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<blockquote data-quote="Andor" data-source="post: 4727252" data-attributes="member: 1879">Bouncing in 5 pages late here but what the heck.Glib answer: I'll play Rifts! So what do I care for balance? ;pReasoned answer: Balance is an ill defined term.In MMORPGs Balance usually means &quot;Does class x have a reasonable chance of beating any other class in PVP, if played well.&quot; Increasingly this seems to be the definition used in tabletop as well, but I think it's a false definition there.I think in a tabletop game a better definition of balance is &quot;Does this character get as much face/spotlight time as the rest of the characters.&quot; That may seem off but in pretty much every discussion on balance I've seen over the years you get a lot of comments along the lines of &quot;Well I don't care if I do the most damage as long as I get my chance to shine.&quot; Unfortunately with it's fiercely protected niches D&amp;D is (by accidental design) one of the worst games possible as far as this definition of balance goes. In a game of urban cat and mouse a rogue is going to hog the spotlight. In a trapless dungeon of undead he's going to wonder why he bothered to show up at all. If the fighter is doing his job well, there is less for the cleric to do, etc. 4e, to it's credit, does seem like an improvement over earlier edition from this perspective.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Andor, post: 4727252, member: 1879"] Bouncing in 5 pages late here but what the heck. Glib answer: I'll play Rifts! So what do I care for balance? ;p Reasoned answer: Balance is an ill defined term. In MMORPGs Balance usually means "Does class x have a reasonable chance of beating any other class in PVP, if played well." Increasingly this seems to be the definition used in tabletop as well, but I think it's a false definition there. I think in a tabletop game a better definition of balance is "Does this character get as much face/spotlight time as the rest of the characters." That may seem off but in pretty much every discussion on balance I've seen over the years you get a lot of comments along the lines of "Well I don't care if I do the most damage as long as I get my chance to shine." Unfortunately with it's fiercely protected niches D&D is (by accidental design) one of the worst games possible as far as this definition of balance goes. In a game of urban cat and mouse a rogue is going to hog the spotlight. In a trapless dungeon of undead he's going to wonder why he bothered to show up at all. If the fighter is doing his job well, there is less for the cleric to do, etc. 4e, to it's credit, does seem like an improvement over earlier edition from this perspective. [/QUOTE]

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