Should PCs Be Exceptional?

[Deset Gled]

Most WEG d6 system games have 12d for normies, 18d for PCs, for sum of attributes plus force/psi first die. Not all allow for improvement in attributes, either.
...
WEG clearly aims for "Exceptional, eventually spectacular"... but actual NPC types range from 2d per att through 3.5d per att...

I can't really argue with you; I was going completely by many years old memory on this. Also, during a recent discussion of WEG D6, one of the complaints that came up on the first page was people were disappointed it was practically impossible for PCs to level up to be equals with heroes from the media. Thread: Grade The D6 System

Also, just for kicks, I looked up a couple of random stats. In the Imperial Sourcebook, Stormtroopers are 12d, but TIE pilots are 17d. In the Jedi Academy Sourcebook, every NPC I see is 18d or higher, even the ones that are tertiary, non-heroic characters.

So...

 

[NN]

This is why I prefer a nice binary.

Anyway, what do folks think is the more important lesson to impart?

1. Some people are just born special.
2. With effort, you can make yourself into whatever you want.

3. …the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

 

[aramis erak]

Everyone in a comic book has those powers. It's generally not worth thinking about.

Not so. A number of people don't, but they're not the main cast. Commissioner Gordon, Lois Lane, and Aunt Mae, for example. Main characters generally do.

 

[aramis erak]

I can't really argue with you; I was going completely by many years old memory on this. Also, during a recent discussion of WEG D6, one of the complaints that came up on the first page was people were disappointed it was practically impossible for PCs to level up to be equals with heroes from the media. Thread: Grade The D6 System

Also, just for kicks, I looked up a couple of random stats. In the Imperial Sourcebook, Stormtroopers are 12d, but TIE pilots are 17d. In the Jedi Academy Sourcebook, every NPC I see is 18d or higher, even the ones that are tertiary, non-heroic characters.

So...

Yeah, a lot of people don't actually read the rules...

as for Jedi Academy... never saw the sourcebook... only read part of one of the novels, too. That's also into the 2R&E era, and there was a lot of stat bloat...

 

[Reynard]

If I want to play a mutant, I’ll play a supers rpg. PCs are supposed to be people, not some completely different kind of being. An elf PC is an elf, and so should have quite a lot in common with…elfs.

So no, they shouldn’t be exceptional, IMO. They should be people, and do exceptional things and maybe become exceptional.

Whether characters are exceptional has no bearing over whether they are recognizably people.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Whether characters are exceptional has no bearing over whether they are recognizably people.

Yes, it does. If the PCs are mechanically very distinct from NPCs of the same species, then they aren’t recognizably people, they’re some other type of being entirely. If “elf” means something totally different for a PC and an NPC, PC elfs aren’t really elves.

 

[Reynard]

Yes, it does. If the PCs are mechanically very distinct from NPCs of the same species, then they aren’t recognizably people, they’re some other type of being entirely. If “elf” means something totally different for a PC and an NPC, PC elfs aren’t really elves.

I disagree completely. "Personness" is totally unrelated to mechanics.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I'd suggest that's less a question about how powerful the PCs are, and more a question how their power matches up with their opponents.

And maybe that's the crux of it for me. I'd say it's also about allies, in addition to opponents. Because it's important to me to square the ecosystem of the game world.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Batman has to have at least two... rapid healing and massive pain tolerance. Otherwise, someone would notice that Bats got a broken arm the same time Bruce did...

Like I said, depends on where you draw the line on "superhuman"; neither of those are particularly uncommon among some kinds of movie action heroes.

 

[Thomas Shey]

And maybe that's the crux of it for me. I'd say it's also about allies, in addition to opponents. Because it's important to me to square the ecosystem of the game world.

Sure.

Though I'd argue there are a lot of settings besides superhero-proper ones where there are distinct layers of power to be found.