Thomas Shey's latest activity

Mod Note: Both of you are being problematic. @Thomas Shey has been here long enough to know we’d prefer that, if you’re going to...

Do people really want to see what the adventure sheet I do for my 13th Age games looks like? It'd be easy enough to show one, but its...

I can't speak of AW specifically, but I'll outright say I do consider the two PbtA games I have to land in that category outside picking...

Niche protection comes up a lot in those kind of comparisons, too. Many groups (but not all) are okay when the combat specialist does...

It can even be worse when the person doing better is avowedly not in the same niche, but is still outcompeting someone in that niche...

The problem is they also don't expect to just be spear carriers. Water finds its own level, but when one player essentially grabs...

Forget it, Jake, its Bloodtide.

Exactly this. The argument that "all optimizers are jerks out to ruin everybody's fun" is symmetric to the argument that "roleplayers...

I'd argue that's only true with systems that permit few or no meaningful choices during character generation. Otherwise there's pretty...

I often read a post in this thread and I nod vigorously. I'm in full agreement and I snicker at those fools the post is talking about...

Optimization is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used for good or ill. My own feeling is that I usually go into a game with an idea...

But players out to break things and ruin everybody’s fun are not just optimizers; they’re jerks who use optimisation to ruin everybody’s...

I've always found that most games that aim for simplicity rapidly lose me either because the mechanical engagement in the game is too...

Sometimes that's people overusing hyperbole; sometimes its them not really knowing how to express it differently. And of course...

I suspect you're talking to the wind at this point.