DnD and Powergaming
Today I want to talk to everyone about powergaming in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. This primarily refers to Adventurer’s League, as it is very strict on homebrewing rules.
First, let’s establish what powergaming is. Power gaming in DnD has two primary parts. One is Min/Maxing. The second is about player knowledge.
Min/Max Players
The Min/Max player only uses optimized character builds. They go into a game with the Express intent at being the best. In Adventurer’s League, this pretty much leaves you with picking one of two races. Those being Human Variant or Half-Elf depending on your class. You may also see Half-Orcs and Dwarves because they are good at some specific things. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be as powerful as possible, but sometimes people get tired of seeing the same basic things.
The truth is, no race is as powerful as the variant human in the beginning. Every class can benefit from a level 1 Feat. If that is how you want to play the game, then that’s great. I just want to remind you that the game is about fun. With that in mind, I just want to say, it doesn’t matter if it’s optimized if you are still having a good time.
Ask yourself why it matters if you are absolutely optimized. We get that nobody wants to feel gimped, but this game is as much about luck and planning as it is about skill and knowledge.
The next thing is a much worse issue and is common among veteran players.
Player Knowledge-
Players who have been around know vastly more than new players. While this takes some of the fantastical nature of the game away, it shouldn’t change whether or not you have fun. It does impact everybody’s enjoyment when the player uses the knowledge that their character wouldn’t know. I can admit, that I have been guilty of this myself. Let me give you an example.
A menacing 3 headed hydra steps out of the mouth of the cave and battle ensues. There are 3 players. 2 are new, one is not. None of their characters have gained knowledge of a hydra before this point. The 2 new players attack the hydra. Each of them lops off a head. The third player reaches into their bag and pulls out a torch to light it. The Hydra comes back with 5 head the next round. The 2 new players attack again. The veteran player walks up and hits it with the torch. The rest of the fight ends pretty quick because the hydra can’t heal.
Metagaming kills encounters and can absolutely irritate the DM and other players at the table. It takes away from the actual roleplaying of the game and should only be utilized by the Dungeon Master is specific situations. It should never be used by the players.
What I am trying to say is, play the game to have fun, not to win. Whether or not something is good or bad doesn’t matter. If it’s cool or fun let it be. Because that is why we play the game. If powergaming is your thing League of Legends is free to play. Leave DnD to those who love a good story.
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Thank you for your time folks.
Originally published at Dungeons, Delves, and Dice.
