The "Great" Powergaming Debate

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Ok, so the "great" part of the subject title is subject to how many different people actually throw in their two cents worth (or whatever currency you prefer to use in this cliché).

I decided to raise this because I was wondering what powergaming really meant. You can create a party where the stats are min/maxed - and everyone will say that the party is a powergaming one.

My current party (any of those who have suffered my posts will know a little about) are the least "powergaming" characters I have had. 2 of the 4 characters have minimized CHA, every other stat could be considered "roleplaying".

However (this is the crux of this topic), the feats, skills and spell selections could all be considered "powergaming". Would it not be more in the style of roleplaying if, say, all my party members spent at least 1 point in Wilderness Lore?
After all, in a roleplaying sense, they are adventurers, and should have spent a reasonable amount of time travelling the lands - picking up titbits of knowledge...

Another example (spells)...
If you really want to avoid this kind of issue, then you would NOT pick Fireball, as soon as your spellcaster could cast 3rd level spells. You would never pick all those "powergamer" spells that often get banded around the forums, i.e. MI, Tensor's Mordy's Sword, DBFB, FOD, WOTB, etc - the list (as well as the acronyms) can go on. Note the word "all" - selecting some of these spells would be considered "normal", but picking "all" the best spells - is that not just back-handed powergaming?

So, I am wondering whether "powergaming" is really a total lie - that everyone does it (how many low INT spellcasters do you have that DON'T put EVERY point into Concentration and/or Spellcraft?). Is it really a case that EVERYONE is powergamer - if taken from a certain point of view?

I suppose this issue can be complex, because there is no real dictionary definition of what a powergamer is - under certain contexts (like this post), it is just a point of view. But I am interested in what other people think about this...

 

Wow, from that list i think i have only really obthered using MI *blushes*

I think powergaming comes in many levels, powergaming can be a beginner/noob triny gto hes limited knowledge to make the best party possible. The same party more experienced people here would laugh at and consider them mad. but for the person setting up the team, it is the way he sees it to be the "best".

As opposed to make a party for the spirit/style/characters/personalities etc. themed parties would fall more into this. trying out weird multiclasses (like your most amusing cleric/wizard thingy ) i would say to fall more under this.

When i play these games, i tend to recreate teams with various characters ihave used in P&P, and thus goes mostly slavic after what that "personality" would have picked. soetimes that fits a powergaming theme and othertimes not, depending on the personality/character etc. but if say kmonster looked over my parties he would probablly state that none of them are powergamer teams, and that fits me fine. Heck i even use dalekeeper to set their stats to how they are in P&P, and someof them got much higher stats than what you can get in iwd, and some even lower. and it still wouldnt qualify as powergaming.

example my favorite tank:
Dwarf, lawfull good

str 17
dex 13
con 20
int 7
wis 16
cha 13

fighter1, wizard x



And now there will probablly be all kinda disagreements but thats my couple of cents anyways.

 

Interesting thoughts, Da Rock.

In "How To Be An Adventurer" (the book which grants 10,000 XP) is already a chapter: "Face it, You're Actually "Neutral Evil"".
If the publisher read your posts, the next issue will surely have a "Face it, You're Actually a Powergamer" chapter.

You can even consider reloading when a character dies powergaming. Roleplayers would pay a temple to resurrect him or hire another companion.
If he dies just during an area transition or when you have to flee from monsters that's bad luck, his items are gone.
And when your party dies the game is over. Only powergamers would reload a previous save.

@raptor: You have a stupid character with less than 10 int in your party ? You surely must be an evil powergamer.

 

Powergaming is in the eye of the beholder (eek! a beholder!)

If you think it is fun to make the most powerful character possible, then do it. If you think it is fun to make a flawed character then do that. I think you also have to take into account the difficulty level you play on.