'Real-life' power gamers

From: cpearce_at_Incite.com
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 18:55:45 -0600

>> Aden Steinke wrote most amusingly:

>> In my experience the power gamer types can exploit any cultural construct...

> Martn Laurie responded:

> This used to baffle me because I could never understand how anyone
> playing couldn't and wouldn't use everything in the world to their
advantage
> if they could. After all who doesn't in real life?

At the risk of ignoring your topic and posting outside the mandate of the Glorantha list, I'll respond.

1. In real life, neither the rules or the numbers are written down. As a result, it's harder to tell when and if the techniques you are using to improve yourself are really helping you. Top-flight athletic performers sometimes try to train themselves using techniques that may permanently hamper their performance in the long run.

Corrollary: if players aren't allowed access to the rules, if players don't get to see numbers on their character sheet, and if all rolls are made in secret, powergaming becomes much harder. Some powergamers will see such restrictions merely as a challenge, but many, perhaps, will give up and start concentrating on story.

2) The player doesn't have to experience the deprivation and exhaustion of the character. It's easy for a player to have his character forgo his mid-day meal in order to get an extra hour of basket weaving practice. In life, that chocolate eclair is more likely to win the battle of wills.

Corrollary: while Personality Traits are a good solution to the problem, they are only a partial solution. In my experience, the powergamer tends to take 'macho' traits like Bloodthirsty or Fanatic, traits that GMs are often all to willing to ignore in order to keep any gruesome unpleasantness out of their game.

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