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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Malmuria" data-source="post: 8385866" data-attributes="member: 7030755">Why does the intention of the "devs" matter so much?  The creators of the World of Darkness games also intended their games to be story- and character-centric (in their view, in contrast to dnd), but many argue that the mechanics of these games don't actually support that design goal.  I think when we look at game design the focus should be on the effect, not the intent.So would floating ASI create powergamers at your table?  That is, your group has a distinct playstyle, that that centers on characters and stories, and so it seems, by your description, that your players are not the kind to use floating ASI just to find the most optimal combinations.  Turns out, there are a lot of tables like this.  At my table, floating ASI is irrelevant, because no one is looking to optimize in the first place.Powergaming, if it means anything, should refer to a playstyle.  I don't think you can take a central mechanic from the game (experience points and levels), and say that engaging with those elements constitutes a playstyle. It also doesn't really matter why you level up your characters.  You are basically saying "well, at our table we level up but only as a side effect of our rich, character-driven stories, whereas other tables level up because they are powergamers that don't care at all about story."  It's a false dichotomy, self-aggrandizing, and condescending.</blockquote>

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