This month’s topic comes to us from Mynxee of Life in Low Sec. She asks...

“Alts and Metagaming: Is playing two accounts who are logged in at the same time and work together (hauler/miner, explorer/combat associate, trade alts in trade hubs) a form of metagaming that is ‘ruining the game’”?

I have had as many as five accounts and 15 toons. I currently have two accounts with six toons, so I'm guilty of metagaming if this is metagaming. Personally I don't consider it metagaming. In the roleplaying world playing two characters at a time is doable. I don't roleplay a lot, but I think this point is the way to view the question.

When I use two characters at a time I'm usually mission running. One of the toons is an advanced one and flys a CNR. The other has lower skill points and flys a regular Raven. I'm lucky enough to have two computers so its easy to manage the two.

I also have two toons that are in different regions who "play" the market. This is the primary source of my income. I have one toon that mines when I do that (though I rarely do). My final toon is a low level scout that I use when I need to move things through low sec.

I consider all of these to be friends and family. In fact some of them share the same surname (Tuttle).

I have done something that might be metagaming--I've sold two of my Tuttle characters. I thought of this as family members moving away from their family and friends as sometimes happens in real life.

Finally, I don't think multiple toons ruins the game. For me it enriches the game and allows me to experience more of it. Isn't that what its all about?