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[Very Long] Combat as Sport vs. Combat as War: a Key Difference in D&D Play Styles...
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<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 5805349" data-attributes="member: 996"><p>Ultimately, a game will support more play styles the better (more robustly) balanced it is. By 'support' I just mean that you can play the game, in that style, without having to modify the game or suffer through mechanical problems with it.</p><p></p><p>Conversely, an imbalanced game will /force/ a certain play style (the style that best leverages the imbalances of the game). </p><p></p><p>If you're used to playing an imbalanced game that forces the plays style you like, then when you go to a balanced system, you'll have the impression that it's 'not supporting your play style' - because it's not /forcing/ that style on anyone else. You may feel the game 'lacks rewards for system mastery' or 'doesn't encourage' this or that. And you're right, because it's balanced: it's not playing favorites.</p><p></p><p>(A less loaded way of putting 'forcing' might be 'rewarding or encouraging' one style or 'discouraging' another, but in the meta-game it amounts to the same thing.)</p><p></p><p></p><p>Getting back to the original point, though, a balanced game can be used to model combat as 'sport' or 'war.' It just makes it easier to do only the one you intend. If you're running using a balanced system, you can put an 'equal challenge' encounter up against your party and have a sporting combat. If you like, you can put an over-leveled encounter up against them, and they won't have that sporting chance, or a under-leveled on that they can 'gank.' You can even base which combat they get on how well they succeed on some non-combat aspect of the game. </p><p></p><p>The DM need only be as fair as he feels works for his campaign at the moment. The game being 'fair' doesn't get in the way of that, it just makes it easier.</p><p></p><p>In an imbalanced, game, a DM deciding to give the PCs a 'sporting chance' in an arena or a quick cake-walk side-combat can accidentally TPK them, and a DM trying to give the PCs a 'real challenge' or 'fight they must run from,' may find their meticulously statted-out uberbaddies stomped like snails at a clog dance.</p><p></p><p></p><p>There's also the other players to be "versus," either in a flat-out PvP situation, or by trying to out-shine and out-do eachother.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 5805349, member: 996"] Ultimately, a game will support more play styles the better (more robustly) balanced it is. By 'support' I just mean that you can play the game, in that style, without having to modify the game or suffer through mechanical problems with it. Conversely, an imbalanced game will /force/ a certain play style (the style that best leverages the imbalances of the game). If you're used to playing an imbalanced game that forces the plays style you like, then when you go to a balanced system, you'll have the impression that it's 'not supporting your play style' - because it's not /forcing/ that style on anyone else. You may feel the game 'lacks rewards for system mastery' or 'doesn't encourage' this or that. And you're right, because it's balanced: it's not playing favorites. (A less loaded way of putting 'forcing' might be 'rewarding or encouraging' one style or 'discouraging' another, but in the meta-game it amounts to the same thing.) Getting back to the original point, though, a balanced game can be used to model combat as 'sport' or 'war.' It just makes it easier to do only the one you intend. If you're running using a balanced system, you can put an 'equal challenge' encounter up against your party and have a sporting combat. If you like, you can put an over-leveled encounter up against them, and they won't have that sporting chance, or a under-leveled on that they can 'gank.' You can even base which combat they get on how well they succeed on some non-combat aspect of the game. The DM need only be as fair as he feels works for his campaign at the moment. The game being 'fair' doesn't get in the way of that, it just makes it easier. In an imbalanced, game, a DM deciding to give the PCs a 'sporting chance' in an arena or a quick cake-walk side-combat can accidentally TPK them, and a DM trying to give the PCs a 'real challenge' or 'fight they must run from,' may find their meticulously statted-out uberbaddies stomped like snails at a clog dance. There's also the other players to be "versus," either in a flat-out PvP situation, or by trying to out-shine and out-do eachother. [/QUOTE]
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