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great video ;) i have a few things to say about this. Analysis: 1) people some times is extremely lucky. (And if he have a "similar mindset" than the writer of the adventure. it could look like cheating but its not... 2) if he is an experienced player and played a lot of modules, or read a lot of books, even if he has not read that one.. he will be very aware of the "tropes" and act almost like if he has read that one, even if he is not. Conclusion: So try to be SURE he read it and do not rely on "statistical abnormality" because it could happen on a lot of distinct scenarios and this could shift to a "Nightmare DM" really quickly Changing the adventure is a great thing anyway, so, please do it... start small and then grow. if you find that a player that acts like if they know everything, then make them include that on their character for the next adventure: i have a player who played with me for more than 15 years. so, she knows my style, she knows my tricks and even if sometimes i succeed at surprising her, she seems to know a lot of things that she have no way to know (even when i'm not using prewritten material). So, we talk and now when she is creating a character we think in a way to explain this... one have the feat lucky; other the observant, and has high intelligence; another is a divinator; etc. and she thinks on ways to in-character tell the other players what she " believe". thinks like "i have a hunch", or "i'm not sure, but i believe i had a vision of this place". that way her character become more interesting, and when she is right it is a talking point for the characters, and when she is wrong every character is mad at her :P
I would definitely go for being vicious what's he gonna do call you out for moving everything were from where he knows it is. Although I wouldn't put traps there every time then you'd be able to say that you're just trying to kill him.
When I got the D&D Beyond Legendary Bundle, it came with most of the prewritten adventures. So far I've gone through "Lost Mine of Phandelver" and "Storm King's Thunder". I refrain from looking through the rest because I want to run them as a player first.
This reminds me of the episode of Limmy's show for an adventure call skit that a caller uses insider info to solve puzzles and then he just flat out removes objects that are supposed to be there and asks the person to tell him what should be there if he knows so much
For real...throw in something random where they are expecting treasure and watch their face. If they give away their surprise or they question what should have been in there, kick them the hell out. It's one thing if they admitted to reading the encounter when you asked them about it, but to lie and continue to "get lucky", they are a cheat and a liar. Kick them.
There's no point in running a game for someone who you genuinely believe to be cheating. Just flat out tell them that you know they've read the module and cut them from the group. Don't waste your time trying to "correct" the behaviour or "teach them a lesson". You don't trust them; don't waste your time with them.
I agree don't waste time on a cheater get rid of him and use that time you would of used messing with him to put towards your good players or even finding a replacement for the cheater.
Yes and no. I would say smack their hand a few times by switching stuff up in hope that they will get the message but if they fight back because "that isn't what the book says" point out where the DMG says that the DM makes the rules and kick them.
@@Nerdarchy Yeah. Dave lead with basically, "Just tell them to knock it off." I guess I fundamentally disagree with in-game solutions to out-of-game problems. The problem is that the player is being dishonest. You solve dishonesty with honesty. On a more personal note, I hope both you guys and your loved ones are doing well. Nice to have something trivial to argue about in "interesting times".
This was a good opportunity to have a video on how to confront a cheating player. If you stop to think about it, I believe that is what the kid really meant. In my personal opinion, this example is not about a bad player. Bad players are murder hobos, spotlight hogs, etc. This example is about a bad person with lack of character. No matter what you do, you won't be able to trust what he/she says. Once this knowledge is clear, yes! Kick this person from your group instead of adapting everything for that person. Confront someone in time to kick out of the table is not an easy task. But to think it is not something DMs also need to be prepared for is simply naive (I wish we had more content about this). You don't need drama, or aggressive behavior, but you'll need to have your arguments organized in your head and to maintain calm and control. Never do such in front of the group, this sort of discussion must happen individually.
Confession. When I was 10, and still learning the game, I did this a lot. It wasn't "to win", I was just fascinated with the monsters, maps, and traps, and the story of the adventure with all the possibilities. I eventually stopped, mostly because the other players and the DM were increasingly unhappy. I would wait until the adventure was over, and then the DM would let me go over the module as much as I wanted, to see all the things that could of happened. I just needed to mature as a player.
well because D&D is so flexible, I don't really think it's possible to cheat unless you're using weighted dice or hacking roll20. Like the guys say, if you suspect this is happening all you have to do to solve the problem is switch things around. Once they stop receiving the benefits of reading ahead they'll stop. No harm done. Same with any form of metagaming. give the monster a few extra hit points or abilities, swap the immunities around, etc. D&D is all about being creative, use that to your advantage.
Everyone can be creative. We are born with it. It's part of our survival instinct. Some folks choose to regularly exercise that muscle, others don't. But we all have the ability.
I was in a game and someone did the opposite of this. They WERE the DM and really just took a pre-written adventure and just discarded 70% for their own stuff. It got to the point where it was so derailed and messy that a few of the players actually started getting into the book just to see what the heck was going on. The DM was just turning a normal dungeon into a meat grinder with zero loot and a story that they couldn't keep straight. Seeing how it SHOULD have ended, alone, was aggravating as it would have been a much better RP experience.
Tip for these sort of scenarios: make a list of about 10 ish changes for each of: creature, trap, puzzle, check, location, loot, quest, and npc. This change should not push a subject of a given dc above or below that DC (or at least not much above or below) These can be simple changes like “change the key word of a riddle” or “swap the dex and str of the creature” or something, to things more like “if this creature has resistances or vulnerabilities swap them” or even “take the object and swap it with the goal of a room they encounter 3 rooms from now” or “take the first room on the right and place it on the second hall to the left” i would advise making the changes Before your game, have it all set up so that the meta gamer wont know stuff has changed. It does not take a lot to make what they expected turn into an alien concept. Make a locked door into an illusion, a spike trap into a waiting drop monster, a rigged tile 3 steps in into one 2 or 5 in. Small changes are often the hardest to spot or expect.
All excellent options, but be prepared for those methods to fail. I’ve had a player in my group once who just kept doing bad things. Reading monster stat blocks, playing against the party, and just generally being disruptive. We tried to break the habits, but he refused to change and we eventually had to cut him out of the group.
Great video, guys! All useful tips for veterans and beginners alike! In response to the GM having trouble with his player, if you've already called him on it once and he has denied it, you should have a chat with him (one-on-one) and explain why that behavior is not OK, how it affects not just you as a GM but also everyone else at the "table" and that if it continues he will have to be forced out -- which you don't WANT to do and is obviously a last resort, but one I think all GM's should remember is a valid option for players with toxic habits who don't want to compromise and work with others to make the best possible experience for everyone involved. Just saying "you are metagaming" may not drive the point home as much, as for video gamers metagaming is essentially "winning" -- he may be unaware of the problems of his behavior, and I at least would try to give them the benefit of the doubt. I hope you are able to find a good solution, but whatever happens DON'T STOP GM-ing!
