I get the impression that the player's former DM (whom he gamed with for years, is his best friend, and the only GM he's ever known besides me) woud do things like make sure every character had heroic stats and give everyone strong magical equipment, even at first level.
He's played a lot of 1E and 2E AD&D, but it was heavily house ruled. And, when we rolled up his current character, I allowed him the usual 4d6, drop lowest, arrange to taste. He said, "How about 5d6 or 6d6, drop lowest, arrange to taste."
It a very different game background he's come from, running ultimate heroes. I think point buy (which I generally dislike) is more his style, but I don't think his earlier group, with exposure to 1E/2E AD&D only, ever thought about point buy (thus, the 5d6 and 6d6 insurance).
And, I also think his previous DM would set the group up for what I call "hollow heroism" encounters. This is when the DM or some other factor (like a Fate Point) gives an encounter the appearance of heroism but nothing was really risked in the game.
For example, if the PC is to rescue the princess, and she is guarded by three, bloodthristy, maddened, howling dragons, then he rushes in and does just that. With three mighty blows, he kills each dragon, swoops up the princess, and runs her back to safety.
It sounds pretty awesome and heroic, huh? Until you look under the hood and see the the GM has given him armor that makes him almost impervious to dragon breath and a sword that kills dragons on contact.
That description may be a little overly dramatic, but you get the point. I think his earlier PCs were statically and materially equipped to deal with the challenges his previous GM threw at him.
My game has a much more realistic flavor. And, if you pull off something heroic, then you were really heroic in the game and risked your character's life to do it.
We've had a moment like that in our game, and the player loved the outcome. It was a very, very tough encounter to where the PCs got down to where one more blow would kill them. But, they prevailed! All of them! And, they did it by good play, good tactics, and some lucky attack throws.
Even I didn't think they'd get out of what I had thrown at them--I was sure they'd be captured.
But, they did it.
I made a big deal out of this because it deserved to made that way. In the Conan RPG, XP is totally arbritrary, and I gave them the highest XP award they'd ever recevied, raising them an entire level (from level 2 to level 3).
In my eyes, they really were heroes because they had really risked their lives to pull off what they did.
In the long run, I think the players appreciate this, too. Once they get a taste of real heroism in the game (as opposed to hollow heroism) where there was real risk, then that success gets addictive.
With hollow heroism, the character is going to come out a hero no matter what. With the way I play, a character is a hero only if he earns it.
This may be something the player is objecting too, as well. He's used to the former. My games are about the latter.
He's played a lot of 1E and 2E AD&D, but it was heavily house ruled. And, when we rolled up his current character, I allowed him the usual 4d6, drop lowest, arrange to taste. He said, "How about 5d6 or 6d6, drop lowest, arrange to taste."
It a very different game background he's come from, running ultimate heroes. I think point buy (which I generally dislike) is more his style, but I don't think his earlier group, with exposure to 1E/2E AD&D only, ever thought about point buy (thus, the 5d6 and 6d6 insurance).
And, I also think his previous DM would set the group up for what I call "hollow heroism" encounters. This is when the DM or some other factor (like a Fate Point) gives an encounter the appearance of heroism but nothing was really risked in the game.
For example, if the PC is to rescue the princess, and she is guarded by three, bloodthristy, maddened, howling dragons, then he rushes in and does just that. With three mighty blows, he kills each dragon, swoops up the princess, and runs her back to safety.
It sounds pretty awesome and heroic, huh? Until you look under the hood and see the the GM has given him armor that makes him almost impervious to dragon breath and a sword that kills dragons on contact.
That description may be a little overly dramatic, but you get the point. I think his earlier PCs were statically and materially equipped to deal with the challenges his previous GM threw at him.
My game has a much more realistic flavor. And, if you pull off something heroic, then you were really heroic in the game and risked your character's life to do it.
We've had a moment like that in our game, and the player loved the outcome. It was a very, very tough encounter to where the PCs got down to where one more blow would kill them. But, they prevailed! All of them! And, they did it by good play, good tactics, and some lucky attack throws.
Even I didn't think they'd get out of what I had thrown at them--I was sure they'd be captured.
But, they did it.
I made a big deal out of this because it deserved to made that way. In the Conan RPG, XP is totally arbritrary, and I gave them the highest XP award they'd ever recevied, raising them an entire level (from level 2 to level 3).
In my eyes, they really were heroes because they had really risked their lives to pull off what they did.
In the long run, I think the players appreciate this, too. Once they get a taste of real heroism in the game (as opposed to hollow heroism) where there was real risk, then that success gets addictive.
With hollow heroism, the character is going to come out a hero no matter what. With the way I play, a character is a hero only if he earns it.
This may be something the player is objecting too, as well. He's used to the former. My games are about the latter.
