Let me explain myself. Please, hear me out, folks.
And tell Gary Gygax this happened, would you? He's up there in that Q&A thread. Please? ...
There was a time when I believed in Balance. I thought all rules should be adhered to, DMs should DM properly, players should play properly and under reasonable restrictions, and the game should do all the things Balance Advocates want it to.
This was back when I was 14.
Fortunately for me, I grew out of it (or, rather, I was learned out of it, as my DMs were my older brothers and their friends, and they weren't entirely ... reasonable about everything.)
But while I was believing in balance and running low level characters, my friends of my age (teenagers, so you know where this is going already) were busy with the Oerth, Gary Gygax's world.
They all had a new and different idea of what *reasonable* meant, and it didn't have much to do with balance (it had a lot to do with fun, as long as it was their fun ...)
So what happened?
1. The Evil PCs (there were few neutrals, and NO good PCs) took over.
2. The wizard PC became 75th level, conquered and destroyed Perrenland, then occupied the whole northwest from the Black Ice down to Doraaka (Iuz was evicted or enslaved, I forget which.)
3. The Guildmaster Assassin (14th level) assassinated all of the nobles and other notables in Greyhawk City, including the Circle of Eight, then took over the place. From his secret base until the Hellfurnaces (close to Slerotin's Tunnel, actually, although that was published eons later) he took over the Yeomanry, Geoff, Sterich, Keoland, Gran March, Bissel, Veluna, Furyondy, the three Uleks, the Lortmils, Celene, and the Wild Coast.
4. The Skylord showed up with his fleet of Flying Castles (Dragonlance Flying Citadels were many years off yet). One by one, his followers bombed and destroyed every city on every coastline in the Flanaess. Only Irongate held out, and that is because a rare neutral character took over there as Overlord, and fought back.
5. The wizard PC created an army of wizards, then invaded the rest of the Flanaess. The guildmaster assassin beat him back three times (once by killing him with earwigs, a most amusing affair.)
6. Every country still around was occupied by other evil PCs, eager to get in on the fun. They slaughtered half the Flanaess with their fun.
Better than the Greyhawk Wars, no?
THIS was everyone's idea of fun and of Balance, back then. 30th level was common. 40th level was common. 50th level was common. And nobody ever *did* permanently kill that 75th level wizard (for the good reason that he had made himself immune to everything, in a castle also immune to everything.)
Meanwhile, every character I created and ran died, in their *first* combat. Later on, they died ... in their *first* game.
It was not until 1984, when I reached 16, that two of my characters - Clara and Edena - finally managed to survive their first encounter, first game, and first campaign.
Do you understand now?
I learned two things from those days:
1. The game is about fun, and balance (whatever that is ... my current idea is a balance of imbalances (think of trees and how they grow)) is merely one tool towards that end.
2. It is the ultimate job of the DM to treat his players to a fun time. Balance, however it's interpretation, is merely a tool to that end.
Now, I hear that Polymorph is being altered, because it is considered Unbalancing.
That is all fine and well. It is perfectly within WOTC right to alter Polymorph.
But ...
I like the old Polymorph. I also like the original, 1E Shapechange (go back and read it in the 1E Player's Handbook, then flip your lid!)
All so long as there is fun. For me, when I play. For them, when I DM.
As for Oerth, well ... I used the mess those teenagers created as the backdrop of my Haldendreeva story. (remember that? All the elves died except these special lunatic elves who were good people but bloodthirsty maniacs both.)
And now you have my take on Balance.
Edena_of_Neith
