Should PCs Be Exceptional?

[Reynard]

I know, every campaign is different.

But, broadly speaking and talking about your personal preferences (so don't @ me with "should" nonsense) do you think the player characters should be exceptional in fiction of the game? Maybe that means Chosen By Fate, or maybe that means somehow superhuman, or maybe it means those with rare talents for magic, or olympic level athletes, or Seal Team 9 material, or whatever.
See the poll for specifics.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

It depends entirely on the individual table's preferences, and and that's all I have to say on the subject.

 

[Epizarwin]

Depends on the game system, setting, players, director, and probably a few other things. Even with it being about personal opinion, I think it's a weird question. Its like asking, "in your opinion should movies have spaceships?" Yeah, I guess, for movies about space.

 

[payn]

I dont. I actually prefer (slightly above) average Joe's succeeding through good luck, applying wits, and sheer will. It doesnt bother me if at some point in the game they do become exceptional. Thats end of campaign territory for me.

 

[Lanefan]

With rare exceptions, pretty much hard 'no' for me. The PCs are part of the setting just like anyone else, it's what they do that makes them special rather than who they are.

 

[aco175]

I think there should be growth in the game. A lot of movies and books have the 'chosen' one not know it and good movies have some sort of setback and then growth before Rocky can beat Apollo/Clubber/Drago/etc... Bad movies have the chosen just be able to use the force better than Luke from day 1 and show no growth.

Other movies have the hero have the background from being something and jump into the action where he is finished growing, like every action movie.

 

[Theory of Games]

With rare exceptions, pretty much hard 'no' for me. The PCs are part of the setting just like anyone else, it's what they do that makes them special rather than who they are.

But what if they have the highest Midichlorian count of anyone in the entire Galaxy?

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I think the responses show that people have their own meanings of "exceptional" that don't tie in with the one you're proposing @Reynard, unfortunately.

Personally I can go either way, but what I am not interested in is "I am an 18 year old farmboy with no real skills who has apparently been doing absolutely nothing of interest or relevance for the last 18 years" stuff. Like, I would hold myself as a bar - unless the PC is more interesting than (and at least as capable as) I was at the same age, I am not interested in playing them! So like, some tattooed space engineer with an attitude isn't "exceptional" by the standards you propose, but they are interesting at least.

The vast majority of games (d100 role-under systems being the main exception, interestingly) the PCs are de facto exceptional, which seems to be reflected in the voting.

 

[Morrus]

(so don't @ me with "should" nonsense) do you think the player characters should be exceptional in fiction of the game?

I’m so confused…

It’s the first word in the thread title.

Are we allowed to say ‘should’ or not?

Also, it depends what you’re playing.

 

[Umbran]

I know, every campaign is different.

Not just every campaign is different....

But, broadly speaking and talking about your personal preferences (so don't @ me with "should" nonsense) do you think the player characters should be exceptional in fiction of the game?

This is a genre choice. The main characters being "special" or just being normal people are specific tropes, used for various effects.

Not all games should be the same genre, no.