Funny today I talk about my Yuan-ti Backstory/reason to bring with the party and he said my idea was Similiar to something happening later in module. So apperently my understanding of Yuan-ti culture is so good that I was able to make one who fits perfect. Oh well back to drawing board
I've seen players who've played a campaign before pretend they haven't (like actually play like they hadnt) for the enjoyment of the group. This is the opposite of that, reading a campaign you aren't running is a dnd taboo.
I was going to make the same comment. If you're familiar with an adventure but still want to play with a group it seems best to take a more supportive role. You can still be an involved party member, but let others take the lead and make major decisions/discoveries. If the DM likes to mix things up so you're sometimes surprised then so much the better. My wife sometimes gets into shows or movies after I've already watched them. Rewatching, having a sense of what's coming, and enjoying her reaction is a lot of fun. The last thing I'd want is to lessen her experience, which is what this player is doing to their party.
I ALWAYS change the map. If it is a village map, just grab a different village. Most of the dungeon maps are crappy - easy to replace with a custom one. Give items history. Standard +1 sword? The fine elf runes on this magic blade read (in elvish) "Forged by Doshela of Wendathrin" on one side and "For Paerin of Vindelmor" on the other. When the sword is held by any elf the gem in the pommel gives off a very faint yellow glow, no more than candlelight, and the blade rings like a bell when it strikes another metal weapon. Any elf or character with History proficiency can roll to see if they've heard of any of these people or places. This change alone throws a wrench into the brain of someone cheating. ALWAYS change cursed items to not having a curse, instead moving the curse to another item. Change NPC names if YOU can remember the switch. This is one that is easy to screw up if you have to reach for the source material during the game. It works a lot better if you have the ability to do it in the source document with a search/replace. Swap NPC factions - can you remember that you did this? I do these things even when I do not suspect a player of cheating. It's fun to make the adventure fit my setting better by making the character names have the correct cultural influence, and I use custom factions so the listed ones don't work anyway.
They're not necessarily reading ahead for advantage. They may have simply played it before. I'd try talking to them completely privately. Tell them you're not mad, but you're going to change the details of the campaign, to help make sure everyone's on a more even playing field. Not just to block their "uncanny good luck", but to make it more fun for them too. Good DM'ing involves adapting the adventure to the players at hand anyway. One of the best resources, is to listen to the players discussing what's going on. They're full of ideas. Just never do exactly what they discuss. You'll find you don't need to "steer" players if you do this, and your "hooks" become completely irresistible to the players.
something i do is rearrange encounters if i suspect a player is cheating or if its a module that has been run a lot (starter set is a common play through for local game groups) IE encounter one is now 10 and 10 is 2 and i will creat a key for my self to keep track of it the rooms will be the same just whats in them will change
I am playing curse of Strahd with some friends, the Dm said that we are not aloud to read the adventure. Not that i wanted to do it, but he said it so just so everyone is on the same page. and the most annoying thing is that puffing Forrest is publishing his run of that adventure, So i can't watch it just yet :(
I have suspicions that my character was being targered in a West March-esque server I was in, but I don't exactly know for certain. I play a Wizard only every once in a while, and stay near the backline. On multiple occasions, enemies suddenly show up outt of no-where in the backline and focus my character, even when I haven't done anything more than dashing to keep up with the party. The was one fight where I had done the least amount of damage, and had quite a couple things swivle their attention towards me. Was I being targeted?
I've seen advice around online about how you should make backline characters feel challenged by having enemies ambush from the rear mid combat. It's possible that's what the DM was trying to do. Its also possible that the DM had a bad experience with a Wizard in the past or something and they were in fact targeting you. There's not really a good way of knowing unfortunately.
It's easiest to just kick them out. But yeah, I'd rather lull them into a false sense of security _then_ spring an unexpected fatal trap/encounter on them... and then kick them out.
There's a lot of "Kick him out" solutions. Finding players now may be easier than at any other time in RPG history, but it can still be a pain to find a group that is good with the same "tone" of game that the rest want to.
I would also suggest just using the wealth of free adventures online or old adventures from previous editions. All you need to do is reference 5e monsters, traps and effects.
There is only one correct answer: kick him from the group. He has already shown he will not change after being called out on it, and with that level of trust broken there is no reason to keep him around.
I'd create a reskin, but change all the resistences and such to be exactly the opposite of the creatures that were originally in the book. Then cheating player suddenly realizes all his preparations were useless. Lol. Oh.. wait you thought it was weak to slashing and fire? Haha.. nah.. he's weak to blunt and ice. Not that you tell them that right out, but yeah.
As much as I like their advice, does anyone else still uncomfortable by thought of having a player who is actively trying to cheat at their game? Like, even if you change things, that player is still actively trying to play you and fuck with you. I would not feel comfortable playing with that player.
Okay just going to take this stance. Reading ahead or reading the book during a campaign isn't cheating! 1. All reading ahead does is give you knowledge that application of said knowledge is the key. 2. What your character know may not be the same as the player and good players or DM can correct that. The DM story of the player acts lucky makes no sense because... 3. Stats and dice rolls determine success so even with advance knowledge and optimization you can still fail. So in the end this two philosophies in contradiction the DM who views that player should have as little knowledge as possible as to make the story telling more surpising and the players who want to get access to all the rewards. This is less about calling out a player and more about deciding what is the beat way for both people to enjoy the game.
There are several ways to go about the situation, as it's been mentioned by the other comments kicking that individual out is an option, but it could potentially make tension between the rest of the group. My suggestion is ask your other players their thoughts on the matter. (If this alleged cheating individual should be allowed to keep playing or not) Though in regards to that person why not throw a few surprise encounters out there? It's like my mentor preached to me. The books are only a guide
Question: Concerning "Reach Weapons" and Polearm Master: If an enemy is out of your LoS but enters your reach...then enters LoS, does the feat allow for the AOO..or because the enemy had previously entered your reach, just not within LoS..is the AOO not allowed? This came about with the corner of a house...both were hugging their respective sides...enemy technically was within the 10ft reach..but there was a house in the way...soo the player couldn't make an attack...then it approached the corner and allowed for an attack with cover bonus to defense once it came into LoS
I ruled no AOO...as the enemy had total cover (house) when it technically entered the reach of the weapon. Any steps toward the player afterward did not meat the "enter the reach" requirement of the feat...PLAYER WAS PISSED LOL.... To me, Line of Sight is not the same thing as Reach...I stand by my ruling after thinking about it for hours...but figured I would ask a more experienced DM.
