Power Gaming Bad
The power gamer is earnest in his approach to the game, in the same way that an evangelical is earnest about saving souls. This is a player who isn’t content to simply optimize his own character, but expresses an aggressive desire to help you with yours. He might question your race or feats or powers, suggest changes to your point buy, recommend a particular build, set of equipment, or specific weapon, or send you to a character building board. He has little patience for players who handicap their characters, intentionally or not.
He has run the numbers for his character type and has already figured his character’s progression up to level 11, level 21, and even level 30. He knows exactly what’s going to happen and has already predicted the rate of advancement. He also oversees the development of the other party members, advocating specific tracks to better synergize the party’s abilities.
Because optimization results in higher bonuses, the power gamer is definitely a fan of combat, but not to the exclusion of everything else. There are always going to be individual skill checks or group skill challenges, which can be easily overcome through party distribution: “The wizard needs history and religion, the fighter needs athletics and endurance, the cleric needs perception and insight, and the rogue needs acrobatics and stealth.” He’ll take advantage of ability scores that are already high. There’s no room for discussion here.
All of this results in looming brick factories, shooting sparks, chugging smoke, and cranking out an infinite string of identical characters: the tiefling warlocks, the halfling rogues, the goliath (soon to be minotaur) barbarians. There is a certain kind of sameness to party compositions, which brings about a familiarity in the battles, a predictability in the interactions, a paralyzing dullness to the games.
Rarely soft-spoken and retiring, the power gamer will assume the lead on discussions, both of the meta- and in-game variety. If a plan evolves at the table, he is at the center of it, coordinating the moves and attacks, recommending strategies, planning alternatives. If there’s communication with an NPC, he is the first to speak, and is usually bullish in his manner, demanding the whos and whats and wheres and whens. There’s a pragmatism there, a “cut to the chase” attitude.
Unfortunately, this can be overwhelming to the more timid players, and can even muzzle the avid roleplayers. Even when sitting at a patient table, it can be difficult to really play up a character, to find and use the voice, to gesture and emote and let loose the inner actor. It’s nearly impossible to do so when sitting next to someone who sees little value in roleplaying for roleplaying’s sake.
Power Gaming Good
When you get right down to where the craghammer hits the eladrin, this is a game, and in any game, players are expected to put forth their very best effort. If we were talking about Monopoly, a player would not start with half the money everybody else has. If this were Chess, a player would not start with half the pawns.
In the same way, when buying ability scores, it wouldn’t make sense for a player to only use 15 of their 22 points, just as it wouldn’t make sense to waste those points on irrelevant abilities. In their purest forms, fighters need strength, wizards need intelligence, rogues need dexterity. Don’t waste time with, “But my fighter’s charismatic,” or any nonsense about “upping the challenge.” At any gaming table, there’s simply no room for a useless, hamstrung character.
Knowing which combinations work best together does not restrict options, but rather opens them up. Once you understand the absolute ceiling (this race + this class + this weapon + this power = highest attack bonus and most damage), you are free to create your desired character, and then compare your result to the ceiling numbers to see the discrepancy. Now you know that you COULD have a +9 attack, and instead you chose to have a +7 attack for the sake of your characterization.
Inside any fictional world, there are going to be recognizable archetypes populating the landscape. In a fantastical world, it would hardly be unexpected to see the muscular dwarf with the huge hammer, the sharp-eyed elf spellweaver, the sneaky halfling cutpurse, and even the newly arrived dragonborn paladin. These are not dead-eyed clones, but established frames upon which to build a rich and interesting character.
With any successful group, there will be leaders and there will be followers, and it will always be necessary to have somebody make the first move or say the first word. There are groups out there entirely composed of sheep in human clothing, who stare dumbly at the DM and wait to be pushed from one encounter to the next. Never taking initiative, never stepping out or stepping up, these herds grind the games down to a silent standstill, and may even quit, complaining, “Nothing ever happened in that game.”
You need someone to take charge, to speak to the princess or find the tavern, to dispatch someone to the library or the monastery, to pick a fight with the orc chieftain or the city guard. This is a dynamic game about action and movement, and there is no room for passivity. If the group decides that one person seizes the spotlight too often, then they should, as a group, give the responsibility to another person.
Power Gaming Power
There are few things more disappointing than a point-counterpoint article that ends with limp and feeble statements like, “Aren’t we all winners here?” and, “Can’t we all just get along?” Well, prepare to be disappointed. I’m not able to come right out and declare that power gamers suck like Dyson or that they totally rule, but I would like to make a case that there’s room for them here in the game.
