Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
RPG Evolution: Playing Your PC Poorly
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Ruin Explorer" data-source="post: 8586381" data-attributes="member: 18"><p>I kind of feel like it never was, because earlier on, you often had players playing characters who were very much out for themselves, or whose characters had an agenda that was at odds with the other PCs. Even the deepest days of dungeon-bashing you often heard tell of PCs abandoning the party or the like, and some of my earliest experiences of 2E are of bone-headed decisions that are the result of that sort of thing.</p><p></p><p>Personally I've definitely played with a fair number of players who don't always play optimally, in various directions. I personally have mental difficulty <em>not</em> doing what's optimal for the party in D&D, but weirdly not in other RPGs (I know my wife feels similarly - no coincidence we both tend to play support-oriented characters in D&D). But I've seen plenty of Fighters (and even Rogues!) who tend to rush in headlong without a plan, devious Warlocks whose plans are so devious they confuse the hell out of everyone, sometimes including themselves, Clerics who are there to smash faces, not heal the weak, and so on.</p><p></p><p>I think for most groups it's all in good fun, but there can sometimes be a line crossed. Luckily when most recent "you're letting us die!!!" allegation was made in the main group I DM, the player's wild and alarming plan (which was very in-character) actually completely worked out, and on the contrary to the nay-sayers, he saved the entire party. So that has shut up complaints for oooh, most of a decade so far lol.</p><p></p><p>I do think you can sometimes get a PC who just shouldn't be in a group though. That's almost a separate issue, but it can cross into this territory. And you kind of see two kinds of player there too - ones who RP their character as being inept, cowardly, etc. but do make an effort to take actions that whilst fitting in with that, actually benefit the party (c.f. Eric in the D&D cartoon), and others who actually lean into being cowardly or whatever, and some of those characters? I think the DM should just have said "You need to rethink that PC for this campaign".</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ruin Explorer, post: 8586381, member: 18"] I kind of feel like it never was, because earlier on, you often had players playing characters who were very much out for themselves, or whose characters had an agenda that was at odds with the other PCs. Even the deepest days of dungeon-bashing you often heard tell of PCs abandoning the party or the like, and some of my earliest experiences of 2E are of bone-headed decisions that are the result of that sort of thing. Personally I've definitely played with a fair number of players who don't always play optimally, in various directions. I personally have mental difficulty [I]not[/I] doing what's optimal for the party in D&D, but weirdly not in other RPGs (I know my wife feels similarly - no coincidence we both tend to play support-oriented characters in D&D). But I've seen plenty of Fighters (and even Rogues!) who tend to rush in headlong without a plan, devious Warlocks whose plans are so devious they confuse the hell out of everyone, sometimes including themselves, Clerics who are there to smash faces, not heal the weak, and so on. I think for most groups it's all in good fun, but there can sometimes be a line crossed. Luckily when most recent "you're letting us die!!!" allegation was made in the main group I DM, the player's wild and alarming plan (which was very in-character) actually completely worked out, and on the contrary to the nay-sayers, he saved the entire party. So that has shut up complaints for oooh, most of a decade so far lol. I do think you can sometimes get a PC who just shouldn't be in a group though. That's almost a separate issue, but it can cross into this territory. And you kind of see two kinds of player there too - ones who RP their character as being inept, cowardly, etc. but do make an effort to take actions that whilst fitting in with that, actually benefit the party (c.f. Eric in the D&D cartoon), and others who actually lean into being cowardly or whatever, and some of those characters? I think the DM should just have said "You need to rethink that PC for this campaign". [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
RPG Evolution: Playing Your PC Poorly
Top