Why is it a bad thing to optimise?

[Eric Tolle]

This one is a tad confusing to me, probably because I've gotten very used to the mechanically optimal choices generally also being the thematically iconic choices. So, the dwarf wizard would not(in any circumstance I can think of) be the Optimizer's choice, but would come up because someone thought it would be cool.

It really depends on the edition. In Third Edition, which is the true optimizer's playground, dwarves were the second best choice as wizards; bonus to one of the most important stats? Minus to a dump stat? Darkvision? Yes please! Elves on t the other hand, for all that they had a reputation for magical ability made lousy mages, due to the Con hit. The best race old cleese for casters was gnomes, due to the con bonus and small size. And since nobody who was properly optimized would play a non-spellcaster, you would in effect get parties consisting of three gnomes and a dwarven cleric. After the third or fourth identical party, it gets kind of old.

 

[prosfilaes]

And since nobody who was properly optimized would play a non-spellcaster, you would in effect get parties consisting of three gnomes and a dwarven cleric. After the third or fourth identical party, it gets kind of old.

So people played two classes* exclusively in your games, despite the fact it was getting old? That's not much like any game I've played it; the Meetup notice for my current 3.5 game even specified that we'd have to play casters, since there were none in the current group.

* A current poll here even put arcane casters and divine casters, 2nd and 4th out of fighters, arcane, divine and rogues. So not even the favorite classes of half the players.

 

[TheUltramark]

here is another issue that I have found with "optimizers" (like its a bad word, we're all power-gamer-biggots)

but, if one guy does 5X the rest of the group's damage in the first round of a fight, and the monster (s) focus in on that one guy, and then he whines "why are they (it) pickin on me/singling meout???

really?

I don't get that one