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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Where does optimizing end and min-maxing begin? And is min-maxing a bad thing?
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<blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 7056863" data-attributes="member: 97077"><p>While some slap on a layer of backstory and personality, characters are really just tools. An optimized tool in a D&D context is one that will tend to perform well in most challenges across the set of possible challenges in the given game. One that is less optimized will tend to do less well by comparison.</p><p></p><p>Any dissatisfaction from others will tend to be because the player of the optimized character outshines other players' characters who were not created as optimally. So I think the best play here in my view is to recognize that sometimes you should find a reason for your character to step back and let someone else take the spotlight. Kick ass, but be mindful that <em>everyone else</em> having fun is one of the goals of the game for which you are responsible as a player. As a player, I'm happy when my teammates optimize. It's good to have a solid team.</p><p></p><p>Some DMs who don't know how or are not inclined to manage the spotlight or difficulty level can get annoyed at the practice and give it a pejorative label. While I think that's unfortunate (because this really is shirking part of their role as I see it), it's probably a good idea to assess the DM's attitude on optimizing and modify your choices, provided the game is still fun for you under such a paradigm. As a DM, I like it when the players optimize. It forces me to get more creative with challenge design to maintain difficulty.</p><p></p><p>So, for my part, optimize all you want - just be aware of how that's going to impact the other players (including the DM) and act accordingly. In a social game, winning is getting invited back to play and that's something that exists beyond the rules of the game itself.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="iserith, post: 7056863, member: 97077"] While some slap on a layer of backstory and personality, characters are really just tools. An optimized tool in a D&D context is one that will tend to perform well in most challenges across the set of possible challenges in the given game. One that is less optimized will tend to do less well by comparison. Any dissatisfaction from others will tend to be because the player of the optimized character outshines other players' characters who were not created as optimally. So I think the best play here in my view is to recognize that sometimes you should find a reason for your character to step back and let someone else take the spotlight. Kick ass, but be mindful that [I]everyone else[/I] having fun is one of the goals of the game for which you are responsible as a player. As a player, I'm happy when my teammates optimize. It's good to have a solid team. Some DMs who don't know how or are not inclined to manage the spotlight or difficulty level can get annoyed at the practice and give it a pejorative label. While I think that's unfortunate (because this really is shirking part of their role as I see it), it's probably a good idea to assess the DM's attitude on optimizing and modify your choices, provided the game is still fun for you under such a paradigm. As a DM, I like it when the players optimize. It forces me to get more creative with challenge design to maintain difficulty. So, for my part, optimize all you want - just be aware of how that's going to impact the other players (including the DM) and act accordingly. In a social game, winning is getting invited back to play and that's something that exists beyond the rules of the game itself. [/QUOTE]
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Where does optimizing end and min-maxing begin? And is min-maxing a bad thing?
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