[UA] Powergamer != Munchkin

[Bruce MacMonkey McSpade]

>From: Shachar Langbeheim <nihohit at gmail.com>
>Reply-To: Shachar Langbeheim <nihohit at gmail.com>,The Unknown Armies RPG 
>Mailing List <ua at lists.unknown-armies.com>
>To: Rae Gunter <sonnlich at gmail.com>,The Unknown Armies RPG Mailing List 
><ua at lists.unknown-armies.com>
>Subject: Re: [UA] Powergamer != Munchkin
>Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2005 15:19:18 +0200
>
>well, it seems that everyone kinda forgot that we're talking in the UA
>mailing list here.
>The reason i'm saying this is that most examples for powergaming were
>given from D&D and Champions (a system i'm not too familiar with),
>both of which are rather fixated about combat.
>now, in any game in which one attribute/ability is more imoprtant than
>the rest, powergaming works. one of the things I like about UA is that
>almost EVERYTHING is important for your survival. but, to the point:
>so, you're annoyed about people min-maxing for combat? lessen the
>amount of combat scenes. add diffrent factors and events to the fights
>- being able to punch through concrete is nice, but not when your
>girlfriend is hanging above a vat of lava. or not while the mechanism
>for creating more kill-o-mats is still on.
>if combat is a stragiht, no-bullshit, one dimensional thing, and the
>game is mostly centered about this one dimension, don't be surprised
>when people try to fit the biggest part of their characters to the
>biigest part of the game.
>diversify, that's the best thing against powergaming. make the game a
>non-linear, multi-dimensional thing. when the players don't know what
>is going to happen and how, they'll have to choose whether they'll be
>ready for the widest list of dangers, or whether they'll be execcelent
>against a limited list, but better at it.
>also, another good thing against munchkinism is asking your players
>for reasons. "why is your character such a good fencer?" is a valid
>question, but "why does your innocent civilian character in my horror
>campaign know how to use heavy machine guns and why does it have a
>stack of rocket proppeled grenades in his backyard?" is an ESSENTIAL
>question.
>if some one can't give a reason for his extra high skills &
>attributes, he can't have them. also, when the characters gain XP and
>advance, the players can't just spread the points by their whims -
>they have to justify it by their characters actions in gaining that
>XP.
>so, to make a long mail short: reasoning defeats munchkinism,
>diversifiyng defeats powergaming.
>
>oh, and engineers are no-where as bad as computer programers when it
>comes to power-gaming.
>
>--
>ah.
>_______________________________________________
>UA mailing list
>UA at lists.unknown-armies.com
>http://lists.unknown-armies.com/mailman/listinfo/ua