D&D 5E Are powergamers a problem and do you allow them to play in your games?

[FrogReaver]

Remove feats and multiclassing. They're the lifeblood of powergaming in 5e, and optional systems besides.

Caution: won't fix glassbowls

Meh. Just shifts all powergamers into playing rogues, paladins and casters. Personally as a DM I'd rather deal with an optimized high damage party of barbarians and archer fighters as it's easier to throw more enemies at them than a party of mostly full casters.

It's much easier to engineer a challenge for high damage dealing characters than a party of full spell casters IMO.

 

[FrogReaver]

Like immorality.



How old are you? it was common when was young, uncommon now that our table is early 30's average. I think that goes right along with the maturity level of the people at those stages of their lives, emotional development, and maturity.



Been there, done that, and it's never worked. Every powergamer I've played with has a fundamentally different approach to the game from me, and they can't step it down without losing their sense of fun.

The times we've tried, it's failed. It's the right thing to try to reach out, but the most likely outcome is for you each to go your separate ways.

Giving a response that was really a non-response to my first point and questioning my age on the 2nd point aren't good ways to discuss anything.

At least you did bring up something thoughtful to my third point. Talking out of game doesn't always work. Though it's often how you talk out of game about a topic. If you do the whole powergaming is bad I don't allow power gamers spheell that goes on here then it wouldn't be surprising that such players make some other optimized build that you inevitably find fault with. In fact they may even make an optimized build that will be more annoying to you out of spite after that. (Not saying that's how you approached it but such an approach would undermine the talking approach).

Instead, say the game is more fun when the characters are closer in power level. I don't mind you having something a little stronger than the rest of the party. Do you mind to make a character a little more in line with the power level of the party?

 

[Charlaquin]

Well, I wanted to post the gif of grandpa Simpson walking in to a room and immediately out, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out how to make the image actually show up in the post.

 

[Nevvur]

Meh. Just shifts all powergamers into playing rogues, paladins and casters. Personally as a DM I'd rather deal with an optimized high damage party of barbarians and archer fighters as it's easier to throw more enemies at them than a party of mostly full casters.

It's much easier to engineer a challenge for high damage dealing characters than a party of full spell casters IMO.

So it shifts them onto 9 of the 12 classes? Is that even a shift?

I understand your point, that the powergamers will just choose the next 'best' thing (however they define that). My point is that their shenanigans will be less disruptive from a power balance point of view. But again, it's not a fix for disruptive player attitudes.

 

[FrogReaver]

So it shifts them onto 9 of the 12 classes? Is that even a shift?

I understand your point, that the powergamers will just choose the next 'best' thing (however they define that). My point is that their shenanigans will be less disruptive from a power balance point of view. But again, it's not a fix for disruptive player attitudes.

Except I think those classes I mentioned have more disruptive abilities in the hands of a disruptive powergamer than consistently high DPR round in round out.

A well built rogue even without feats can scout ahead and kite enemies and pick them off from afar (taking more spotlight and possibly causing even more issues for the DM than a simple archer fighter that does more damage could).

A well played paladin will simply save all smites for bosslike creatures. The ability to do very high spike damage at any given time causes issues in a much different way than high consistent damage does.

A powergamer with a full caster will be less concerned about dealing damage in combat and more concerned with disabling etc. That can often be harder to deal with than a lot of damage.

So yes, the damage potential will definitely be more in line. That doesn't mean that you didn't just give them tools by removing feats and causting them focus more on the "next best thing" to cause even more disruptive shenanagins than more damage itself causes.

 

[Slit518]

I keep powergamers out of my game. They can slow down the game and generally make it un-fun for the DM or the other players.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I don’t like the powergaming play style myself. But I’d rather play with a power gamer any day of the week than someone who does nothing but complain about the game and the designers....



I actually have a power gamer in the group and it’s no big deal. None of the other players are, and they don’t care if he has a higher DPR or whatever. They all have areas of the game they like, and I as the DM try to hit all of those areas. But really, we’re all friends and it’s a social game, so everyone has fun. It’s just a game, and not a competition.

 

[Blue]

It isn't hogwash and you know it.

It's not just hogwash, it's ABSOLUTE hogwash.

EVERY system where you can make meaningful choices that interact with each other have combinations of those choices that fit together better or worse. It's impossible to avoid.

 

[Blue]

My little sister did that once growing up.

When trading started to pick up, my brother, father, and I couldn't figure out what her strategy was. She appeared to be wheeling and dealing at random; we all thought she was crazy or had somehow misunderstood the rules. Suddenly she announced she had won the game and left the table. Confused we asked her how she had won. She said, "I got one of every color," and smiled. "I changed the win condition," she added, seeing our bewildered expressions, and continued on her day.

We never played monopoly with her again.

Monopoly == Kobayashi Maru

You know, it explains so much.

 

[Satyrn]

Well, I wanted to post the gif of grandpa Simpson walking in to a room and immediately out, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out how to make the image actually show up in the post.

I'm a powerposter