Musings on ALL RPGs and balance.

[Dannyalcatraz]

Game balance is not inherently necessary as a criteria for good game design.

Bingo.

 

[Edo DV]

I'm not sure I totally agree with the premise, but I think the issue here is related to the value we give to that first letter in the acronym.
Role in videogames is usually intended as its function in the game environment, how the character uses his/her skills in the battlefield, but is basically all about battle anyway.
Role in tabletop games is something deeper, may vary entirely the playstyle of a given character.
When designers come up with a tabletop character concept most of the times they start from lore and "feel" and develop game stats from there, not the other way around.
Or at least that's what I hope it's like, I actually think that would be the healthier approach.

 

[Gradine]

As it relates to single player RPGs, imbalance is actually more of a design goal than balance is. In the absence of difficulty modes, these games often rely on the inherent imbalance between characters/classes to allow players to design their own difficulty level. It's why Final Fantasy Tactics gives you Rafa and Malak alongside TG Cid.

There have been a lot of good reasons posted about why video games, being much more self contained experiences, have an easy time than tabletop RPGs at game balance. I would argue that for many games, balance is not even the goal.