MGibster
Legend
I have generalist in my job title and when people ask me what I do I sometimes jokingly tell them, "I do a little bit of everything but I'm not really good at any of it." But while I'm expected to have a broad breadth of skills in my job role, I concentrate more on compliance and contracts than anything else.
In the past I've found that D&D characters are so specialized that it discouraged players from participating in the game if they felt like the scene was outside of their lane. I can't count the number of times I've seen social encounters played out with one player doing all the talking because the other players didn't make "social" characters. I feel as though 5th edition with its Backgrounds afford players an opportunity to broaden their characters a bit more than in 3rd edition at least.
In most other games, I encourage players to find a niche for their character but I also encourage them to be good at other things as well. In Savage Worlds, I tell them they're going to get into a fight at some point during the campaign so it's a good idea to put some points into skills that'll help you with that. It's good to be cross trained in case you're not all together for a scene.
I've designed characters that were JOATs because they're fun to play for two reasons: I'm able to meaningfully participate in a wide variety of scenes. And even if I'm not the super star I am often able to provide a supporting role to another PC and that's fun too.
That's where I am and a few months ago I started a thread stating that all PCs should be good at talking to NPCs. My idea wasn't that you couldn't have a Face in the group, only that we're playing an RPG and every player should be encouraged and incentivized to participate in social interactions even if that isn't their main forte because it's a big part of the game.Personally I place a high premium on being able to participate meaningfully in all parts of play, so these archtypes appeal to me, even if they are not particularly optimal.
In the past I've found that D&D characters are so specialized that it discouraged players from participating in the game if they felt like the scene was outside of their lane. I can't count the number of times I've seen social encounters played out with one player doing all the talking because the other players didn't make "social" characters. I feel as though 5th edition with its Backgrounds afford players an opportunity to broaden their characters a bit more than in 3rd edition at least.
In most other games, I encourage players to find a niche for their character but I also encourage them to be good at other things as well. In Savage Worlds, I tell them they're going to get into a fight at some point during the campaign so it's a good idea to put some points into skills that'll help you with that. It's good to be cross trained in case you're not all together for a scene.
I've designed characters that were JOATs because they're fun to play for two reasons: I'm able to meaningfully participate in a wide variety of scenes. And even if I'm not the super star I am often able to provide a supporting role to another PC and that's fun too.