The best thing is to talk to the rest of the group without him and let them know that you feel that he is cheating and metagaming, and find out what the rest of the group feels about it, and how they want you to handle it. Find a solution that makes them happy and that makes you happy. If they're happy with his cheating, then let them know that it bothers you, and that you need to work together to find a solution that makes everyone happy. If they're not happy with his cheating, then work with them to find ways to get back at the cheater. That way they will know what is going on when it is obvious that you as the DM are vindictively targeting one of the players, and they will understand why. And when you let them know what's going on, they'll probably be on your side. They're probably not happy with him metagaming, because very few people in the D&D community approve of what he is doing. The most important thing is to find a solution to this that doesn't ruin the game for his teammates. Heck, I would probably enjoy working with my DM to find ways to mess with a metagaming cheater. If you don't think you're a creative enough DM to find a good solution, let your players do it for you. It would be so much fun for the metagaming cheater to give specific instructions on what he wants to do, and the DM alters the story slightly so that his extremely specific instructions did nothing. And then for the DM to basically wink at another player, and the other player then does something extremely stupid and gets lucky and finds what the metagaming cheater was hoping to find. For example, the metagamer looks at page 17 of the 3rd book on the 2nd shelf of the bookcase, and he doesn't find the secret note that he thought was hidden there. Then his teammate says that he trips over his feet, and bumps his head on the bookcase. Then the DM says that a note from on top of the bookcase is jarred loose by the collision and the players find the hidden secret after all. If you keep doing that to the metagaming cheater, and always giving another player the credit for finding the thing that the metagamer was trying to find, that would probably make him quite angry, and it would be such a joy to frustrate him like that.
Kick the player. If he asks to come back and promises to stop cheating give him one chance. If he is rude or denies it. Kick him, don't look back. There are plenty of great players looking for games. Find another player.
New DMs are far more susceptible to cheese players than advanced DMs. Not being creative is an excuse, because everyone is creative enough to learn that you have permission to change anything and everything in a game. In fact you are encouraged to do it. New DMs have a really hard time with this concept. It’s ok. Embrace the darkness and change whatever you want
No one owes a player a game but I'd be inclined to change some things ahead of time not as a reaction on the spot because I think they're cheating. I could have a tell or they could just be savvy and not know the source material.
Ah, out of game knowledge, the bane of Lawful Neutral DMs everywhere. Some ideas: (1) -- Talk to another player, and give them the location of an unlisted treasure. Let them find it, as a way to balance out the other players "Luck". (2) -- Ask around your own family, maybe a parent or grandparent or uncle or aunt who played Back In The Day has some ideas, might even run a game for you, or put up a flyer at the local library (oops, probably closed right now, maybe online?). D&D has been around for 45 years, there are a lot of old players and DMs. (3) -- Use older modules that no one has read. If you are running the hardcover books, that's equal to 12 or 15 Old School modules! Different companies put out a lot of stuff. Watch D&D Module reviews on RUclips, and pick your favorite. Seth Skokowsky makes some really good ones. (4) -- Use an old movie or tv show as the basis for an adventure. The Seven Samurai, Journey To The Center Of The Earth, Planet Of The Apes, The A-Team, I Dream Of Jeannie, Man From Atlantis, Six Million Dollar Man (vs. Bigfoot, or vs. The Venus Probe -- highly recommended), Quantum Leap, The Twilight Zone, all of them are ripe for the taking. The player, however, is an asshole for cheating, and he is only hurting himself in the long run. Surprise is one of the best parts about playing D&D, be it Monster you've never seen before, or a Magic Item that the DM homebrewed just for your character. This guy sounds like a Wang Rod.
that is a bad player. i'm also a DM and know a lot of the monsters, but i always play my characters the way they are themed, and ask the current DM when i play if i remember something about the monster, and that often leads to a roll to see if i know it. meta gaming is just really bad behavior. but jep change it so that he can not meta game, and maybe be punished with traps like mentioned. but i play mostly homebrew so only the of chance that me or other DM know the monster stats, and we play as how the character would or would not know the monster despite if we know it.
I played Lost Mines of Phandelver and the GM knew I had played it before (who hasn't played it dozens of times), so he changed the necromancer at Old Owl Well. He made the necromancer level 13 and ended up killing the whole party. The GM's excuse was that we should have fled the battle. I guess he showed us.
this is why i don't reveal what adventure path i am running in PF till its over. But here is how i'd handle this... Take the player aside, and say " hey dude it's clear you are reading ahead... and ruining the entire campaign for everyone, So i'm going to ask you to leave the group... sorry i like your characters and general ideas and concepts but, i don't tolerate this sort of behavior. " one and Done... i do not put up with that shit.
Hey guys i have a question. IS it possible to cheat using the Avrae bot to roll on discord? One session we had so many 20s rolled ( i think about 7 or 9) and sometimes 2 20s rolled in a row? Just questioning as this person in question would be the type to change variables if he could. Thanks.
As someone who made this mistake as a new player, i agree: Don't spoil the adventure. But as usual we only get one side of the story. What i would like to know is how does this "cant improvise" GM keep from putting the game on rails. Which to me is the GM trying to WIN D&D. This is of course just a guess but i have seen this too many times. "The Witch tries to grab you ..." "She fails to do so, What do you do?" "Oh wait now you are going to use your smite combo ... shit ... give me a second" "Well you can't do that, the Witch is at least 20 Meters away" "Yeah i know she just tried to grab you but now she is far away" 'Dang if i play fair he kills my Monster that i had awesome plans for' "No, she is just very far away, next player"
Imagination went too far there. I mean, it is possible that that newbie DM behaves like that but it just as likely as any other scenario since you have no evidence that the person in question resorts to that kind of solution. It seems more like trying to create an excuse for the cheating than to actually try to solve the problem
Hey I'm currently running curse of strahd. And due to the social distancing. My wee group is using what's app video calls. I've got one player that is constantly rolling 20+ to hit. To be fair he has a +10 to hit with a greatsword but even before his small power boost he was still getting 20+ most the time. My party recently had a run in with strahd and in one fight he got 3 crits (maybe a 4th) can't remember in a single fight. I'm starting to sense these rolls might be fudged a bit. I might be paranoid. But what do you think guys and girls think? On a side note he's a pet spider that got two of the crits in that fight and is also getting 20+ to hit with a lower bonus to hit this is my first campaign too. Hope all that made senes lol. And thank you.
