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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 4656462" data-attributes="member: 22779">This is a persistent meme that I really don't get either.&nbsp; It makes about as much sense as the whole &quot;imbalance=more creativity&quot; thing.When you have strong niche characters, that means that when that niche comes up, that character acts and everyone else watches.&nbsp; That's the POINT of having strong niches.&nbsp; What exactly is my fighter supposed to do while the rogue is dealing with that trapped door?&nbsp; Open it and set off the trap?&nbsp; Start exploring?&nbsp; No.&nbsp; He sits there and watches.&nbsp; This is not the fault of bad DM's.&nbsp; It's the fault of a system that punishes characters for trying to do stuff they aren't supposed to do.&nbsp; Try having your fighter climb a wall- oops, -8 armor check penalty, fail.Oh, you want your fighter to be a ship captain?&nbsp; Sorry, too many skill requirements.&nbsp; You get to stand around while someone else does stuff.&nbsp; Sorry, you took a rogue and this crypt is full of undead.&nbsp; Well, rejoice, you get to Aid Another for the next six sessions, because you might as well use harsh language as poke it with your rapier.On and on.&nbsp; No, there are just too many common cases wired into the mechanics to pass this off as &quot;bad DMing&quot; or &quot;bad players&quot;.&nbsp; See, because there is a large number of people out there who want to roleplay AND win.&nbsp; Which means they create effective characters based on what the campaign is all about.&nbsp; That's just being a good player.&nbsp; I fail to understand how winning or losing relates to role play.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 4656462, member: 22779"] This is a persistent meme that I really don't get either. It makes about as much sense as the whole "imbalance=more creativity" thing. When you have strong niche characters, that means that when that niche comes up, that character acts and everyone else watches. That's the POINT of having strong niches. What exactly is my fighter supposed to do while the rogue is dealing with that trapped door? Open it and set off the trap? Start exploring? No. He sits there and watches. This is not the fault of bad DM's. It's the fault of a system that punishes characters for trying to do stuff they aren't supposed to do. Try having your fighter climb a wall- oops, -8 armor check penalty, fail. Oh, you want your fighter to be a ship captain? Sorry, too many skill requirements. You get to stand around while someone else does stuff. Sorry, you took a rogue and this crypt is full of undead. Well, rejoice, you get to Aid Another for the next six sessions, because you might as well use harsh language as poke it with your rapier. On and on. No, there are just too many common cases wired into the mechanics to pass this off as "bad DMing" or "bad players". See, because there is a large number of people out there who want to roleplay AND win. Which means they create effective characters based on what the campaign is all about. That's just being a good player. I fail to understand how winning or losing relates to role play. [/QUOTE]

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