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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ExploderWizard" data-source="post: 6563346" data-attributes="member: 66434">It isn't all about power gaming per se. Power gaming is simply the easiest example of such behavior. As long as the activity is centered on interacting with the rules crunch instead of the fictional world it can take many forms. Being a combat monster is one popular form, perhaps others want support for being the best artificer, beast tamer, or (insert skill set) that they can be via interacting with mechanics. Regardless of motive, once interacting with the game's mechanics becomes the primary fixation, the imagined game space and the activities taking place therein take a back seat to mechanical issues. If everyone in the group is happy with that arrangement its all good but that style does clash with those to whom mechanics are a distant second to actual play. The one this style impacts most is the DM. One reason published material may be so popular is that if the DM knows that the group is only going to care about the world or adventure in a cursory manner, instead fixating on getting to level X so they get abilities Y and Z and can then do yadda yadda yadda, why would they WANT to put time and effort into creating content even if they had the time? Spending hours working on content for a group who will largely be indifferent to it isn't very rewarding. This is the natural result of play focusing on what the character CAN do vs. what the character is actually doing . I really don't fault such DMs for wanting labor free content to run or even just pulling monsters out of the MM at random for such a group.</blockquote>

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