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Merwin said it better than Schwalb
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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 6333726" data-attributes="member: 177"><p>You seem to be missing the dynamic I'm trying to show. In essence - the presence of gearheads means the gears don't remain in the background.</p><p></p><p>Broadly speaking, players want to be effective in the game.*</p><p> </p><p>If there are gears, gearheads will use them, will become more effective for doing so, and then overshadow the non-gearheads. This is a problem, as the non-gearheads then have problems getting a share of the spotlight when the gearheads swiftly chew through the bad guys. </p><p></p><p>Alternatively, if there are paths to effectiveness that don't use gears, the gearheads don't feel like they are rewarded for their effort. This is a problem, as the player feels cheated.</p><p></p><p>I've not yet seen a game that makes gearheads feel greatly rewarded that don't also give non-gearheads problems. So far as I can tell, such a game is a mythical creature. Real, practical solutions lie with the GM - table management, adventure design, and so on. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 9px">*Yes, I know there exist some extreme story-oriented players who want to play pitifully flawed characters. I submit that they are not a strong enough contingent to be an important point at the moment, and there are games that handle deeply flawed characters much better than D&D does. D&D is a heroic action fantasy game, not an angst-fest.</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 6333726, member: 177"] You seem to be missing the dynamic I'm trying to show. In essence - the presence of gearheads means the gears don't remain in the background. Broadly speaking, players want to be effective in the game.* If there are gears, gearheads will use them, will become more effective for doing so, and then overshadow the non-gearheads. This is a problem, as the non-gearheads then have problems getting a share of the spotlight when the gearheads swiftly chew through the bad guys. Alternatively, if there are paths to effectiveness that don't use gears, the gearheads don't feel like they are rewarded for their effort. This is a problem, as the player feels cheated. I've not yet seen a game that makes gearheads feel greatly rewarded that don't also give non-gearheads problems. So far as I can tell, such a game is a mythical creature. Real, practical solutions lie with the GM - table management, adventure design, and so on. [SIZE=1]*Yes, I know there exist some extreme story-oriented players who want to play pitifully flawed characters. I submit that they are not a strong enough contingent to be an important point at the moment, and there are games that handle deeply flawed characters much better than D&D does. D&D is a heroic action fantasy game, not an angst-fest.[/SIZE] [/QUOTE]
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