I’ve played with them and I’ve run for them, and I see them as filling a valuable, even vital, role in the game. Presumably, our collaborative exercise is built on heroic fiction, including novels, television, and movies. When heroic fiction centers on an ensemble, there is frequently (always?) at least one hyperbolic character, the super achiever, the never-miss, the total-cool.
Frequently, this is the character I want to be, even though I realize, in my heart of hearts, that I’d probably the sidekick, the comic relief, the lumpy, likeable guy who dies in the second act. In the personality department, Mr. Amazing Awesome might be laconic and grim (see Drizzt, Wolverine) or effusive and playful (see Kirk, Malcolm Reynolds), and is probably a little shallow in background and history. However, he is perfect everywhere else. When his weapon comes out, enemies are going to plead, are going to bleed, are going to fall. He’s a good guy to have on your side.
If a power gamer tries to help you with your character, give him a listen, because he probably knows the rules better than you. There might be something worth learning. If a power gamer takes over the game, talking over everyone else, let him, since it’s such a miserable, thankless job anyway. One way or another, he’s going to find you some adventure. And finally, if he tends to squash your roleplaying, that just means you’re going to have to roleplay that much harder. He’s just given you permission, whether he knows it or not, to grab that skull and cry out to poor Yorick.
And if you are a power gamer… well, have a good game.
All very good points. But I think you missed one of the biggest challenges power gamers pose: the PC that is optimized far beyond the other PCs in a group where everyone wants a decent challenge. Do you challenge the powergamer and demolish everyone else, or watch as the powergamer cleaves through hordes of enemies? There are as many ways of handling this as there are groups, but I think it deserves mention.
Not sure what side I’m on, if any. But, I found an article that I had to read every word of, intently.
Thanks,
-Tourq
.-= Tourq´s last blog ..Gaming Tools, #4 =-.
There are two different play styles that I have found.
Style one: It’s a game; I’m going to win.
Style two: It’s pretending; I want to play.
If you want to pretend, then you could care less what “advice” the powergamer gives you.
.-= Trevor´s last blog ..Survey Says,,, =-.
Frankly, a powergamer that is dominating a combat encounter at the expense of another player’s fun is acting like a jerk.
The problem there is not the fact that he’s a powergamer, but rather that he is a jerk.
.-= Cedric´s last blog ..Walls Have Ears =-.
Power gamers have pretty much ruined every game I’ve played, ever. It no longer becomes a role playing game of leisure, fun and character but a game of math, optimizing and rule bending – that’s not fun.
Power-gaming is an especially adolescent male mode of play – a focus on competition, winning at any cost, never suffering setbacks, displays of strength, the covering up of weakness and insecurity, mastering a mechanical inviolate and logical system.
Gamers from other demographics (age, gender etc) more often move beyond this to other modes, just as they see life differently – a focus on cooperation, the journey rather than destination, the value of experiencing failure and setbacks, confronting and accepting weakness, examination of insecurities, exploration of emotional landscapes. And many more possibilities besides.
Neither is ‘wrong’ but I know which I find more interesting and mature.
As a Homebrew system GM i have an interesting relationship wiht Powergamers. My systems tend to reward creativity and the concept of enabling fun over that of number crunching and optimizing.
That being said i have had a Powergamer playing in my group since it’s conception and his unique views have helped me develope several things i wouldn’t have. So there is definitely room and need for them in the RPG world. Unless they are just being a jackass, no room for jackasses.
Scott
Hmm. The idea that you can have the Powergamer as the uber-cool who always takes down the enemy…is interesting. I’m not quite sure I agree, though, because EVERYONE wants to have the spotlight at least once. There’s also, of course, the point that powergamers can get annoyed with the less-optimized of us, simply because we’re not playing their game. I’ve been in games like that too. I like where this is going, though. It merits more discussion.
.-= Andy´s last blog ..Hiatus =-.
I am a “power-gamer”.
I have played characters who can not be damaged (7th Sea). Characters who go faster and do more damage than anyone else (Gamma World 3rd/Shadowrun). I have also played characters whose highest stat was 5 below everyone; played a class/race combo that was the weakest at the table; played a character remotely dumber than me precluding me from solving the problems we faced but that I knew the answers to.
It is possible to be a “power-gamer” and still contribute to a game outside of the game mechanics. It is possible to build a powerful character and still act socially with your fellow gamers.
I maximize my potential and use the best a system can give me. For me, part of playing a game is exploring the game system and finding its potential. I find a niche that gives me an exceptional edge and then position myself to take advantage of that edge. I enjoy knowing my character can deal with almost any situation and come out on top.
