Powergaming... Is there any cure?

Remove all ads!

It is obvious now that my players are powergamers and are more interested in rollplaying than roleplaying. I think I found a solution... the same forced to me(by myself).

I'll let them powergame as much as they want... they want a Ring of Protection +5? fine. They want a +5 full plate mail? fine. I'll do anything they wish till they're fed up with it, cause I'll not increase the difficulty. It will be too easy for them and they will turn to *role*-playing.

The same happened to me playing BG and IWD. I was powergaming... max stats, the best weapons/armor/etc max level... you got the point. But I realised it was not as fun as when I was playing normally the game. So no more powergaming now.

Do you think the same will happen to my players too? If you think not, then give some ideas please.

 

Is there any such thing as "too easy" for a powergamer? It strikes me as the essence of the unfair advantage.

You, Mr. DM, have a very effective weapon at your disposal: XPs. Let your players go up against anything they want, but grant bupkes in the way of XP to anyone who does nothing more than basic hack-n-slash. Even a dragon should be a minimal XP gain - except for the player(s) who come up with innovative strategies or creative solutions to problems. They should figure things out fairly quickly.

 

The other solution is to use their own tactics against them. Create an adversary or group of NPC's using the same powergaming tactics and then kill off the party using the super villains. Just let the party know, in a subtle way, that the villains have been created to maximise their killing potential.

 

Isn't the whole point of adventurers to be as tough as possible. I would think that anyone who is about to enter the "Pit of Incomprehensible Evil" would spend hours making sure they're as powerful as possbile. I think wanting people to act weak on purpose is spoilt because a true adventurer would want any advantage they could possbily get.

 

Rastilin, your missing the point. It is not about acting weak on purpose, you can have an über powerful character while still roleplaying it well. But if your character only exists to become powerful instead of been its own individual person with flaws and weaknesses like everone has then it becomes boring for those who are there for the roleplaying aspect of it.
What you could do is get them killed by a pack of kobolds using superior tactics to them, that'll teach them to use their brains

 

I don't know how well you know the game Alex, but I could teach superior warfare techniques in the chat if you want.

Kobolds and hobgobs mixed are an excellent choice. Kobolds with poisoned bolts, and hobgobs who use sunder to destroy their weapons or disarms during combat.

 

If I was killing off PC's I'd go kobolds in a mine. First there would be simple snare traps, ambushes with poison arrows, then collapsing tunnels with hundreds of the little critters swarming them. It would be a truelly humilliating experience

 

rastilin, again role-playing does not equal weakness. If you min/max everything possible you have nothing in common with a real adventurer. The game mechanics are simple there to make the game easier. All adventurers wouldn't use a longsword over a shortsword because it does more damage. The damage is only a mechanic of the game. A real warrior could kill you in a flash with either weapon. It's about individual preferance. Different people like different things. There are no stats in reality just preferance. The more you play the game without looking at the numbers the better off you are.

Alex, giving our players everthing they want, +5 this and that, is a problem not a answer. Monty Haul is a powergamers drean, but a way to lead the party torwards role-playing. Do the exact opposite. Limit the amount of power they have. Force them to role-play their way out of bad situation. Put them up against forces they know they can't defeat with direct violence. Make them think and act on their ideas.
You can do this my taking their character sheets away during the session and doing all the rolling yourself. Seperate them from their stats. Make them act stuff out.

 

OK, I can think of the cure for some of powergaming ideas:

Min-maxing: increase the importance and amount of checks for neglected abilities/stats/thieving skills. Sometimes it's enough to be brutally realistic, sometimes you would need to resort to malice aforethought. What about making everyone know their obvious weak points? You know, DEX 4 makes one a legend This will teach them to *role* play... or perish.

Powerful items: Full plate +5 costs more than a vast barony. Imagine the envy... and industrious amateurs of your player's gear He's also primary target in any battle and for any kidnapper. What's more, temples might stop being satisfied with meagre 1000 gp every now and then

Cash mongering: If openly, income taxes, war taxes, VAT etc. If kept in secret, natural disasters, thefts, burglaries... even night-time stronghold assaults by nearby bandits.

Fixed lame spell selection: make them need different spells. If the mage wannabe has 6 fireballs memorised, send something big and fiery after him. Of course the dragon that was said to be blue is in fact red

Summon-and-hide-gaming: area spells, snipers etc (summoners rarely have decent protections or attack spells memorised)

Alignment issues: Alignment champions (paladins, blackguards, some priests, some rangers) are meant to live in constant struggle with opposing alignments. It's not OK if your paladin goes on a crusade against some petty villains of not even evil alignment if he has no problems with 20th level clerics of Bane in his party, for example. There's no way a cleric of Lathander will tolerate a necromancer and there's no way a Helmite will tolerate abandoning duties, quests etc. One could multiply such examples ad infinitum.

Fame: High-level evil characters should have plenty of death sentences under their belt, they should be targets of a few crusades, investigations, some nice sum should be promised for their heads.

Similarly your sir Big'un paladin of Mystra isn't Shar's best buddy and the local Necromantic Club will pay a small fortune for your Johnny Lathanderian's head.

Add courtly duties, responsibilities following power, wealth and authority, crowds of fans... They'll make your heroes nauseous. Imagine Chevvy the 30th level paladin who urgently needs to contact the Queen who happens to be opening the local Debut Ball for Teen Damsels at the moment

 

My advice is that if your players actually just want to powergame, and have no desire to role-play, then don't cramp their style. Powergaming is a fine thing, except that once you cross from powergaming to role-playing, you aren't likely to go back.

Everyone's advice is very good, but I think the important thing is that your players (and you) are enjoying themselves.

 

I think here's the problem Oaz. I cannot enjoy myself seeing my players powergaming. I'm biased against powergaming.

But I'll try to get used to it.

 

Maybe you could just try talking to them and explain why your not liking what they're doing.

 

Just make an adventure where there isn't any dice rolling at all. Reward them for role-playing istead of powergaming. Eventually, they're going to catch on.