Back on topic, I guess the crux of the issue here, to me at least, is this... And please don't feel I'm calling you out specifically Samus, this is more sort of my general views on the issue as a whole.
If you don't want people to metagame, don't tell people things they shouldn't know. Everyone who roleplays with a character whose dark secret is public knowledge OOC will be forced to constantly second-guess themselves and weigh "Wait, should my character know as much as I do?" against "Well, could they have reasonably figured this out?" If you want to keep something a secret, the best way to do it is to... well, keep it a secret. Metagaming can be unconscious too, sometimes people simply aren't thinking and something slips out that, after the fact, they go "Oh crap, my char shouldn't know that." In the interest of keeping RP genuine, I prefer not to know things my character doesn't.
I'm honestly hesitant to RP with any character who has a huge secret that I know OOCly but my character doesn't know ICly, because then the whole thing turns into a giant metagaming tapdance and I have the constant fear of cries of "metagamer" hanging over me if I slip up - or perhaps even make an IC discovery I feel is completely legit! It has the potential for drama and for reactions and that's just not something I want to willingly subject myself to. Part of minimizing metagaming is minimizing the opportunities for metagaming. Any RPer worth their salt can keep IC and OOC separate, but mistakes can be made, misunderstandings take place, and feelings can get hurt. It's better to build a fence at the top of a cliff than have an ambulance waiting at the bottom.
If you have an idea that you'd like kept secret but need input and opinions on... Well, contact friends. Send PMs. Post a thread requesting discussion PMs with a general concept. There are also scholars, LS leaders, and knowledgeable people in the community whom I'm sure would be happy to help. I guess all of this simply to say "If people shouldn't know, don't tell them."
If you don't want people to metagame, don't tell people things they shouldn't know. Everyone who roleplays with a character whose dark secret is public knowledge OOC will be forced to constantly second-guess themselves and weigh "Wait, should my character know as much as I do?" against "Well, could they have reasonably figured this out?" If you want to keep something a secret, the best way to do it is to... well, keep it a secret. Metagaming can be unconscious too, sometimes people simply aren't thinking and something slips out that, after the fact, they go "Oh crap, my char shouldn't know that." In the interest of keeping RP genuine, I prefer not to know things my character doesn't.
I'm honestly hesitant to RP with any character who has a huge secret that I know OOCly but my character doesn't know ICly, because then the whole thing turns into a giant metagaming tapdance and I have the constant fear of cries of "metagamer" hanging over me if I slip up - or perhaps even make an IC discovery I feel is completely legit! It has the potential for drama and for reactions and that's just not something I want to willingly subject myself to. Part of minimizing metagaming is minimizing the opportunities for metagaming. Any RPer worth their salt can keep IC and OOC separate, but mistakes can be made, misunderstandings take place, and feelings can get hurt. It's better to build a fence at the top of a cliff than have an ambulance waiting at the bottom.
If you have an idea that you'd like kept secret but need input and opinions on... Well, contact friends. Send PMs. Post a thread requesting discussion PMs with a general concept. There are also scholars, LS leaders, and knowledgeable people in the community whom I'm sure would be happy to help. I guess all of this simply to say "If people shouldn't know, don't tell them."
