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<blockquote data-quote="TheGorramBatman" data-source="post: 6366293" data-attributes="member: 6778804">If it is a one-shot or otherwise short game, I use some sort of roll method.&nbsp; Usually 4d6 drop the lowest, but maybe 3d6 if I'm feeling saucy.Otherwise I find randomization inadequate for long term play.&nbsp; There's always one superstar at the table with great rolls and someone with terrible rolls.&nbsp; Over a long enough timeline it isn't worth trying to balance encounters to challenge the superstar without outright killing the sucker.&nbsp; Too much work fiddling with the nuts and bolts of the encounters when I could be fleshing out the story or pursuing one of my many other interests.Everything is escalation of force.&nbsp; As the players improve a DM needs to up the ante to keep the players from falling asleep at the wheel.&nbsp; The DM will continue to up the ante until a good balance can be found.&nbsp; After a long period with 3.5 and watching tables where one player is bored by lack of challenge while one or more other players are hanging on for dear life, I've decided that point buy is a preferable method of creation.Seriously, I've seen some bad games.&nbsp; They were like reading those really old DC comics where Superman teams up with useless peon of the week and laughs heartily while his buddy is getting his butt kicked before going off to win some cake baking competition or something.The more even the characters are at creation, the less likely a character is to be completely overshadowed.&nbsp; If characters don't get overshadowed then players remain enthusiastic and are more likely to continue playing and contributing....also using point buy or standard array means that the time I spend tweaking encounters goes from hours to minutes.&nbsp; It makes the game much easier to improvise and run on the fly.&nbsp; Overall my life becomes a hell of a lot easier.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="TheGorramBatman, post: 6366293, member: 6778804"] If it is a one-shot or otherwise short game, I use some sort of roll method. Usually 4d6 drop the lowest, but maybe 3d6 if I'm feeling saucy. Otherwise I find randomization inadequate for long term play. There's always one superstar at the table with great rolls and someone with terrible rolls. Over a long enough timeline it isn't worth trying to balance encounters to challenge the superstar without outright killing the sucker. Too much work fiddling with the nuts and bolts of the encounters when I could be fleshing out the story or pursuing one of my many other interests. Everything is escalation of force. As the players improve a DM needs to up the ante to keep the players from falling asleep at the wheel. The DM will continue to up the ante until a good balance can be found. After a long period with 3.5 and watching tables where one player is bored by lack of challenge while one or more other players are hanging on for dear life, I've decided that point buy is a preferable method of creation. Seriously, I've seen some bad games. They were like reading those really old DC comics where Superman teams up with useless peon of the week and laughs heartily while his buddy is getting his butt kicked before going off to win some cake baking competition or something. The more even the characters are at creation, the less likely a character is to be completely overshadowed. If characters don't get overshadowed then players remain enthusiastic and are more likely to continue playing and contributing. ...also using point buy or standard array means that the time I spend tweaking encounters goes from hours to minutes. It makes the game much easier to improvise and run on the fly. Overall my life becomes a hell of a lot easier. [/QUOTE]

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