If you're going by real dice rolls, then that's a problem. You could offer to have a bot-dice roller to mitigate it as a way to publicly show what's happening. Could phrase it in such a way that you're wanting to even the playing field to prevent them thinking you're fudging dice (i.e. we can all do this so that there are no questions about rolls). Alternatively, you could also move onto Roll20 and use that instead.
If you run modules that are publicly available for purchase or the like, this is to be expected. Some of these modules aren't new, and you can't automatically assume someone is reading ahead for the sole purpose of cheating. People play in more than one table and sometimes DM(which requires them to read the module) for one and play at another.
It’s still important to feign ignorance (in character) for the benefit of the other players. Just because you know it doesn’t mean it’s cool to just blast through every puzzle and exploit every enemy weakness right off the bat.
@@BlitzkriegBryce sure its best to feign ignorance, and in the case of our table, take a backseat role. However, that kinda also takes fun out of it for that person, and sometimes feels like you are the torch bearing NPC. Also, feigning ignorance is not always reasonable, "gee i wonder what trolls are weak to". Exploiting weaknesses is a key aspect to conflict and creative play. Feigning ignorance in this case feels like babying the GM. For the most part, low level campaign modules are straight forward and one dimensional. This more boils down to personal courtesy and personality clashes/flaws. I'd like to know how the other players see this 'issue'. if its a major issue, then probably get rid of them, if not, try to make changes so that you can also enjoy it.
Metagaming is cheating. Your character doesn't know what you know as a player. I blame vidya gaems for making pattern memorization the "skill." This is a different kind of game.
I prepared an area where some humans and mimics live together. The mimics can be houses, chests, wardrobes etc. and live in harmony helping each other. And the player's would encounter some mimics without being traumatized forever when they enter a dungeon. :D
Scott Mefford mimics don’t break immersion, mimics are one of the most amazing monsters ever conceived. Imagine see a town, and realize the tow is slowly moving. Or a dor who you can buy with meat. Mimics are amazing 😉
I keep watching and I just cant past a DM that says "I'm not really that creative" so basically he is reading a book to the players... that shit wouldn't fly in the 80s. There simply wasn't enough content for a DM not to create his own adventures. The player is still wrong but to me the biggest flaw is a DM that lacks creativity. I think more than one player is getting bored. Perhaps his behavior is to force the DM to think outside the box.
We really don't know how creative this DM is. They might be amazing, but green and super hard on themselves. Props to anyone that is least willing to try so a group of people can have fun. Nerdarchist Dave
@@Nerdarchy that's true... i had to remember that I sucked back in 1983 as a DM. And then I discovered elfquest and stole all the ideas for my first campaign. I'd cringe if I could see it today.
I'm going to be the devil's advocate here.. based on how dnd used to be. I had a group of friends that played with many different groups based on location, attending the same schools and convenience. I can't tell you how many times we played keep on the borderlands, palace of the silver princess and horror on the hill with different groups. Now with the internet it's kinda impossible to stop players from accessing all the info for free on several pdf sites.. literally every book can be found for free. I'm not saying the player is right but using information his character wouldn't know. But come on, how hard is it to replace a few encounters with a random encounter table that can be found free with Google. Have the friendly npc secretly be a doppelganger, trade a final boss out for something different. Find out the creature you were paid to destroy is actually the victim of circumstance but can help you destroy the real villain. This way the cheating player actually hurts himself and the party... not creative? Here is a simple skill builder. Take a movie or tv show you like and imagine it in a dnd setting. Use star wars for example... han solo is a pirate captain with his trusty knoll companion hired to get you past a blockade to rescue a princess. The final boss is a black necromancer that wears a mask and carries an evil red sword. The dungeon master controls the game... period. If you are lacking in an area, try harder. Any adventure is going to be better if you add your own touches.
This "tip" can scare new DMs and reinforce bad player behavior. I'm sorry if you have to assume your players are cheating in order to establish a game, but I don't think it is healthy to just tell a new DM to "git gud" when the player is actually a bad person. Also, you are not considering that the narrative is only part of what makes a game. Understand the numbers behind it may take years and it is not that hard to homebrew something gamebreaking and/or compromise the fun of the other players who just want to play the game.
Sorry guys, I completely disagree here. This is not cheating. This is a DM not enforcing the difference between player knowledge and character knowledge. If this is a young DM, I can understand that being difficult, but a veteran DM should be able to enforce the difference based on how the character acts, since the character has no knowledge other than what he can learn or infer from the RP. session.
Acting in the game, based solely on player knowledge is meta gaming, and in some cases can be considered cheating. Especially in modules with a lot of secrets like Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage, where a lot of treasures require equal amounts of luck and creative thinking to gain access to, and where some encounters can be circumvented or turned in your favor depending on very specific factors. That aside, reading ahead in a campaign as a player is only sucking out the fun of surprise for yourself, but acting on it or even talking about it, can suck out the fun for everyone at the table, and is a massive disrespect to the DM who spends time preparing. It is NOT a DM issue here, it is 100% a player issue, and the DM have called the player out for doing this. It should stop, or the player should leave.
the problem with character knowledge is that its almost entirely up to the GM to tell the players this. However, i always try to argue that the inverse of metagaming is true and almost always overlooked. By this i mean things the PC would do or know or ways they would act that the player does not abide by since they are not the same person, and (more importantly imo) not in that situation. Too often are PCs treated as if they have never seen a troll before, or are blank slates with 0 in world knowledge or experience. Players, most of the time, treat a life death situation, or a fight for survival quite haphazardly.
DM shouldn't enforce that nor should they have to. Player characters have agency. It's not up to the DM to tell them "your character wouldn't do that". Not ever. It's the players responsibility to decide what their characters do, and their responsibility to not cheat.
Links from Video
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oh look that book had an explosive rune in it... roll a new character.
Mimics. Mimics everywhere.
Schrodinger's Mimic: All chests are both treasure and monster until opened.
An itty bitty ring mimic that runs off with your finger when you cheat.
great video ;)
i have a few things to say about this. Analysis:
1) people some times is extremely lucky. (And if he have a "similar mindset" than the writer of the adventure. it could look like cheating but its not...
2) if he is an experienced player and played a lot of modules, or read a lot of books, even if he has not read that one.. he will be very aware of the "tropes" and act almost like if he has read that one, even if he is not.
