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How much should 5e aim at balance?
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<blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 6013993" data-attributes="member: 87792"><p>The only way you are going to get <em>that</em> is by having a game where if something isn't listed on your character sheet<em> you can not do it</em>. And that might work in a boardgame or tabletop wargame but is utterly unacceptable in an RPG.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>What it means is that you need to be several steps ahead of your players and know in advance what you are going to throw at them. I need to use monsters at 3 seconds notice sometimes.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>And that doesn't even do anything to <em>slow</em> the optimisers. <em>All</em> you have done is changed balance points. If anything that makes it easier for both the explorers and the munchkins.</p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p>Some DMs do. Some of us write them. But the game shouldn't need to be pitched at experts.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>You don't. What I'm saying is that <em>deliberately</em> rewarding system mastery is stupid. System mastery brings its own reward. <a href="http://montecook.mulehill.com/line-of-sight/ivory-tower-game-design" target="_blank">Monte Cook has directly admitted that there are trap options and superior options in 3.0 to put in a reward for people who mastered the system</a>. This is essentially equivalent to giving the grandmaster a rook headstart because he is better at chess.</p><p> </p><p>To be fair, 4e does the same although I don't believe it set out to do it. But it does it in a different way - system mastery in 4e increases the flexibility of the characters you can create rather than the power. Did you know that using just the PHB you can create a highly competative spear and shield fighter in 4e?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Neonchameleon, post: 6013993, member: 87792"] The only way you are going to get [I]that[/I] is by having a game where if something isn't listed on your character sheet[I] you can not do it[/I]. And that might work in a boardgame or tabletop wargame but is utterly unacceptable in an RPG. What it means is that you need to be several steps ahead of your players and know in advance what you are going to throw at them. I need to use monsters at 3 seconds notice sometimes. And that doesn't even do anything to [I]slow[/I] the optimisers. [I]All[/I] you have done is changed balance points. If anything that makes it easier for both the explorers and the munchkins. Some DMs do. Some of us write them. But the game shouldn't need to be pitched at experts. You don't. What I'm saying is that [I]deliberately[/I] rewarding system mastery is stupid. System mastery brings its own reward. [URL="http://montecook.mulehill.com/line-of-sight/ivory-tower-game-design"]Monte Cook has directly admitted that there are trap options and superior options in 3.0 to put in a reward for people who mastered the system[/URL]. This is essentially equivalent to giving the grandmaster a rook headstart because he is better at chess. To be fair, 4e does the same although I don't believe it set out to do it. But it does it in a different way - system mastery in 4e increases the flexibility of the characters you can create rather than the power. Did you know that using just the PHB you can create a highly competative spear and shield fighter in 4e? [/QUOTE]
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