In the 2nd post in the Asmodeus' Advocate miniseries, we talk about Min/Maxers aka power gamers aka munchkins aka "Spikes" aka the person who optimizes their characters.
DISCLAIMER: Asmodeus' Advocate will sometimes cover topics of contention in the RPG hobby, and sometimes it may even cover controversial topics. If you do not agree with the views presented in Asmodeus' Advocate, that is A-okay. Let's talk about it, as long as you remain civil, I will engage in a dialogue. I might not always totally agree with what is being discussed, but I have a personal philosophy: In order to break down barriers and to be able to better defend your side of an argument, understanding the other one side is important as well. If the topic is something that may upset you at all, you do not have to read Asmodeus' Advocate. I will not be upset. I'd rather you enjoy Kobold Stew's content instead of be upset. Without further ado... let's talk about power gamers.
You may have heard of people playing the characters of the likes of those such as Pun-Pun or that one character that does a bajillion damage in combat. These players like to focus on their characters being mechanically effective, and often their ability scores and character sheets will reflect this. Expect a multiclass somewhere. These players are often referred to as "power gamers," min/maxers, or optimizers. During my time in the hobby, I have noticed a lot of chagrin and hate toward these players.
Recently, I have been seeing tweets, posts, and what have you focusing on hating on min/maxers. People making these posts often say something along the lines of "I don't make optimized choices because I want to make my character... interesting/actualized/good," and it often comes off in a high and mighty tone and a "If you optimize, you are playing wrong" vibe. You may have even seen a tweet a made in regards to it: https://twitter.com/Mr_Puddins/status/1011595809442410496
In today's post, we're going to talk about why we shouldn't be hating so hard on power gamers. Let's get to it.
RPGs Can Be Enjoyed In Many Ways
Let that one sink in for a second. Lots of people play Tabletop RPGs for different reasons. My dude, @Hypermycotic summed it up pretty well in one of his comments to the aforementioned tweet:
"People enjoy the game for different reasons. Some of those reasons may go back as far as the childhood that shaped the person they are now. Healthy self expression through D&D can take many forms, and optimization may mean more than “winning”. People have a backstory too."
I really could not have summed it up better myself. As long as they are not imposing their way of enjoying the hobby on you, then you really should not have too much a problem with a power gamer. You should not impose your way of enjoying the hobby on them. Your way of having
is no more right than someone else's. Some people watch streams to enjoy the hobby, some prefer roleplay heavy, deep characters, and others want their characters to be heroic in game and on paper.
As long as they are not "forcing" their way of play on you, you shouldn't be doing the same to them. No one wants to be told how to have fun, and that is their style of having fun. I learned this lesson over a long time after having played with optimizers and power gamers.
It's Actually Pretty Fun
I will admit it... I used to be one of those people that griped about power gamers. I thought my way of playing the super roleplay heavy characters and taking sub-optimal choices in the name of narrative was the only way to play. Then I played with a min/maxer... Sure he liked his characters to be mechanically awesome, but seeing his roleplaying along with it was awesome. When he hit a stride in roleplaying with a character, it was some of the best characterization I had ever seen.
I hit dry spells in gaming. I read about character builds and about ways to make effective characters. I had fun planning characters, and it helped to scratch my itch and then I realized... it can be fun to optimize a character. Figuring out what combinations of races, classes, multiclass, spells, abilities, and feats went well together and what didn't. It actually improved my ability to make character builds for a certain concept I wanted to do such as the Grappler Build I did a few weeks ago as well as my idea of a witch-doctor style cleric I have in mind.
Also, it is nice to be able to do what you want your character to do in game, and have them be good at something.
It Can Make for Good DM Learning
It is kind of a DM nightmare to have to deal with someone who likes to power game. DMs have to deal with the shenanigans they bring. Many DMs will roll their eyes at the likes of a power gamer, but I like to try and see it as a challenge. A challenge to balance the encounters so everyone feels heroic, and a challenge to make it so the power gamer isn't just steamrolling whatever you throw at the party.
To deal with this "issue," you will probably take to the rulebooks, forums, and all the likes, thus learning more as a DM. The aforementioned Pun-Pun 3.5 Edition breaking character falls apart when the DM realizes parts of it do not fit the rules. Besides mechanical or gameplay lessons, as a DM, you might realize at that point it is OKAY to say no to some things players want to throw at you. A lot of DMs, like myself, want to cultivate creativity and fun in our players, but after playing with a power gamer, you might learn it is okay to nix an Unearthed Arcana option or certain feats.
They Can Help Newer Players
So, Timmy is sitting at the table. He has not been playing very long, and he is enjoying his character, but is getting frustrated when he feels like his character isn't able to do what he wants to do. Abigail has been playing for awhile now and knows a thing or too about the game. She is known in the group for making mechanically effective characters. The kind that DMs have to watch out for. She looks at Timmy's character sheet and makes a few suggestions to help him get his character to do what he wants the character to do and to not be as "sucky."
Next time Timmy goes to play a game, he will remember Abigail's advice, and over time be able to make his characters how he wants to make them, while also gaining a better understanding of the rules.
At the end of the day, we are all playing Dungeons and Dragons to have fun. We might not always agree on the ways to maximize this fun, but we are still trying to enjoy ourselves and the hobby. There is no right or wrong way to play the game. Find a group you enjoy playing with and have fun! Ham it up if you like. Smash skulls and take loot! It's your adventure.
Until next time
Happy Gaming
Non-post related things!
Give Away Update!
June is over, and today is 7/1. Therefore, the Kobold Stew Giveaway is over and we will be drawing winners soon. I will announce them on Twitter, and we will handle the shipping
stuff.
Swordfall
Come see me play as Kraka-Tur in the fantastic Tales of Swordfall on Youtube and Anchor. Come check it out as multiple groups romp around in one homebrew setting!