Conclusion: So try to be SURE he read it and do not rely on "statistical abnormality" because it could happen on a lot of distinct scenarios and this could shift to a "Nightmare DM" really quickly
Changing the adventure is a great thing anyway, so, please do it... start small and then grow.
if you find that a player that acts like if they know everything, then make them include that on their character for the next adventure:
i have a player who played with me for more than 15 years. so, she knows my style, she knows my tricks and even if sometimes i succeed at surprising her, she seems to know a lot of things that she have no way to know (even when i'm not using prewritten material). So, we talk and now when she is creating a character we think in a way to explain this... one have the feat lucky; other the observant, and has high intelligence; another is a divinator; etc. and she thinks on ways to in-character tell the other players what she " believe". thinks like "i have a hunch", or "i'm not sure, but i believe i had a vision of this place". that way her character become more interesting, and when she is right it is a talking point for the characters, and when she is wrong every character is mad at her :P
Yes they’re cheating and I would put traps in where it’s supposed to be for sure.
Good stuff
Oh you KNOW? You know that there's a zombie behind that door? Would you look at that, it's a Flaming Skull.
That’s like reading the DM’s notes while their in the bathroom. As a DM you can’t tolerate this kind of behavior.
I would definitely go for being vicious what's he gonna do call you out for moving everything were from where he knows it is. Although I wouldn't put traps there every time then you'd be able to say that you're just trying to kill him.
When I got the D&D Beyond Legendary Bundle, it came with most of the prewritten adventures. So far I've gone through "Lost Mine of Phandelver" and "Storm King's Thunder". I refrain from looking through the rest because I want to run them as a player first.
This reminds me of the episode of Limmy's show for an adventure call skit that a caller uses insider info to solve puzzles and then he just flat out removes objects that are supposed to be there and asks the person to tell him what should be there if he knows so much
For real...throw in something random where they are expecting treasure and watch their face. If they give away their surprise or they question what should have been in there, kick them the hell out. It's one thing if they admitted to reading the encounter when you asked them about it, but to lie and continue to "get lucky", they are a cheat and a liar. Kick them.
There's no point in running a game for someone who you genuinely believe to be cheating. Just flat out tell them that you know they've read the module and cut them from the group. Don't waste your time trying to "correct" the behaviour or "teach them a lesson". You don't trust them; don't waste your time with them.
I agree don't waste time on a cheater get rid of him and use that time you would of used messing with him to put towards your good players or even finding a replacement for the cheater.
Yes and no. I would say smack their hand a few times by switching stuff up in hope that they will get the message but if they fight back because "that isn't what the book says" point out where the DMG says that the DM makes the rules and kick them.
We give advice by what was asked. We definitely said kicking them out is an option.
Nerdarchist Dave
@@Nerdarchy Yeah. Dave lead with basically, "Just tell them to knock it off."
I guess I fundamentally disagree with in-game solutions to out-of-game problems. The problem is that the player is being dishonest. You solve dishonesty with honesty.
On a more personal note, I hope both you guys and your loved ones are doing well. Nice to have something trivial to argue about in "interesting times".
This was a good opportunity to have a video on how to confront a cheating player. If you stop to think about it, I believe that is what the kid really meant. In my personal opinion, this example is not about a bad player. Bad players are murder hobos, spotlight hogs, etc. This example is about a bad person with lack of character. No matter what you do, you won't be able to trust what he/she says. Once this knowledge is clear, yes! Kick this person from your group instead of adapting everything for that person.
Confront someone in time to kick out of the table is not an easy task. But to think it is not something DMs also need to be prepared for is simply naive (I wish we had more content about this). You don't need drama, or aggressive behavior, but you'll need to have your arguments organized in your head and to maintain calm and control. Never do such in front of the group, this sort of discussion must happen individually.
Confession. When I was 10, and still learning the game, I did this a lot. It wasn't "to win", I was just fascinated with the monsters, maps, and traps, and the story of the adventure with all the possibilities. I eventually stopped, mostly because the other players and the DM were increasingly unhappy. I would wait until the adventure was over, and then the DM would let me go over the module as much as I wanted, to see all the things that could of happened. I just needed to mature as a player.
well because D&D is so flexible, I don't really think it's possible to cheat unless you're using weighted dice or hacking roll20. Like the guys say, if you suspect this is happening all you have to do to solve the problem is switch things around. Once they stop receiving the benefits of reading ahead they'll stop. No harm done. Same with any form of metagaming. give the monster a few extra hit points or abilities, swap the immunities around, etc. D&D is all about being creative, use that to your advantage.
Everyone can be creative. We are born with it. It's part of our survival instinct. Some folks choose to regularly exercise that muscle, others don't. But we all have the ability.
This senario reminds me of the comedy sketch about a dial in Dungeon crawler game by Limmy.
Falconhoof
I was in a game and someone did the opposite of this. They WERE the DM and really just took a pre-written adventure and just discarded 70% for their own stuff. It got to the point where it was so derailed and messy that a few of the players actually started getting into the book just to see what the heck was going on. The DM was just turning a normal dungeon into a meat grinder with zero loot and a story that they couldn't keep straight. Seeing how it SHOULD have ended, alone, was aggravating as it would have been a much better RP experience.
Tip for these sort of scenarios: make a list of about 10 ish changes for each of: creature, trap, puzzle, check, location, loot, quest, and npc. This change should not push a subject of a given dc above or below that DC (or at least not much above or below) These can be simple changes like “change the key word of a riddle” or “swap the dex and str of the creature” or something, to things more like “if this creature has resistances or vulnerabilities swap them” or even “take the object and swap it with the goal of a room they encounter 3 rooms from now” or “take the first room on the right and place it on the second hall to the left”
i would advise making the changes Before your game, have it all set up so that the meta gamer wont know stuff has changed. It does not take a lot to make what they expected turn into an alien concept. Make a locked door into an illusion, a spike trap into a waiting drop monster, a rigged tile 3 steps in into one 2 or 5 in. Small changes are often the hardest to spot or expect.
All excellent options, but be prepared for those methods to fail. I’ve had a player in my group once who just kept doing bad things. Reading monster stat blocks, playing against the party, and just generally being disruptive.
We tried to break the habits, but he refused to change and we eventually had to cut him out of the group.
Great video, guys! All useful tips for veterans and beginners alike!
In response to the GM having trouble with his player, if you've already called him on it once and he has denied it, you should have a chat with him (one-on-one) and explain why that behavior is not OK, how it affects not just you as a GM but also everyone else at the "table" and that if it continues he will have to be forced out -- which you don't WANT to do and is obviously a last resort, but one I think all GM's should remember is a valid option for players with toxic habits who don't want to compromise and work with others to make the best possible experience for everyone involved.
Just saying "you are metagaming" may not drive the point home as much, as for video gamers metagaming is essentially "winning" -- he may be unaware of the problems of his behavior, and I at least would try to give them the benefit of the doubt.
I hope you are able to find a good solution, but whatever happens DON'T STOP GM-ing!
