So, after reading yet another ‘powergamer is ruining my game’
thread on Facebook, I got to thinking about how I play, and why.
I know some in our local Society can find my play
disruptive. While I’m not outgoing, and
am definitely not a fast talker, my characters often are. Some, like Miroslav and Ksenia, are enjoyable
for shock value, their ‘fish out of water nature’ is fun to play in a party.
(for those of you who don’t follow Pathfinder, while both characters are on the
‘good’ side of the alignment box, the environment they came from is known for
its casual inhumanity. When you’re a
great grandchild of THE Baba Yaga, the being who won’t become a god because it
would be a demotion, the being who every hundred years comes back and harvests
her daughter and grandchildren and plops a new ruler on the throne, you tend to
have a ‘skewed’ version of morality) Others, like Shankar and Mayim are my
flirty sex on a stick characters. I save
them for adult tables, because their sense of adventure is not appropriate for
children. Still others, like Samiel and
Kiril, are the ‘mobsters with hearts of gold.’
I wear a variety of hats as a player, and a few others as a GM.
Now this isn’t what is ‘disruptive’ Despite trying to send a GM to therapy with
Mayim, and egged on by another player or three in doing so, I can tone them
down. Usually what some folks find ‘disrupting’
is my non-conventional tactics when the fight breaks out. I prefer debuffs, trips, disarms, entangle,
well I’m known as Tanglefoot Matt for a reason, and buffs like bard song. Basically, make the party better and the bad
guys worse. For added amusement, I also
like spells like murderous command and
unnatural lust, depending on the
character. I always have my ConditionCards handy, and have joked about getting the entangled card blown up and
printed on a shirt. Most of my
characters are also skill builds, also known as ‘skill monkeys’ so I’m also the
one telling them what the bad guys’ weaknesses are.
So yeah, I’m making it more challenging than ‘he hits me, I
hit him’ but the reason is above. I’m making the party better at what they
want to do. The player who loves his high damage build, is going to enjoy
more that the bad guy is easier to hit, or is coming to him to cop a feel
rather than standing back and shooting a bow
The player who loves multiple attacks is going to love the to hit and
damage boost from bardsong, as well as that the badguys are easier to hit. The role player who doesn’t want to use player
knowledge is going to be grateful that his character doesn’t have to run
through the golf bag of weapons because of my character going. “Just cave its
head in with the golf club!” This also
means that I’m not stealing anyone’s spotlight.
Mr. “High damage meele” doesn’t have to worry about my character out
punching him. Miss “I’m the healbot” can
heal all the nicks and scratches without me whipping out a wand of cure on my
utility belt, I can save that for later.
Aside: I played a game where my slayer (think a stealthy
fighter) had higher ranks in knowledge religion than his cleric and Paladin
co-adventurers. When the Paladin of
Iomedae (a Lawful Good deity) is fine with you administering the last rites of
Lissala (Lawful Evil deity) on the dead people you find, that’s hilarious.
And remember, this is my preferred playstyle. I’ll have my moment to shine when the skill
roles are needed, or when local campaign fluff is needed. (I have a decent
memory for game world, lore. Part of my
love of skill monkeys.) So I’m perfectly
happy to let everyone play to their strengths, and help them do so.
I’m also the guy with
the utility belt I mentioned above. Need
an alchemical item? Step right up. Need a trap disarmed, sure! Need a door unlocked, yup. Need the guard distracted while the rest of
the party cases the place? Sure. Though the method of distraction will vary,
from fast talking by Miroslav, to um, other things of Mayim and Shankar. Need a scroll of control weather when the
storm comes up? Well I don’t normally
care one, but the look on the GMs face when I said “I reach for my scroll of
control weather” was priceless. (When I said, no, I don’t have one. His reply
was “If anyone at this table would, it would be you!”)
Now all that said, it’s also
part of my play-style to step aside and let the other skill monkey shine. Most of my characters can do some decent
damage if they have to cut loose. Samiel
is an archerologist (archer archaeologist) and with him buffing himself, the
damage he can do is not inconsiderable.
Miroslav and Shankar are both melee fighters if need be, and Ksenia,
well, she is a full spell caster, not just a hex casting machine. I had a GM learn that first hand when I cut
loose with her higher-level spells and turned the battlefield into a nightmare
for the melee types. So, My ‘annoying
playstyle’ by debuffing, buffing, and skill monkeying, is designed around
making everyone else’s time better. You
want me to go up front? I can, but I’ll
let you go first if you don’t mind.
Aside the second, I was playing Shankar in a trap filled
scenario. I went to take out the first
trap, and the person playing the ninja said she wanted to. I stepped back and let her. She proceeded, through mostly bad dice rolls,
to set of every single trap in the
scenario she tried. When we came across
the last one, she was worried that she couldn’t disarm it and let me try. It was at that point she found out that my
die modifier was almost twice hers. Trap easily disarmed. When she asked me why I let her set off all the traps I said “Hey, I don’t step on other
players’ toes. You wanted to be the one
to disarm the traps, I’m not going to deny you the die rolls and chance to
shine in the spotlight.”
So in closing, I’d ask… What’s your playstyle, and how is it
‘disruptive’?
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