possibly not a real thread

[Remathilis]

Boobs!

Ain't nothing wrong with that!

 

[Flatus Maximus]

Ain't nothing wrong with that!

So long as they aren't...dragonbewbs.

 

[Markn]

I feel like the monkey at the long end of a line who has heard a distorted whisper started at the other end.

 

[coyote6]

Did you say a monkey told you there were tubes here?

 

[Ysgarran]

The pie is a lie.

Why, Oh Why didn't I take the blue pie?

 

[coyote6]

You can't have a real dessert with pie. You need cake.

Really, only chocalate cake provides a real dessert. All others might be meals, but they aren't proper.

 

[Fifth Element]

This thread is now about Schrodinger's Campaign World. Nothing is real until the PCs have interacted with it, and the rest of the setting is subject to change whenever a better idea comes along.

That's my homebrew setting in a nutshell. What is it doing in that bloody great big nutshell?

 

[Jack7]

Does anybody remember when video killed the radio star?

Sorry, that's all I got.

Well, anyways, I got here at the tail end of the front of backwards so nobody can blame me for not knowing what it is I haven't yet figured out about what's not happening here.

 

[fanboy2000]

Hold on. We might know if it's a real thread if I can get the flux capacitor working.

Or not.

 

[MerricB]

"My answer in answering the question: "What does the red spectrum tell us about quasars?" Write bigger. There are various words that need to be defined: what is a spectrum, what is a red one, why is it red, and why is it so frequently linked with quasars? What the hell is a quasar?"

Honestly, I'm not so sure what is being talked about here. I'm not sure why it's an issue. And I really don't know why it's being talked about on EN World, where discussions saying that you can't roleplay optimized (or non-optimized) characters are far and few between.

If I were to try and render the argument into terms that make some sort of sense - that is, take the conclusion from the modified OP - and try and get some spurious logic that support it, I would try:

You have a limited amount of time to play the game.
Time spent optimizing your character is time spent not roleplaying your character.
Therefore, optimizing your character detracts from roleplaying!

All logical, but, alas, spurious.

Making more sense is the following statement:

There are potential characters that would be fun to roleplay, but, due to their non-optimized status, detract from the game as a whole.

(Translation: If your PC makes the other players at the table have less fun, then you've got a problem.)

Of course, that statement can be turned around:

There are potential characters that would be fun to roleplay, but, due to their optimized status, detract from the game as a whole.

Did I see that in 3.5e? Without a doubt. Watching PCs with an armour class in the high 20s by level 5 was a very depressing sight: some PCs couldn't be hit in combat, others went down at the mere sign of a greataxe-wielding orc.

(The conclusion: Balance matters).

Cheers!