I do not “lord” it over the other players or belittle them or their choices. I do not ride roughshod over the game world. I do not “take over” the party or the NPCs. Simply knowing I have “power” is enough for me; I do not have to show it all the time.
I am also not even close to being an adolescent. It all depends on how the “power” is used.
I believe it is possible to play with all sorts of power levels. Just because a person can gain the maximum benefit from a game system doesnt not make him a good or bad player. Rather its the attitude he brings to the table.
.-= callin´s last blog ..Racial Ancestry =-.
I’d prefer not to be labeled as adolescent just because I happen to enjoy delving into rulebooks to build the most combat efficient PC that I can. I enjoy the building, I enjoy overcoming the NPC threats facing the party. I also happen to enjoy strategizing encounters to keep party resources as close to peak as possible. I see it as problem solving and team work and bringing other PC abilities into play where they may have been overlooked or overshadowed. If that makes me adolescent, I’ll look at it as being young at heart.
However, powergaming can have a dark side. If one PC overshadows other PCs and people are not having fun there is a problem. Though it may not be the Powergamer. What were the group expectations at the beginning of the game? Is the GM failing to adequately spotlight the other PCs’ fun?
Sometimes people in a group don’t agree on what is fun. In a collaborative activity it is the group’s responsibility to compromise. If compromise cannot be made, it is the group’s responsibility to reorganize and lay out expectations. There is plenty of room for all player types (except jerk and jackass) in this hobby.
This is a great read.
I like power gamers that learn the game and exploit its combos. 4e is built for that in many ways. I’ve encouraged that sort of power gaming at my table. It’s fun. So are flavorful choices.
I’m lucky that my power gamers are a balanced lot. They like working with the rules, but they like roleplaying, too.
You lost me a little in the last paragraph, though. I fail to believe one player quashing another is good for the game. It’s about respect. RPGs are about cooperative play, not showboating.
Further, if working toward a goal in a game is “a miserable, thankless job anyway,” something is wrong with the game. Seriously wrong. Players should feel engaged.
.-= Chris Sims´s last blog ..Mailbag 3 – The Pitch =-.
I’m a big advocate that powergamers aren’t bad roleplayers (and vice versa.) Really, as pointed out, the big problem isn’t what style of gamer you are, but how much of a jerk you are.
The kind of player that ends up bugging me the most, though? The bad powergamers: the ones who want the most powerful character and insist on how awesome some things are but aren’t willing to put the time and effort into actually doing proper reading and analysis. I’ve run into a few of those, and they always get to me.
I read your whole article, and it was a good read. At the end, I started to think that power gamers weren’t that bad. Then I came to my senses.
Seriously (as a player), I have less fun when a power gamer is sitting across from me. I hate it because I start doing things with my characters that I wouldn’t normally do, because I feel that I have to keep up with the PG. Ah, well, even bad parents are allowed to have kids, so I guess bad gamers are allowed to have game.
I have a confession to make: I don’t like power gaming. (Please note that I didn’t say, “I don’t like power gamers.”) The whole reason I play D&D is for the roleplaying side of it, for the opportunity to become someone else and be heroic and blah blah blah. I can get a little overwhelmed by the zillions of choices and the worry that I’m not putting together a mathematically adept character. I’m just not good at it.
I decided to challenge myself by arguing both sides of this weirdly vitriolic issue, and thought I might get hammered by the power gamers out there, saying, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, stay out of my yard.” That’s not exactly what happened.
@Swordgleam: You make a good point, but I think the 4E math is more forgiving than that. Generally speaking, optimized characters are only a couple plusses better than their “normal” counterparts. And I’ve also noticed that tougher characters tend to garner more attention from the monsters / DM. I wonder why 🙂
@Tourq: Thanks for reading, Tourq. I love your blog. Stuffer Shack made my list of favorites.
@Trevor: Okay, but I’ve found even the most devoted roleplayer/pretender wants to contribute in some way to the numbers side of the game.
@Cedric: And sadly, jerks turn up in all facets of life, not just around a D&D table. For example, I find them every time I’m driving.
@rev.dak: I know I would prefer it if the game-ruining power gamers would wear some sort of T-shirt identifying them as such. Until Congress passes that law, we’re going to have to figure out a way to get along or a way to get out of those sorts of games.
@Shilling: Well, I feel like it’s more a matter of “style of storytelling.” Either I want to be centerstage, alone in the spotlight, or I want to succeed through cooperation, fighting back-to-back, a desperate battle where the only ones I can trust are the ones in my party. When we tell stories at the inn afterwards, we’re just as likely to talk about our comrades as ourselves.
