MU Soapbox

I think, in some instances, that there is a point where a character becomes "too powerful" for a given game, or what the game-runners want to deal with. And that's perfectly normal, it happens. You don't want an Olympic athlete playing Little League.

We definitely need to be more open to the idea that a character can reach a plateau - there's no more skills they can learn, no more strength or power to get, and that their story should come to an end. People sit on the same characters, sometimes for years, on a game doing very little but getting in the way of the next generation.

So, the Lord Captain and the Archwizards (prog band) should, after their stories have reached a satisfying point, be retired. Either to move away from the game area, die in some dramatic and important fashion, or become NPCs.

Tinuviel

I think, ultimately, that if one is setting out with the intention to run a larger game (more than fifteen or so people at a time) then they should expect some power discrepancy. That said, they should also specifically tailor their plots (or stories, adventures, whatever) to suit the variety they have.

I'd also add that it's important to recognise that power, even when just restricted to mechanical considerations, can take many forms. An ambassador isn't going to out-shoot a Colonel, but they're going to be far more charming and diplomatic, and a scientist is going to be investigative and intellectual. Not everyone is playing a fighter, so there needs to be more for the cleric or the wizard to do than just play support or shoot the occasional fireball.

The main thing in a roleplaying game, for me, is a sense of progression. Certainly, social or story-based progression is crucial, but I also need that to be displayed in mechanical terms for when those mechanics come into play. If Joe Schmo has been going to therapy, I should be able to increase his willpower to demonstrate that for instance

Characters that are narratively changing but mechanically stagnant can lead to a rather jarring case of ludonarrative dissonance, and a feeling that the stories we're telling don't "matter."

Tinuviel

@JinShei said in MU Things I Love:

MU* people rock.

Terms and Conditions apply. See your doctor to determine if MU People are right for you. If you experience increased pain or unsightly rash discontinue use immediately. If your TS lasts for more than four hours, go make some actual friends.

Tinuviel

I think power, at its extremely basic level, consists of two main things. How much they can influence the world, and how much the world can interfere with their influence. Mechanics are an important part in this, but not the only part.

To borrow @Derp's DnD analogy, the difference between a level one party and a level twenty party are as he described, with the added aspect of a level twenty party often finding PC death more of a temporary inconvenience than a deeply impactful problem.

The difference in power between two level twenty parties, however, could be massive even if they have all the exact same stats. What allies do they have, what events have they participated in, what enemies have they made, etc. All of that ties into actual power, rather than simple mechanical power.

Tinuviel

@Wizz said in Model Policies?:

...Do they tho

Fuck if I know, man. Talking to people is so 2007.

I just rail against the idea that a thing has to have a purpose to be there. Sometimes they're shit, sometimes they're not. Like most places where people gather, honestly. I wouldn't invent the concept, but I wouldn't remove it just because it's occasionally a shitshow.