Funny today I talk about my Yuan-ti Backstory/reason to bring with the party and he said my idea was Similiar to something happening later in module.
So apperently my understanding of Yuan-ti culture is so good that I was able to make one who fits perfect.
Oh well back to drawing board
I've seen players who've played a campaign before pretend they haven't (like actually play like they hadnt) for the enjoyment of the group. This is the opposite of that, reading a campaign you aren't running is a dnd taboo.
I was going to make the same comment. If you're familiar with an adventure but still want to play with a group it seems best to take a more supportive role. You can still be an involved party member, but let others take the lead and make major decisions/discoveries. If the DM likes to mix things up so you're sometimes surprised then so much the better.
My wife sometimes gets into shows or movies after I've already watched them. Rewatching, having a sense of what's coming, and enjoying her reaction is a lot of fun. The last thing I'd want is to lessen her experience, which is what this player is doing to their party.
I ALWAYS change the map. If it is a village map, just grab a different village. Most of the dungeon maps are crappy - easy to replace with a custom one.
Give items history. Standard +1 sword? The fine elf runes on this magic blade read (in elvish) "Forged by Doshela of Wendathrin" on one side and "For Paerin of Vindelmor" on the other. When the sword is held by any elf the gem in the pommel gives off a very faint yellow glow, no more than candlelight, and the blade rings like a bell when it strikes another metal weapon. Any elf or character with History proficiency can roll to see if they've heard of any of these people or places. This change alone throws a wrench into the brain of someone cheating.
ALWAYS change cursed items to not having a curse, instead moving the curse to another item.
Change NPC names if YOU can remember the switch. This is one that is easy to screw up if you have to reach for the source material during the game. It works a lot better if you have the ability to do it in the source document with a search/replace.
Swap NPC factions - can you remember that you did this?
I do these things even when I do not suspect a player of cheating. It's fun to make the adventure fit my setting better by making the character names have the correct cultural influence, and I use custom factions so the listed ones don't work anyway.
They're not necessarily reading ahead for advantage. They may have simply played it before. I'd try talking to them completely privately. Tell them you're not mad, but you're going to change the details of the campaign, to help make sure everyone's on a more even playing field. Not just to block their "uncanny good luck", but to make it more fun for them too. Good DM'ing involves adapting the adventure to the players at hand anyway. One of the best resources, is to listen to the players discussing what's going on. They're full of ideas. Just never do exactly what they discuss. You'll find you don't need to "steer" players if you do this, and your "hooks" become completely irresistible to the players.
something i do is rearrange encounters if i suspect a player is cheating or if its a module that has been run a lot (starter set is a common play through for local game groups) IE encounter one is now 10 and 10 is 2 and i will creat a key for my self to keep track of it the rooms will be the same just whats in them will change
I am playing curse of Strahd with some friends, the Dm said that we are not aloud to read the adventure. Not that i wanted to do it, but he said it so just so everyone is on the same page. and the most annoying thing is that puffing Forrest is publishing his run of that adventure, So i can't watch it just yet :(
I have suspicions that my character was being targered in a West March-esque server I was in, but I don't exactly know for certain.
I play a Wizard only every once in a while, and stay near the backline. On multiple occasions, enemies suddenly show up outt of no-where in the backline and focus my character, even when I haven't done anything more than dashing to keep up with the party.
The was one fight where I had done the least amount of damage, and had quite a couple things swivle their attention towards me.
Was I being targeted?
I've seen advice around online about how you should make backline characters feel challenged by having enemies ambush from the rear mid combat. It's possible that's what the DM was trying to do.
Its also possible that the DM had a bad experience with a Wizard in the past or something and they were in fact targeting you. There's not really a good way of knowing unfortunately.
It's easiest to just kick them out. But yeah, I'd rather lull them into a false sense of security _then_ spring an unexpected fatal trap/encounter on them... and then kick them out.
There's a lot of "Kick him out" solutions. Finding players now may be easier than at any other time in RPG history, but it can still be a pain to find a group that is good with the same "tone" of game that the rest want to.
Suggestion ...buy their out of the box encounters book and throw those in :P. I cant wait for it :)
I would also suggest just using the wealth of free adventures online or old adventures from previous editions. All you need to do is reference 5e monsters, traps and effects.
You're the dungeon master, not the players' slave.
There is only one correct answer: kick him from the group. He has already shown he will not change after being called out on it, and with that level of trust broken there is no reason to keep him around.
One warning. That’s it, after that a portal opens and you kick them from the group
I'd create a reskin, but change all the resistences and such to be exactly the opposite of the creatures that were originally in the book. Then cheating player suddenly realizes all his preparations were useless. Lol. Oh.. wait you thought it was weak to slashing and fire? Haha.. nah.. he's weak to blunt and ice. Not that you tell them that right out, but yeah.
Easy fix.
1. Kick em out
2. Profit
As much as I like their advice, does anyone else still uncomfortable by thought of having a player who is actively trying to cheat at their game? Like, even if you change things, that player is still actively trying to play you and fuck with you. I would not feel comfortable playing with that player.
1) Teach them a lesson, change shit up. 2)Then boot them.
Okay just going to take this stance.
Reading ahead or reading the book during a campaign isn't cheating!
1. All reading ahead does is give you knowledge that application of said knowledge is the key.
2. What your character know may not be the same as the player and good players or DM can correct that. The DM story of the player acts lucky makes no sense because...
3. Stats and dice rolls determine success so even with advance knowledge and optimization you can still fail.
So in the end this two philosophies in contradiction the DM who views that player should have as little knowledge as possible as to make the story telling more surpising and the players who want to get access to all the rewards. This is less about calling out a player and more about deciding what is the beat way for both people to enjoy the game.
There are several ways to go about the situation, as it's been mentioned by the other comments kicking that individual out is an option, but it could potentially make tension between the rest of the group. My suggestion is ask your other players their thoughts on the matter. (If this alleged cheating individual should be allowed to keep playing or not) Though in regards to that person why not throw a few surprise encounters out there? It's like my mentor preached to me. The books are only a guide
This is why I won't run WOTC modules anymore. Also they are all on RUclips. I stick to Homebrew and "off the grid" modules.
Question: Concerning "Reach Weapons" and Polearm Master: If an enemy is out of your LoS but enters your reach...then enters LoS, does the feat allow for the AOO..or because the enemy had previously entered your reach, just not within LoS..is the AOO not allowed? This came about with the corner of a house...both were hugging their respective sides...enemy technically was within the 10ft reach..but there was a house in the way...soo the player couldn't make an attack...then it approached the corner and allowed for an attack with cover bonus to defense once it came into LoS
I ruled no AOO...as the enemy had total cover (house) when it technically entered the reach of the weapon. Any steps toward the player afterward did not meat the "enter the reach" requirement of the feat...PLAYER WAS PISSED LOL.... To me, Line of Sight is not the same thing as Reach...I stand by my ruling after thinking about it for hours...but figured I would ask a more experienced DM.
