From:	S O'Neill callahan421@*******.com
Subject:	Power Gaming and Benchmarking (Long)
Date:	Fri, 23 Jun 2000 15:37:10 EDT

>I'm curious to know what "power gaming" (especially in the SR context)
>means to most people on this list.

<snippity-snip-snip-snickersnackwhipcrack levels outline, ranging from
Weeflerunners to Munchkins>

To me, at least, powergaming ain't about relative competence of a runner
team, rather it starts to occur when players get the idea that they need
bigger guns/faster decks/more chrome for the sake of same. Whether it's a
decker whacking in an encephalon "just because" or a street sam that get
obsessed with carrying a SPAS-22 when the typical weapon is a pistol, when
players start to substitute firepower for brainpower, you're powergaming.

Powergaming/munchkinism, IMHO, is when you get walking tanks of characters
with a 2-sentence background and the '20 questions' answered in single,
monosyllabic words. I have no problem with powerful characters, so long as
they are appropriately challenged and are roleplayed suitably.

That said, I generally prefer to play closer-to-the-bone games especially
for short-haul campaigns, simply because they tend to allow a more gritty,
in-your-face feel, as opposed to more melodramatic, high-flying games. But
it's all about personal preference, IMHO. In cases where a long-running game
can track the saga of some runners progressing from weeflers to lords of the
underworld over the course of several years . . . well that's kinda why I
like roleplaying and character development. In the classic 'player types'
breakdown, i tend to identify with the 'REAL ROLEPLAYER' designation.

'Vanilla' Shadowrun suggests that you can only get Avail.6 items in chargen.
Try reducing this even further, or simply prohibiting Priority-A Resources
or skills above 4 in chargen, and you'll have a substantial impact on the
starting level of the game.

Just my $0.01 (2 cents $CDN, with exchange)...

Callahan


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