@Scott: Agreed on the jackass point. I like what you said about the unique views helping you to develop your system. Can you elaborate? I’d love to hear more.
@Andy: Thanks for the input. There are some nice points being made here, and mostly I wanted to hear about it from other viewpoints. I wasn’t necessarily saying the power gamer is the uber-cool who always succeeds. You’re right, as a non-PG, that would get awfully tiresome. I was trying to say that from both sides of the screen, I came to appreciate the optimized characters in the game: when I played, I took comfort in knowing he wasn’t going down easy (though he did go down), and when I DM-ed, I knew I could tweak the challenge on him (legally, of course!), because that bugger could take it.
@callin: And I was wondering where my power gamers were at. These are all excellent arguments, and every one a fair point. Part of the reason I wanted to write the article is to give a voice to the approach. I don’t do it because I’m not good at it, but that doesn’t mean that every player who does is a bad person.
In fact, and I have to whisper here so as not to annoy the roleplayers, I think most players do this a little. Sure, it might be fun to play a rogue with a 10 DEX and an 18 WIS, but for how long? Maybe I should try… nah.
@Target: Good for you, this is exactly what I’m talking about. You are digging into to the rules to see what can be done, not (necessarily) to see how they can be exploited. I don’t feel like it has to be a strategy vs. roleplaying argument: strategists suck at roleplaying, roleplayers suck at strategy. It’s easy for both sides to move the argument there, of course.
@Chris Sims: Oh, I didn’t mean to suggest that one player must quash another for a good game. I was trying to exhort the roleplayers that if they did feel a little hamstrung by the number crunchers, that’s the exact time to “up the acting.” Really pour yourself into the role, speak to the NPCs, and not only about the current quest. I’ve done it and I’ve seen it, and it’s always infectious when roleplaying seizes hold of a table.
As for the “miserable, thankless job” line, that was just me being hilarious. I was specifically referring to the leader in the group who has to say what we’re all going to do next. I’ve been in groups with no detectable leader and things were a little slow, and in other groups with one very loud voice, and things tended more toward dynamic.
@The Game: I suppose if I put my mind to it and really dug through the rules and spent time with the math, I would definitely transform into one of those bad powergamers. But as I mentioned above, my preference has always been working together, solving a problem as a group, sharing the stage to defeat the evil. I’m a total sap when it comes to that, and tend to prefer the ensemble pieces (movies, books, TV shows, etc.) to the single superhero stories.
@Charisma: Curses, my siren song almost lured you towards the deadly rocks! But seriously, folks, it’s a fair point that a power gamer CAN impact the way you play your character. It’s definitely happened to me, and more than once. “But my halfling rogue is supposed to be intelligent, not strong.” “I don’t care, bump your strength up, drop History and take Athletics.” You sound to me like a player I’d want to play with.
@Dixon Trimline, As i mentioned above, i run homebrew systems. As they are mainly my creation w/ some borrowed mechanics from the plethora of systems available. I build each system on my own and i crunch the numbers once or twice until i’m comfortable with them and move on to the next mechanic or component for my game system.
On many occassions my Power Gaming friend, will get the rule book and crunch the numbers with a fervour beyond my natural ability. He will often find small imbalances within the character classes and feats and the like. Thing that i tend not to have the time or patience to discover and triple check myself. So as a Homebrew GM i’m grateful to have a power gamer i can rely on to edit my system.
That being said, in my 3rd system now i have focused on allowing Creative Flair and Reactive Play styles to achieve bonuses within combat and role playing that allow everyone to stay at the same power levels, but it isn’t a secret that i personally prefer delving into the flavour of characters and NPC’s over number crunching and mechanics. I think this shines through clearly at my table.
.-= Scott´s last blog ..The Planar Orphan =-.
@Dixon Trimline – No, thank you.
.-= Tourq´s last blog ..Stuffer Shack Progress =-.
Messing around on Character Builder and playing with character ideas and optimization can be enjoyable in the same way a crossword or sudoku puzzle might be. Its a cool solitaire aspect of the game. I understand this isn’t completely related to the article, but I don’t think 4E really rewards or invites a character-driven approach to storytelling. Its not the RPG for that sort of play. With so much attention centered on combat its all about the functionality of characters in encounters and how well they do math towards given challenges. Be it a host of monsters or a group of obstinate NPCs waiting to be intimidated, bluffed, or persuaded through diplomacy its the numbers that run the game and not how much you get into your character or the storyline. Optimization and playing with friends who really crunch the numbers is still really satisfying though.