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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7259862" data-attributes="member: 996">When we invoke 'realism,' that's exactly what we're doing (and, yes, that one word can neatly invalidate everything associated with it if not used very carefully, indeed), we're bringing in RL standards.  In this specific case, the idea that rolling is more 'realistic,' it's even in the exact sense that Hussar brought up - the sense of what the character controls mapping closely to what the player controls.  The character can't choose his parents, for instance, so the player shouldn't be able to just take a background like Noble.  You're either born into a noble family or not - usually not - so roll on this table....We established, up-thread, that both of us have used just that kind of extended random generation.  For something like that kind of reason (I also liked to think of it as being part of world-painting....)Not s'much.  That's just demanding realism selectively, which just kicks the issue back to arbitrary preference.  Why realism for stats, but not backgrounds?  Why 'realism' for the numeric values of stats but not where they go?  Realism is a *ahem* real benefit for random generation, but, really(npi!) only when it's taken to the logical conclusion of randomly generating everything about the character that the character had no opportunity to influence in the course of his backstory.... Ooh, that's a nice concept.  Don't know if it could actually be done (there's really not /that/ much to a D&D character class & it's abilities), but it's a cool idea. A little too subjective to be of any use, though.  I mean, it might as well be an arbitrary preference.  See, that's just arbitrary.  There's no difference between that and "'cause I wanna!"  If your immersion can't handle your character choosing strength over CHA - spending all his time doing strenuous physical work & pursuits, and none developing social relationships, for instance (not every stat trade-off has a clear choice component like that, a lot of it IRL is also 'potential,' but there's  /some/ rationale to to the character having some influence on his stats), but can handle choosing your race, assigned sex, and circumstances of birth (Human, M, Noble), then your standard of 'immersion' is just an arbitrary preference.  It has nothing to do with realism or immersion, at all, just begging the question.  Let an arbitrary preference stand as just that:  a personal preference requiring no logic nor justification. Because it's more fun.  And, why would assigning NPCs the stats that you deem make the most sense for them w/in the logical consistency of your world be more 'unrealistic' than rolling dice to get those stats? Yeah, the ones who got into wizard school, studied at monasteries, served in and survived wars, or whatever, then made the unaccountable decision to take up adventuring... they're not /representative/ of the populations from which they are drawn...  The methodology used to generate that population need have no direct relation to that used to generate the PCs.</blockquote>

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