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<blockquote data-quote="kosmosis" data-source="post: 8587430" data-attributes="member: 7034158">There are so many ways to play these games and I fall strongly in the sub-optimal camp.&nbsp; I've actually moved away from D&amp;D due to the optimization culture that is so strong (see all of the class optimization guides inspired by WoW and now in D&amp;D).&nbsp; I think everyone enjoys these games for different reasons and I can see the draw of optimized builds for people who came from MMORPGs and are really into tactics, but for me, heavy roleplay with characters that have flaws provides me with a story aspect that I can't get in video games or anywhere else.&nbsp; My favorite characters have all been characters that would probably make optimizers cringe.&nbsp; I played a Wizard/Warlock/Ranger that was an absolute blast.&nbsp; I just enjoyed him because he was a socially awkward anthropologist obsessed with the Yuan-Ti.&nbsp; I recall my first session (it was a new group) using the character, a player said &quot;you didn't take Mage Hand!?&quot;.&nbsp; I told him &quot;No. I am an Enchantment wizard learning the enchantment abilities of the Yuan-Ti.&nbsp; Mage Hand is not an Enchantment spell.&nbsp; And I like to play sub-optimally&quot;.&nbsp; He understood and we moved on and had fun.&nbsp; In my eyes, if another player has a problem with a party member not maximizing their power, they want to play a different game than I do and it's likely not just a good fit.I will never tell another player they should have made different character choices..even if it means the party could run into trouble.&nbsp; But then again, I think the DM has a large role in molding the adventure based on the characters in the group.&nbsp; If players don;t mike optimized combat builds and go skill-heavy, use less difficult combat scenarios.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="kosmosis, post: 8587430, member: 7034158"] There are so many ways to play these games and I fall strongly in the sub-optimal camp. I've actually moved away from D&D due to the optimization culture that is so strong (see all of the class optimization guides inspired by WoW and now in D&D). I think everyone enjoys these games for different reasons and I can see the draw of optimized builds for people who came from MMORPGs and are really into tactics, but for me, heavy roleplay with characters that have flaws provides me with a story aspect that I can't get in video games or anywhere else. My favorite characters have all been characters that would probably make optimizers cringe. I played a Wizard/Warlock/Ranger that was an absolute blast. I just enjoyed him because he was a socially awkward anthropologist obsessed with the Yuan-Ti. I recall my first session (it was a new group) using the character, a player said "you didn't take Mage Hand!?". I told him "No. I am an Enchantment wizard learning the enchantment abilities of the Yuan-Ti. Mage Hand is not an Enchantment spell. And I like to play sub-optimally". He understood and we moved on and had fun. In my eyes, if another player has a problem with a party member not maximizing their power, they want to play a different game than I do and it's likely not just a good fit. I will never tell another player they should have made different character choices..even if it means the party could run into trouble. But then again, I think the DM has a large role in molding the adventure based on the characters in the group. If players don;t mike optimized combat builds and go skill-heavy, use less difficult combat scenarios. [/QUOTE]

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