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How much should 5e aim at balance?
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<blockquote data-quote="Ahnehnois" data-source="post: 6011719" data-attributes="member: 17106"><p>Really? I'd say many authors do put themselves in their characters' shoes, though processes vary.</p><p></p><p>That assumption doesn't necessarily hold true. Some players just like to be there for the story and don't much care what they accomplish. Others prefer to be active but don't mind if things turn out well for their characters or not as long as they have fun. Some people truly adopt the perspective of their one character, but many others play with a broader perspective; both approaches are valid.</p><p></p><p>A DM(/GM) may very well play DMPCs or "advocate" for his NPCs (which can, but does not have to go badly). He also can, but does not have to provide direct antagonism for the PCs; many times the players create their own challenges, particularly when they're given freedom.</p><p></p><p>As long as everyone is on the same page, any of those outcomes can be fun.</p><p></p><p>I don't look at rules that way at all. I look at them as a way to introduce unpredictability (via the dice) and ground the game in a sense of reality (via the game rules that stand in for the rules of the world). I think all those player/DM dynamics are largely independent of the rule system.</p><p></p><p>I don't know about "holding back". For example, a spellcaster might decide that the best way to maximize party effectiveness is to cast some buff spells on the fighter. A DM might decide that since a certain character poses more of a threat, NPCs concentrate on neutralizing that character. No one's "holding back" in those situations.</p><p></p><p>For better or for worse, that kind of bias happens unconsciously all the time, regardless of what the rules are or who's playing. It's human nature.</p><p></p><p>I know; you want "metagame rules". That's not an invalid approach (again), and I've done things in that vein, I just don't need that out of my D&D experience. I look at core rules as simply an explanation of how the fantasy world works.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ahnehnois, post: 6011719, member: 17106"] Really? I'd say many authors do put themselves in their characters' shoes, though processes vary. That assumption doesn't necessarily hold true. Some players just like to be there for the story and don't much care what they accomplish. Others prefer to be active but don't mind if things turn out well for their characters or not as long as they have fun. Some people truly adopt the perspective of their one character, but many others play with a broader perspective; both approaches are valid. A DM(/GM) may very well play DMPCs or "advocate" for his NPCs (which can, but does not have to go badly). He also can, but does not have to provide direct antagonism for the PCs; many times the players create their own challenges, particularly when they're given freedom. As long as everyone is on the same page, any of those outcomes can be fun. I don't look at rules that way at all. I look at them as a way to introduce unpredictability (via the dice) and ground the game in a sense of reality (via the game rules that stand in for the rules of the world). I think all those player/DM dynamics are largely independent of the rule system. I don't know about "holding back". For example, a spellcaster might decide that the best way to maximize party effectiveness is to cast some buff spells on the fighter. A DM might decide that since a certain character poses more of a threat, NPCs concentrate on neutralizing that character. No one's "holding back" in those situations. For better or for worse, that kind of bias happens unconsciously all the time, regardless of what the rules are or who's playing. It's human nature. I know; you want "metagame rules". That's not an invalid approach (again), and I've done things in that vein, I just don't need that out of my D&D experience. I look at core rules as simply an explanation of how the fantasy world works. [/QUOTE]
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