Should PCs Be Exceptional?

[Thomas Shey]

In a gamist focus you start weak so there is a major game challenge in just surviving, and you end up so powerful as something of a game reward - but story can get lost along the way.

I'll just note, as I always do, this has a lot more to do with the opposition you're going to face than your particular power level. You can start pretty strong compared to the setting as a whole, but if everything you need to deal with is still at or above your power level there's plenty of challenge to be had.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You only view this as a problem because you run ongoing single-world campaigns for years. I don't think that was even common thirty years ago, let alone now, so its a nonissue for most people. Even moreso with low mortality campaigns where you can go the whole campaign with few or any replacements needed.

It's an issue for some people, a non-issue for others. That's all we can fairly say. All this "most people agree with me" stuff is irrelevant.

 

[Micah Sweet]

If the PC's aren't special, and there's always other adventurers out there to handle things, is their any real risk to the setting if they fail?

Sometimes time is an issue and the PCs are all we've got, and sometimes someone else can pick up the slack. Just like real life.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Following on from my previous post:

Yet another very related question is whether rules and game mechanics apply equally to PCs and NPCs within the setting. If yes, then the PCs are by definition more akin to their NPC peers; if no, then the PCs are by definition exceptional because they've got those little "I'm a PC" stickers on their foreheads.

And yet another is whether, in the setting, there's ways of gaining levels and-or abilities that don't involve field adventuring. Can, for example, a stay-at-home mage eventually learn how to cast high level spells? If yes, then the PCs become less exceptional; the difference being more of how they gain their levels rather than just their having of them.

In my games, stay-at-homes level slower, but they can and do level.

 

[Autumnal]

The setting being saved can be a neighborhood, a town, a county, a river valley, etc, of course.

 

[Thomas Shey]

It's an issue for some people, a non-issue for others. That's all we can fairly say. All this "most people agree with me" stuff is irrelevant.

In terms of how big a problem it is, how many people run the sort of games that would make it so is absolutely relevant, and its not like there's not a fair bit of evidence that multiyear campaigns are not common, if they ever were.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The setting being saved can be a neighborhood, a town, a county, a river valley, etc, of course.

Of course. That isn't likely going to impair the ability to start a new character group in the setting however, unless one views "the setting" fairly narrowly.

 

[Micah Sweet]

In terms of how big a problem it is, how many people run the sort of games that would make it so is absolutely relevant, and its not like there's not a fair bit of evidence that multiyear campaigns are not common, if they ever were.

It's either a problem for you and your table, or it isn't. You're not playing with other people, so what's happening at their tables is an issue for them, not you.

 

[Thomas Shey]

It's either a problem for you and your table, or it isn't. You're not playing with other people, so what's happening at their tables is an issue for them, not you.

Do we have to go around on the fact when I'm talking about something, I'm not just talking about my own idiosyncratic games again? Because I'm not, and if that annoys you, I'd really suggest starting to ignore me, Micah.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Do we have to go around on the fact when I'm talking about something, I'm not just talking about my own idiosyncratic games again? Because I'm not, and if that annoys you, I'd really suggest starting to ignore me, Micah.

I just don't see the point of framing these discussions in terms of how popular one style or technique or game or whatever is. It seems to always be used in response to someone stating their opinion about something, and to me it really reads like the more popular something is, the more important or valuable or worth talking about it is.