How important is it to you or your players for characters to feel "overpowered"?

[nevin]

I don't really have any desire for my characters to be overpowered in any game I play. Of course what's overpowered depends on setting, genre, etc., etc. Generally speaking, I don't feel overpowered if bullets are bouncing off my character's chest in a superhero game but it's going to be weird if the same thing happens to my character in a Call of Cthulhu game. I tend to get bored with encounters where my character is overpowered and my opponents pose no threat. What's even the point of playing things out?

But when every encounter is a nail biting one step from death then death and scary become normal and therefore boring as well. If every encounter is all or nothing then that's just a normal boring day.

 

[sevenbastard]

Then you should probably choose that it's important in someways to you, not neutral or unimportant.

It's not important for me to feel overpowered, I'm fine being weak.

I don't like the implied pressure of some games to unlock system mastery to make a competent charachter.

 

[nevin]

It's not important for me to feel overpowered, I'm fine being weak.

I don't like the implied pressure of some games to unlock system mastery to make a competent charachter.

in many games weak means ineffective and barely functional struggling like worms in the darkness. Characters need to feel useful and effective in proper context with the game story. id say 99 percent of players would disagree with you on being weak.

They play to be the hero

 

[cranberry]

I don't want my PC to be overpowered, as being able to steamroll everything in your path gets boring real fast.

I want my character to be useful, and have a variety of options. I'm not a fan of one trick ponies, but certain abilities are just superior to others, and I find myself using them over and over.

 

[Mallus]

Do I expect the A-Team to run though a hail of bullets and come out unscathed? Yes.

Do I expect Fafrhd and the Grey Mouser to kick in a door without a plan and win a fight while outnumbered 20 to 1? Yes.

Do I expect Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice to survive either of the above scenarios? No.

 

[Scribe]

Its more important they are not overpowered. Removes the tension and is just 'playing it out' at that point.

 

[Bagpuss]

Really depends on the genre of the game.

If I'm playing Call of Cthulhu feeling overpowered would be detrimental to the experience, both as a player or a Keeper, unless it was seconds before they went mad on the power and were dragged into an alternate dimension or destroyed the world.

If I'm playing Feng Shui, then I expect to be able to wade through minions as a whirlwind of destruction, and that wouldn't feel overpowered, even if it were happening in a more realistic setting it would be.

So I guess feeling overpowered is generally a negative, and thus unimportant. Overpowered implies the game is too easy to be a challenge, and the challenge is a lot of the fun. If anything feeling underpowered and surviving despite the odds is more enjoyable most of the time.

 

[Wolfpack48]

in many games weak means ineffective and barely functional struggling like worms in the darkness. Characters need to feel useful and effective in proper context with the game story. id say 99 percent of players would disagree with you on being weak.

They play to be the hero

I think this is what I'm getting at. It does seem that for some players (based on discussions here), any challenge or adversity at all means "struggling like worms in the darkness." That is, do your players demand that they never experience negative effects, or is their wish to play the A-Team starring roles where getting hurt means their "characters (or the system) sucks?"

 

[sevenbastard]

in many games weak means ineffective and barely functional struggling like worms in the darkness. Characters need to feel useful and effective in proper context with the game story. id say 99 percent of players would disagree with you on being weak.

They play to be the hero

To be clear I don't want to purposely make weak characters, but I'm fine with a system like B/X where you roll stats in order and can end up with a Fighter with a 10 strength. Yup it's weak but it was organic and I can play that character.

 

[Wolfpack48]

But when every encounter is a nail biting one step from death then death and scary become normal and therefore boring as well. If every encounter is all or nothing then that's just a normal boring day.

Excellent point -- the extremes on both ends are boring I think we could agree. I guess another question could be, "do your players want to feel like they are playing through a dangerous enough scenario that their characters could die?" Or do they want the comfort of knowing that death could never really happen? I'm not talking about opening a chest and fearing they'll die or that a mosquito bite could kill them.