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Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
On the Value of Uncertainty
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<blockquote data-quote="Reynard" data-source="post: 4441836" data-attributes="member: 467"><p>The benefit of randomness in character generation, I think, is that it forces the player to consider aspects of the character that he hadn't and/or wouldn't have if allowed to create exactly the character he wanted in the first place. It's a rare thing for people to really think about their PCs' flaws or even unusual strengths. IME, most D&D characters made with point buy tend toward the cliche -- not because players aren't creative, but because a) many of our influences are media based so we're drawing from the same pool all the time, abd b) there's issues of optimum choices in the system, which are ultimately just based on the preferred cliches of the designers. Random stats aren't just "inspiring", through the game system they force a player to think outside their usual comfort zone/box. As they are doing so, they are justifying stats and the like, creating depth. This leads very quickly to asking questions about how the character got that way, whether from a herditary/cultural perspective or a life experience perspective.</p><p></p><p>Of course, uncertainty in charcter generation can have greater or less consequences in play based upon the level of uncertainty in play. In a tightly designed system where the math is all worked out and there are issues of shaky balance, high or low scores can have drastic effects. If the math isn't so tight and the characters stats are not as integral to play balance, or if play balance is understated or nearly nonexistent, then the consequences are less. I think an unintentional, emergent element of 1E and 2E, with stats only providing significant bonuses or penalties at the extreme ends of the curve, is that you can get more caracter out of the character without suffering mechanical consequences. There's little mechanical difference between a 9 or a 13 strength, for example, but those numbers can provide the player with character elements that they might not have considered before.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Reynard, post: 4441836, member: 467"] The benefit of randomness in character generation, I think, is that it forces the player to consider aspects of the character that he hadn't and/or wouldn't have if allowed to create exactly the character he wanted in the first place. It's a rare thing for people to really think about their PCs' flaws or even unusual strengths. IME, most D&D characters made with point buy tend toward the cliche -- not because players aren't creative, but because a) many of our influences are media based so we're drawing from the same pool all the time, abd b) there's issues of optimum choices in the system, which are ultimately just based on the preferred cliches of the designers. Random stats aren't just "inspiring", through the game system they force a player to think outside their usual comfort zone/box. As they are doing so, they are justifying stats and the like, creating depth. This leads very quickly to asking questions about how the character got that way, whether from a herditary/cultural perspective or a life experience perspective. Of course, uncertainty in charcter generation can have greater or less consequences in play based upon the level of uncertainty in play. In a tightly designed system where the math is all worked out and there are issues of shaky balance, high or low scores can have drastic effects. If the math isn't so tight and the characters stats are not as integral to play balance, or if play balance is understated or nearly nonexistent, then the consequences are less. I think an unintentional, emergent element of 1E and 2E, with stats only providing significant bonuses or penalties at the extreme ends of the curve, is that you can get more caracter out of the character without suffering mechanical consequences. There's little mechanical difference between a 9 or a 13 strength, for example, but those numbers can provide the player with character elements that they might not have considered before. [/QUOTE]
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On the Value of Uncertainty
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