the game, people figure out these secrets and use them against the factions involved.

Metagaming/Powergaming is also used to describe a situation where one player roleplays for everyone else present in a forceful manner, against the will of the other players involved. For example, a Gunboat faces off against a Battleship, and the gunbaot pilot roleplays that his crew boards the battleship and kills the battleship captain. The battleship player has no way to defend against this, and did not agree to the action in the first place, so it's considered powergaming. Another similar situation is RP'ing the destruction of a defeated player's escape pod to 'kill' the player - nobody is going to willingly delete their character because someone says their escape pod was shot, so it's considered powergaming.


Powertrading is generally the use of a 5k Transport to do a route that isnt considered in-character for the character's faction or affiliation. Powertrading is done solely as a means to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible, with no regard for roleplay at all.

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[Angelfire]

Excellent. thx folks.

yeah, i was getting kinda confused at some points about trading within RP.

I almost started thinking that people like me who enjoy trading as an RP activity (when I haz teh time), were considered powertraders...

Thx for the clarification.

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The Chronicles of Angelfire

[Durandal]

For example, a Gunboat faces off against a Battleship, and the gunbaot pilot roleplays that his crew boards the battleship and kills the battleship captain. The battleship player has no way to defend against this, and did not agree to the action in the first place, so it's considered powergaming.

*cough* And you're implying the gunboat had any defense against the battlecruiser? Don't get me wrong, I still agree that it's powergaming, I just thought it was a sad irony considering I deal with this sort of thing on a day to day basis.

[LoTeK_]

Wikipedia...it has a page for everything: Metagaming.
Lo

[Angelfire]

Wikipedia...it has a page for everything: Metagaming.
Lo

Dammit.. I went and read the whole thing. I feel like such a Nerd now with all this geeky knowledge.

*runs off to impress his wife with his new geeky vocab*

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The Chronicles of Angelfire

[reavengitair]

Powertrading = me.

Well, what is generally referred to as me. I just trade while I play other games - however, I only powertrade when I am in need of money (which is just about all the time)

[BaconSoda]

Metagaming.

In role-playing games, metagaming is the use of out-of-character knowledge in an in-character situation. A character played by a metagamer does not act in a way that reflects the character's in-game experiences and back-story.

This definition is one I largely agree to.

Powergaming

In role-playing games (mainly, but not exclusively), powergaming is a particular way of playing in which the emphasis lies on developing a player character that is either as powerful as possible, usually to the detriment of other aspects of the game, such as character interaction, or violates roleplaying etiquette by either taking control of other players' characters, actions, or the outcome of a game.

I also agree to this definition. Basically, the nerds who mess up serious wikipedia articles do well on ones relating to video games.:D

But, sadly, Wikipedia doesn't have a section on power trading. :wacko:

However, I will define Power Trading myself! Power trading is trading for another character or purpose for long periods of time. Usually involves something like a 5k transport, a very lucrative route, and a goal of a battleship. However, I don't like to think of power traders as bad people; just some of them are bad roleplayers. We can all help to fix bad roleplayers, though, so no biggie.

EDIT: Woah, Lotek, you beat me. I feel silly. :unsure:

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[8:32:45 PM] Dusty Lens: Oh no, let me get that. Hello? Oh it's my grandma. She says to be roleplay.
[12:49:19 AM] Elgatodiablo: You know its nice that you have all that proof and all, Bacon... but I just don't believe you.