Unpopular opinions go here

[Emberashh]

Speak for yourself!
I like hotdogs sans bun, sans condiments. when I buy the basic american style, this is in fact the usual mode I eat them.
I like them in bun with good mustard, some onions, and some kosher dill relish.
I like them in a bun with Advanced Cheese Substitute (either Kraft sliced american "cheese" or bacon flavored cheese whiz)
I like them diced, fried, and in a matrix of eggs.
I like them lightly burnt on the grill in any of the above configurations.

Same for polish sausage, and fully cooked bratwürste.

Now, if they need cooking, nothing beats genuine wood charcoal.

Ill eat hot dogs uncooked and wriggling.

But burnt half to death is also superior.

The concept of "builds" is bad, but when it is accompanied by discussions of "DPS" in the context of a tabletop RPG, I just think you are in the wrong hobby.

I think this largely comes about when the game in question is just poorly set up in terms of balance. Things of the same level/cost should be relatively equal in terms of value. If they aren't theres an imbalance somewhere in the design and thats what causes questions of builds.

You can't optimize the fun out of the game if the options are all optimal.

 

[MGibster]

Savage Worlds is based on the slimmed down wargame rules for Deadlands.

Which more closely resembles their mostly forgotten table top miniatures wargame The Great Rail Wars.

 

[Reynard]

Which more closely resembles their mostly forgotten table top miniatures wargame The Great Rail Wars.

That's the one I meant. But now I have lost the thread for why it was relevant.

 

[MGibster]

That's the one I meant. But now I have lost the thread for why it was relevant.

To score internet points and determine who is the biggest nerd! I win!!! Oh, no. That means I lost.

 

[Jd Smith1]

The concept of "builds" is bad, but when it is accompanied by discussions of "DPS" in the context of a tabletop RPG, I just think you are in the wrong hobby.

It is a natural outgrown of a generation of gamers whose gateway to the hobby comes via video. A number of small press games are openly adopting video concepts as a means of creating familiar conditions for video gamers.

With growing numbers playing online with a VTT, I expect we will see game companies placing far more emphasis on that medium. CoC and ZWeihanders, to name just two, have put massive efforts into the design, customization, and capability of their PC sheets on Roll20. And several games still in Kickstarter already have PC sheets up.

 

[Faolyn]

2E was 20... but had a high level campaigning splat taking it to at least 30. I can't check the latter since it's not to hand.
BECMI/Cyclopedia is 36 mortal, then 36 immortal, for a potential of 72 total, tho' the switch from Mortal to Immortal 1 doesn't require having more than 30th as a mortal; ISTR it being 25
3E was 20, but had a book to take to 40.
4E goes to 30th.
5E goes to 20th, but has additional non-leveled post-20th advancements...

 

[Pedantic]

You can't optimize the fun out of the game if the options are all optimal.

Then you've just funned all the game out instead.

 

[Reynard]

It is a natural outgrown of a generation of gamers whose gateway to the hobby comes via video. A number of small press games are openly adopting video concepts as a means of creating familiar conditions for video gamers.

With growing numbers playing online with a VTT, I expect we will see game companies placing far more emphasis on that medium. CoC and ZWeihanders, to name just two, have put massive efforts into the design, customization, and capability of their PC sheets on Roll20. And several games still in Kickstarter already have PC sheets up.

The more video game like VTT play gets, the less I am interested in it. I don't need sound effects, animated spell attacks, or similar. I think dynamic lighting is useful but can be over emphasized. I do think automation on rolls is useful and can open up more complexity in game design since the computer is crunching the numbers.

 

[Thomas Shey]

That doesn't ring true to me. There must be an order of magnitude or two more indie publishers now than the early days of the hobby and even during the d20 heyday. Sure, people expect more professional looking products but doing that is easier than it has ever been with accessible, easy to use and often free publishing programs.

I did say "in some ways". Some of the stuff I saw early on would never fly now.

But the fact you can do a decent job of layout with the computer that sits in everybody's house means anyone who really wants to can, which was not always true.

I mean, honestly, almost any print production is easier now; for the sake of all the gods, if you were doing this in 1978 you were likely doing it with a typewriter. And having to fix things the hard way. I sometimes think people have no idea what a bump in productivity just word processing meant.

 

[Thomas Shey]

It’s more the thousand variations and adaptions that are the equivalent of dialects of language. Like putting your effort into learning Spanish only to find out folks in Barcelona are speaking Catalan. Which is fine right up until you want to have a good conversation with someone. Same with games.

I still think you're underestimating how long ago that was already a thing. Even by the 80's any idea of a really common language of games outside of D&D was gone.