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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 9893234" data-attributes="member: 6790260">Yes, and social is beyond any designer's ability to control.Hence, while the social sphere is essential and unavoidable, it is also completely irrelevant as far as rule design goes.Unless you're finally going to agree with me that well-made rules help prevent problems cropping up in the first place? I'd absolutely love that, so please, be my guest.Ah, but you're conflating things here, aren't you?The average player doesn't care to do design-the-game kind of math. I fully agree with that.However, having played in more than one horrendously badly-balanced game (primarily 5e, but also 3.x/PF1e), the average player very, very much cares about not being overshadowed, nor being the one overshadowing others. Because, guess what? THE RULES AND MATH AFFECT THE SOCIAL. Who'd'a thunk it? It's almost like rules actually DO matter and actually DO affect player behavior and actually DO make a very major difference in how players choose to behave, how they treat each other, how they view questionable actions, etc., etc.</blockquote>