Should all things be created equal ?

[Phasics]

Its an interesting pretext that we seem to have fallen into over the years that at least as far as gaming goes all players are created equal. and yet we know for a fact that this can never be the case.

Not matter how mathematically balanced or fair a gaming system is made certain individuals will always be better at exploiting it than other, throw in an additional sentient mind to run them through his ringer and how do we expect thing to ever be equal ?

So instead of equal should we have a rock paper scissors situation ? Every class can PWN One other class and gets PWN'd by One Class

Or in truth does it really not matter ? Even the simplest of campaigns are never balanced, they always tend to favor one class over another. More traps on average than WoTC used when balancing and Rogue are the new golden boys. Higher proportion of magically resistant creatures, thanks for playing wizard maybe next time.

A Good DM simply looks at what with PC group is doing, identifies who is currently the most powerful in the group and or the most useful and tailors future encounters to favor other classes on the group keeping everyone seemingly powerful and useful.

Not to mention a string of bad dice rolling while playing can hamstring even the most OMFGWTFBBQ' build of DOOM !

[[ On a side note I think we also forget that D&D was never designed to a 1v1 PvP single battle as such directly comparing classes for balance is pointless ]]

 

[Rechan]

Since nothing can be equal, since it's impossible to make it work, I say we throw out all the rules.

 

[Phasics]

Since nothing can be equal, since it's impossible to make it work, I say we throw out all the rules.

I know people who have done this and it works. The system is merely a guide DM makes all the ruling and gives outcomes, players merely tell DM what they are doing , dice and stat sheets are put away.

In short I'd describe it as group storytelling

 

[Rechan]

I know people who have done this and it works. The system is merely a guide DM makes all the ruling and gives outcomes, players merely tell DM what they are doing , dice and stat sheets are put away.

In short I'd describe it as group storytelling

Sounds great. So, we have no need to buy books if all we can do is make it up and make decisions.

Death to gaming books!

 

[Doug McCrae]

This poll is misunderstanding. Balance isn't about one class squaring off against another in a duel, it's about the overall contribution each makes to the success of a mission. It's about the number and variety of challenges each class can overcome.

And, of course, the amount of dps damage they do. WTFBBQPWNED!!111!!

 

[shilsen]

This poll is misunderstanding. Balance isn't about one class squaring off against another in a duel, it's about the overall contribution each makes to the success of a mission. It's about the number and variety of challenges each class can overcome.

And, of course, the amount of dps damage they do. WTFBBQPWNED!!111!!

QFT. How the classes compare against each other in head-to-head competition is largely irrelevant to the impact of classes in the vast majority of campaigns.

 

[Phasics]

Sounds great. So, we have no need to buy books if all we can do is make it up and make decisions.

Death to gaming books!

Yeah pure imagination , what a scary thought

Although I don't doubt thats how StarWars RPG started just a bunch of D&Ders who RP'd Starwars without any rulebooks and made it up as they went along

 

[Phasics]

This poll is misunderstanding. Balance isn't about one class squaring off against another in a duel, it's about the overall contribution each makes to the success of a mission. It's about the number and variety of challenges each class can overcome.

And, of course, the amount of dps damage they do. WTFBBQPWNED!!111!!

And yet option 3 is an abbreviated form of that very sentiment that each classes usefulness is a function of the DM's world yet look how few people have chosen it.

Perhaps what this poll is showing is the lack of understand about how D&D is balanced ? No ?

 

[JohnSnow]

Since I don't believe it's possible or interesting for every class conflict to be a 50:50 result, I voted for option 2: Rock, paper, scissors.

Options 3 & 4 are just excuses used by people too lazy to actually try to balance classes properly. Option 3 is the "traditional" rationale in D&D, and it's led to the CoDzilla classes and the mentality of "magic über alles." Thanks, but no thanks. As far as I'm concerned, that mentality can die with 3e. I want a game where playing a fighter doesn't mean I'm there just to soak up damage so the wizard can beat all the encounters.

 

[Imaro]

Since I don't believe it's possible or interesting for every class conflict to be a 50:50 result, I voted for option 2: Rock, paper, scissors.

Options 3 & 4 are just excuses used by people too lazy to actually try to balance classes properly. Option 3 is the "traditional" rationale in D&D, and it's led to the CoDzilla classes and the mentality of "magic über alles." Thanks, but no thanks. As far as I'm concerned, that mentality can die with 3e. I want a game where playing a fighter doesn't mean I'm there just to soak up damage so the wizard can beat all the encounters.

But isn't that what a "defender" role is suppose to be good at?