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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 590862" data-attributes="member: 3146">It depends.If all of the players except one don't mind being told to wait in the sidekick lounge whenever the hero goes to the bar and occasionally performing seemingly insignificant but essential roles like tossing the hero a new sword when his breaks or is disarmed or expending their energies to make the hero better (casting haste on the hero for every battle for instance) then balance is unnecessary. (Of course, that kind of game doesn't really appeal to me as one might guess from my description of it).Similarly, if the game is constructed such that, despite everyone's vastly different potentials and abilities, everyone is necessary, contributes, and gets a reasonable amount of time in the spotlight then a certain kind of balance (balance of abilities and mechanical advantages) is unnecessary although another kind of balance (balance of spotlight time and importance) is assumed. In the same way, if the rules set doesn't cover the vast majority of the game--a 1e game centered on social interaction, for instance--all of the unbalanced mechanics in the world won't make a difference because it's how good the player is at coming up with ideas and manipulating people or doing whatever the character is doing that makes a difference and the mechanical aspects of the character are largely irrelevant to the game.In most other cases, however, I think it's important that characters be mechanically balanced with each other to a reasonable extent. I've played in games of D&D where there's three levels difference between the highest and the lowest level character at the table and everyone contributed and had fun. (The game in question featured a 1st level ranger and a 4th level bard among others). I've also been in D&D games where there was 6 levels of difference between the highest level character and the lowest level and the low level guy didn't do anything except occasionally absorb attacks and make the higher level characters worry about how to keep him alive when he's stuck between a wraith and a wall of fire. Clearly, there's some degree of flexibility in my concept of "balance" but limits as well.</blockquote>

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