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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 5647845" data-attributes="member: 177">If I may...In the real world, professionals went to school to prepare for jobs that they are talented for... but often wind up working in completely different fields.&nbsp; Events occur in life, such that many, if not most, wind up places they didn't expect, doing things they didn't plan, and trying to make the best of it.If that happens in the real world, why shouldn't it happen to a professional adventurer?Which is not to say that planning competence is bad, just that it isn't the only reasonable and realistic way of approaching things.From a discussion elsewhere on the boards, I got an idea of where the &quot;optimization = bad roleplay&quot; gets some of its oomph.&nbsp; If you are playing a tactical wargame, for example, competence is key.&nbsp; If you are planning on creating a fiction, though, competence leads to easily resolved problems - which means competence tends to eliminate drama.&nbsp; The reluctant hero, the hero who isn't really cut out for the job but has to manage and grow beyond their limitations, is among the more popular tropes in fiction.&nbsp; It is a position most people can identify with.&nbsp; Sitting next to a hero who is really designed and ready for the challenge makes the fiction rather difficult and awkward - if the real deal is here, why do you need the ill-prepared person?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 5647845, member: 177"] If I may... In the real world, professionals went to school to prepare for jobs that they are talented for... but often wind up working in completely different fields. Events occur in life, such that many, if not most, wind up places they didn't expect, doing things they didn't plan, and trying to make the best of it. If that happens in the real world, why shouldn't it happen to a professional adventurer? Which is not to say that planning competence is bad, just that it isn't the only reasonable and realistic way of approaching things. From a discussion elsewhere on the boards, I got an idea of where the "optimization = bad roleplay" gets some of its oomph. If you are playing a tactical wargame, for example, competence is key. If you are planning on creating a fiction, though, competence leads to easily resolved problems - which means competence tends to eliminate drama. The reluctant hero, the hero who isn't really cut out for the job but has to manage and grow beyond their limitations, is among the more popular tropes in fiction. It is a position most people can identify with. Sitting next to a hero who is really designed and ready for the challenge makes the fiction rather difficult and awkward - if the real deal is here, why do you need the ill-prepared person? [/QUOTE]

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