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Mearls on Balance in D&D
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<blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 3389745" data-attributes="member: 2067"><p>If you re-define a bad DM to be someone who simply can't play a D&D game effectively at all, then you've basically made the term meaningless. Just like if you re-define a good DM to be someone who creates such a rich, evocative world that people would pay him money just to let him run a game. It's far too extreme of a definition to be useful.</p><p></p><p>I've been using the more realistic version of "A Bad DM is a DM with flaws that get in the way of the group having a good time in their games." Perhaps a mediocre DM is one that this happens to every once in a while. If a system eliminates or minimizes these flaws, they've made the DM better. </p><p></p><p>It's not about the extreme outliers and making game quality a straight line, it's about moving the whole bell curve a little more toward a quality game. Most DMs have flaws that they struggle with, and if a game system can address these flaws (while enhancing what a DM already does well), it'll make the DM better.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And I'm telling you from firsthand experience that 3.5's comprehensive ruleset takes at least MY flaws (in awarding ever-increasing power complexity) and addresses them (for instance, by giving an expected treasure award per encounter). When a game does the work for you, you are free to concentrate your energies on making other parts of the game as enjoyable as possible. I don't think I'm unique in this position, though I certainly could be. Either way, it's at least ONE direct counter-point: D&D has taken me, and made me better at running a game, than any rules-light system ever could, because no rules-light system I've seen addresses ever-increasing power complexity as well as D&D does. Its an area that I want to include in my games (because it's fun to get new cool abilities) but that I don't balance well on the fly (leading to hogging the spotlight-time), so D&D's comprehensive and effective method of doing that (with character wealth guidelines) makes me a better DM (not having to worry about paying attention to the powers they get, I can pay attention to the growing threat of the Evil Overlord or whatever). </p><p></p><p>Is it really so hard to accept?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="I'm A Banana, post: 3389745, member: 2067"] If you re-define a bad DM to be someone who simply can't play a D&D game effectively at all, then you've basically made the term meaningless. Just like if you re-define a good DM to be someone who creates such a rich, evocative world that people would pay him money just to let him run a game. It's far too extreme of a definition to be useful. I've been using the more realistic version of "A Bad DM is a DM with flaws that get in the way of the group having a good time in their games." Perhaps a mediocre DM is one that this happens to every once in a while. If a system eliminates or minimizes these flaws, they've made the DM better. It's not about the extreme outliers and making game quality a straight line, it's about moving the whole bell curve a little more toward a quality game. Most DMs have flaws that they struggle with, and if a game system can address these flaws (while enhancing what a DM already does well), it'll make the DM better. And I'm telling you from firsthand experience that 3.5's comprehensive ruleset takes at least MY flaws (in awarding ever-increasing power complexity) and addresses them (for instance, by giving an expected treasure award per encounter). When a game does the work for you, you are free to concentrate your energies on making other parts of the game as enjoyable as possible. I don't think I'm unique in this position, though I certainly could be. Either way, it's at least ONE direct counter-point: D&D has taken me, and made me better at running a game, than any rules-light system ever could, because no rules-light system I've seen addresses ever-increasing power complexity as well as D&D does. Its an area that I want to include in my games (because it's fun to get new cool abilities) but that I don't balance well on the fly (leading to hogging the spotlight-time), so D&D's comprehensive and effective method of doing that (with character wealth guidelines) makes me a better DM (not having to worry about paying attention to the powers they get, I can pay attention to the growing threat of the Evil Overlord or whatever). Is it really so hard to accept? [/QUOTE]
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