Portal to the Plain of Fire.
The best thing is to talk to the rest of the group without him and let them know that you feel that he is cheating and metagaming, and find out what the rest of the group feels about it, and how they want you to handle it.
Find a solution that makes them happy and that makes you happy. If they're happy with his cheating, then let them know that it bothers you, and that you need to work together to find a solution that makes everyone happy. If they're not happy with his cheating, then work with them to find ways to get back at the cheater. That way they will know what is going on when it is obvious that you as the DM are vindictively targeting one of the players, and they will understand why. And when you let them know what's going on, they'll probably be on your side. They're probably not happy with him metagaming, because very few people in the D&D community approve of what he is doing.
The most important thing is to find a solution to this that doesn't ruin the game for his teammates. Heck, I would probably enjoy working with my DM to find ways to mess with a metagaming cheater. If you don't think you're a creative enough DM to find a good solution, let your players do it for you.
It would be so much fun for the metagaming cheater to give specific instructions on what he wants to do, and the DM alters the story slightly so that his extremely specific instructions did nothing. And then for the DM to basically wink at another player, and the other player then does something extremely stupid and gets lucky and finds what the metagaming cheater was hoping to find.
For example, the metagamer looks at page 17 of the 3rd book on the 2nd shelf of the bookcase, and he doesn't find the secret note that he thought was hidden there. Then his teammate says that he trips over his feet, and bumps his head on the bookcase. Then the DM says that a note from on top of the bookcase is jarred loose by the collision and the players find the hidden secret after all. If you keep doing that to the metagaming cheater, and always giving another player the credit for finding the thing that the metagamer was trying to find, that would probably make him quite angry, and it would be such a joy to frustrate him like that.
Quarantine beards on point boys
Kick the player. If he asks to come back and promises to stop cheating give him one chance. If he is rude or denies it. Kick him, don't look back.
There are plenty of great players looking for games. Find another player.
New DMs are far more susceptible to cheese players than advanced DMs. Not being creative is an excuse, because everyone is creative enough to learn that you have permission to change anything and everything in a game. In fact you are encouraged to do it. New DMs have a really hard time with this concept. It’s ok. Embrace the darkness and change whatever you want
No one owes a player a game but I'd be inclined to change some things ahead of time not as a reaction on the spot because I think they're cheating. I could have a tell or they could just be savvy and not know the source material.
Me without watching the video first: "How can anyone cheat in a game where everything is made up?"
Ah, out of game knowledge, the bane of Lawful Neutral DMs everywhere.
Some ideas:
(1) -- Talk to another player, and give them the location of an unlisted treasure. Let them find it, as a way to balance out the other players "Luck".
(2) -- Ask around your own family, maybe a parent or grandparent or uncle or aunt who played Back In The Day has some ideas, might even run a game for you, or put up a flyer at the local library (oops, probably closed right now, maybe online?). D&D has been around for 45 years, there are a lot of old players and DMs.
(3) -- Use older modules that no one has read. If you are running the hardcover books, that's equal to 12 or 15 Old School modules! Different companies put out a lot of stuff. Watch D&D Module reviews on RUclips, and pick your favorite. Seth Skokowsky makes some really good ones.
(4) -- Use an old movie or tv show as the basis for an adventure. The Seven Samurai, Journey To The Center Of The Earth, Planet Of The Apes, The A-Team, I Dream Of Jeannie, Man From Atlantis, Six Million Dollar Man (vs. Bigfoot, or vs. The Venus Probe -- highly recommended), Quantum Leap, The Twilight Zone, all of them are ripe for the taking.
The player, however, is an asshole for cheating, and he is only hurting himself in the long run. Surprise is one of the best parts about playing D&D, be it Monster you've never seen before, or a Magic Item that the DM homebrewed just for your character. This guy sounds like a Wang Rod.
Arent all things in life made up ? ;)
that is a bad player.
i'm also a DM and know a lot of the monsters, but i always play my characters the way they are themed, and ask the current DM when i play if i remember something about the monster, and that often leads to a roll to see if i know it.
meta gaming is just really bad behavior.
but jep change it so that he can not meta game, and maybe be punished with traps like mentioned.
but i play mostly homebrew so only the of chance that me or other DM know the monster stats, and we play as how the character would or would not know the monster despite if we know it.
I played Lost Mines of Phandelver and the GM knew I had played it before (who hasn't played it dozens of times), so he changed the necromancer at Old Owl Well. He made the necromancer level 13 and ended up killing the whole party. The GM's excuse was that we should have fled the battle. I guess he showed us.
this is why i don't reveal what adventure path i am running in PF till its over. But here is how i'd handle this...
Take the player aside, and say
" hey dude it's clear you are reading ahead... and ruining the entire campaign for everyone, So i'm going to ask you to leave the group... sorry i like your characters and general ideas and concepts but, i don't tolerate this sort of behavior. "
one and Done... i do not put up with that shit.
I like how they have two cameras set up. We know they are actually sitting next to each other pretending to be at different houses.
I can't tell if you're joking or you're that paranoid haha
Hey guys i have a question. IS it possible to cheat using the Avrae bot to roll on discord? One session we had so many 20s rolled ( i think about 7 or 9) and sometimes 2 20s rolled in a row? Just questioning as this person in question would be the type to change variables if he could. Thanks.
I'm so discord dumb I have know idea.
Nerdarchist Dave
As someone who made this mistake as a new player, i agree: Don't spoil the adventure. But as usual we only get one side of the story. What i would like to know is how does this "cant improvise" GM keep from putting the game on rails. Which to me is the GM trying to WIN D&D. This is of course just a guess but i have seen this too many times. "The Witch tries to grab you ..." "She fails to do so, What do you do?" "Oh wait now you are going to use your smite combo ... shit ... give me a second" "Well you can't do that, the Witch is at least 20 Meters away" "Yeah i know she just tried to grab you but now she is far away" 'Dang if i play fair he kills my Monster that i had awesome plans for' "No, she is just very far away, next player"
Imagination went too far there. I mean, it is possible that that newbie DM behaves like that but it just as likely as any other scenario since you have no evidence that the person in question resorts to that kind of solution. It seems more like trying to create an excuse for the cheating than to actually try to solve the problem
Hey I'm currently running curse of strahd. And due to the social distancing. My wee group is using what's app video calls. I've got one player that is constantly rolling 20+ to hit. To be fair he has a +10 to hit with a greatsword but even before his small power boost he was still getting 20+ most the time. My party recently had a run in with strahd and in one fight he got 3 crits (maybe a 4th) can't remember in a single fight. I'm starting to sense these rolls might be fudged a bit. I might be paranoid. But what do you think guys and girls think? On a side note he's a pet spider that got two of the crits in that fight and is also getting 20+ to hit with a lower bonus to hit this is my first campaign too. Hope all that made senes lol. And thank you.
