A Rifts Balance Discussion for Roguewriter & Buzzard

[Saeviomagy]

Because sometimes a roleplaying game isn't about personal character power but is about role development.

So what you're saying is "the rules to the game don't matter at all, because we avoid using them"

Honestly? When I used to play Rifts I didn't really consider or care what the other players were playing. I played what I wanted to play on the virtue of my vision for my own character. I didn't worry about some other player hogging all the limelight in combat situations. My favorite character was the Linewalker even after numerous additional books came out. Yes, there were plenty of other players who seemed to get off on having the most powerful combat gods in the game but it just wasn't that important to me. The setting was great and it was because of the setting that I chose to play. Roleplaying to me is more than combat situations being strung together. The Rifts setting provided for plenty of neat roleplaying situations.

And what about those extremely long combats where you could not contribute?

Roleplaying has nothing to do with rules. It happens in every game system, regardless of how awful the system is.

Stop bringing it up - the same roleplaying which is possible in rifts is possible in white wolf, D20, or even the bribe system.

If my character is totally hopeless and unable to contribute to anything the party does - I can still roleplay. Even if every time I say "I do X", someone else says "No - my character will do it. I'm much better at X than your character", I could still roleplay.

Hell - even if the GM gives my character absolutely no spotlight time, I can still roleplay.

But I don't want to. I want to take part in the story. Otherwise I might as well go home and sit in the corner roleplaying on my lonesome.

Balance, either GM-enforced or systemic, lets me take part.

And if the GM doesn't have to constantly think about how in hells name he's going to balance his game, he has a lot more time left over for actually running it.

 

[questionmark]

I had exclusively played rifts before coming over to the DnD fold and I liked the setting alot but it does have some problems in my opinion here is my top five:

5. Takes Forever To Level Up, playing by the book I dont see how it could be possible to level up to high levels.

4. Leveling up really doesnt make you that much tougher than when you first start playing.

3. With so many O.C.C.s and R.C.C.s in a world wear the setting makes anything possible ( no regional isolation) it is really hard tell a player "no you cant be that guy from wormwood" or " forget south america exists, sorry". it is a very hard to balance a group with out railroading them from the start when the game is deseign for anything to be anyware at any time.

2. sdc games last about 6 and a half minutes. If it aint mdc and have super stats then it is dead really fast

1. The JA12