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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zweischneid" data-source="post: 1688169" data-attributes="member: 11843">Hmm -- some random thoughts on the subject.Just recently, one of my players (playing a Swordmaster in a WoT campaign, quite a bit Min/Max) told me the goal for his character was to be so good with the blade (and renowned for it), that he would no longer need to actually draw his sword to settle disputes. The mere mention of his name and a cold stare should be more than sufficient. Me on the other hand (from a DM perspective) found this goal to be rather pointless. Where, I asked, is the excitement in winning staredowns with NPCs who wouldn't last five seconds against you anyways? Whats the point of telling a story about a guy, when you know there is noone, or hardly noone, who could beat him anyways? Where's the fun in rolling dice when the chances of actually not hitting are so low that you might just as well safe yourself the trouble alltogether?The very concept of adventure, infact of heroism in my mind is at the core about the underdogs going up against overwhelming odds. The "weaker" the Heroes are, the more heroic (not to mention exciting) will be the story to tell.To use the never exhausted Tolkien as an example: If Middle Earth would have featured a few "better-than-all-the-rest-heroes" that single-handedly cut a bloody swath through Mordor, personally kick Saurons ass at the end while chewing the One Ring to little pieces bevor spitting it into the flames it would have been an awfully boring and stupid book. Frodo and Sam are Heroes precisly because one false move by them might have well been the end of it. Every antique epic concerns itself as much with the protagonists flaws as it does with their deeds. Only be overcoming their shortcomings do their actions become heroic, become shining examples for others to strive after.Yet, on the other hand, every RPG features the constant rewards & powerincrease of the characters (the proverbial carrot I guess) and most playes strive (to different degrees) to make their characters stronger, smarter, etc.. than the rest. Most "heroic" fantasy games like D&D already start off with characters who are quite a bit better than the normal person to beginn with. The psychological reasons for this I leave up to others, but somewhere here is a dilemma between telling heroic stories and playing strong characters that satisfy the need for larger than life action/achievments/whatever.If someone finds a workable solution to this paradox, please tell me. I'd really appreciate it.</blockquote>

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