If you're going by real dice rolls, then that's a problem. You could offer to have a bot-dice roller to mitigate it as a way to publicly show what's happening. Could phrase it in such a way that you're wanting to even the playing field to prevent them thinking you're fudging dice (i.e. we can all do this so that there are no questions about rolls). Alternatively, you could also move onto Roll20 and use that instead.
If you run modules that are publicly available for purchase or the like, this is to be expected. Some of these modules aren't new, and you can't automatically assume someone is reading ahead for the sole purpose of cheating. People play in more than one table and sometimes DM(which requires them to read the module) for one and play at another.
It’s still important to feign ignorance (in character) for the benefit of the other players. Just because you know it doesn’t mean it’s cool to just blast through every puzzle and exploit every enemy weakness right off the bat.
And if you're GMing in one game, and playing in another, don't run a module that you're playing through. There's plenty of other modules to run.
@@BlitzkriegBryce sure its best to feign ignorance, and in the case of our table, take a backseat role. However, that kinda also takes fun out of it for that person, and sometimes feels like you are the torch bearing NPC. Also, feigning ignorance is not always reasonable, "gee i wonder what trolls are weak to". Exploiting weaknesses is a key aspect to conflict and creative play. Feigning ignorance in this case feels like babying the GM. For the most part, low level campaign modules are straight forward and one dimensional.
This more boils down to personal courtesy and personality clashes/flaws.
I'd like to know how the other players see this 'issue'. if its a major issue, then probably get rid of them, if not, try to make changes so that you can also enjoy it.
Metagaming is cheating. Your character doesn't know what you know as a player.
I blame vidya gaems for making pattern memorization the "skill." This is a different kind of game.
Lol one dislike ... must be that player
If I were DMing I would not use mimics period. They are (IMO) THE most irritating and immersion breaking creatures ever conceived.
I prepared an area where some humans and mimics live together. The mimics can be houses, chests, wardrobes etc. and live in harmony helping each other. And the player's would encounter some mimics without being traumatized forever when they enter a dungeon. :D
Scott Mefford mimics don’t break immersion, mimics are one of the most amazing monsters ever conceived. Imagine see a town, and realize the tow is slowly moving. Or a dor who you can buy with meat. Mimics are amazing 😉
I keep watching and I just cant past a DM that says "I'm not really that creative" so basically he is reading a book to the players... that shit wouldn't fly in the 80s. There simply wasn't enough content for a DM not to create his own adventures. The player is still wrong but to me the biggest flaw is a DM that lacks creativity. I think more than one player is getting bored. Perhaps his behavior is to force the DM to think outside the box.
We really don't know how creative this DM is. They might be amazing, but green and super hard on themselves. Props to anyone that is least willing to try so a group of people can have fun.
Nerdarchist Dave
@@Nerdarchy that's true... i had to remember that I sucked back in 1983 as a DM. And then I discovered elfquest and stole all the ideas for my first campaign. I'd cringe if I could see it today.
Kick him out.
This is the very definition of metagaming.
I'm going to be the devil's advocate here.. based on how dnd used to be. I had a group of friends that played with many different groups based on location, attending the same schools and convenience. I can't tell you how many times we played keep on the borderlands, palace of the silver princess and horror on the hill with different groups. Now with the internet it's kinda impossible to stop players from accessing all the info for free on several pdf sites.. literally every book can be found for free. I'm not saying the player is right but using information his character wouldn't know. But come on, how hard is it to replace a few encounters with a random encounter table that can be found free with Google. Have the friendly npc secretly be a doppelganger, trade a final boss out for something different. Find out the creature you were paid to destroy is actually the victim of circumstance but can help you destroy the real villain. This way the cheating player actually hurts himself and the party... not creative? Here is a simple skill builder. Take a movie or tv show you like and imagine it in a dnd setting. Use star wars for example... han solo is a pirate captain with his trusty knoll companion hired to get you past a blockade to rescue a princess. The final boss is a black necromancer that wears a mask and carries an evil red sword. The dungeon master controls the game... period. If you are lacking in an area, try harder. Any adventure is going to be better if you add your own touches.
This "tip" can scare new DMs and reinforce bad player behavior. I'm sorry if you have to assume your players are cheating in order to establish a game, but I don't think it is healthy to just tell a new DM to "git gud" when the player is actually a bad person. Also, you are not considering that the narrative is only part of what makes a game. Understand the numbers behind it may take years and it is not that hard to homebrew something gamebreaking and/or compromise the fun of the other players who just want to play the game.
Sorry guys, I completely disagree here. This is not cheating. This is a DM not enforcing the difference between player knowledge and character knowledge. If this is a young DM, I can understand that being difficult, but a veteran DM should be able to enforce the difference based on how the character acts, since the character has no knowledge other than what he can learn or infer from the RP. session.
Acting in the game, based solely on player knowledge is meta gaming, and in some cases can be considered cheating. Especially in modules with a lot of secrets like Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage, where a lot of treasures require equal amounts of luck and creative thinking to gain access to, and where some encounters can be circumvented or turned in your favor depending on very specific factors.
That aside, reading ahead in a campaign as a player is only sucking out the fun of surprise for yourself, but acting on it or even talking about it, can suck out the fun for everyone at the table, and is a massive disrespect to the DM who spends time preparing. It is NOT a DM issue here, it is 100% a player issue, and the DM have called the player out for doing this. It should stop, or the player should leave.
the problem with character knowledge is that its almost entirely up to the GM to tell the players this. However, i always try to argue that the inverse of metagaming is true and almost always overlooked. By this i mean things the PC would do or know or ways they would act that the player does not abide by since they are not the same person, and (more importantly imo) not in that situation. Too often are PCs treated as if they have never seen a troll before, or are blank slates with 0 in world knowledge or experience. Players, most of the time, treat a life death situation, or a fight for survival quite haphazardly.
DM shouldn't enforce that nor should they have to. Player characters have agency. It's not up to the DM to tell them "your character wouldn't do that". Not ever. It's the players responsibility to decide what their characters do, and their responsibility to not cheat.