The Gaming Den

10 more pages of Elennsar arguing for just one thing: That elves are the best archers, and that no non-elf PC archer can be as good as an elf PC archer.

Elf fanboyism at its worst.

So why not cut out the whole superior genes/raped by destiny subtext to it and just say you got hardcore by training really hard? If you spend almost of your time training, getting good grades, believing in your friends, and never giving up you'll eventually be able to warp reality. Because the aud...

I think many might prefer an escape fantasy where they don't have to work hard to become powerful. It's easier to imagine yourself being the hero if you're the chosen one and don't have to retcon 20 years of hard training to your bio. That may also be why magic is so popular for heroes - "I get...

I strongly suspect that Elennsar's problem is not rooted in philosophical difficulties, or game concept differences, but in one thing: He can't bear the idea that an elf is not the best choice for his vision of a ranger (Which seems to be mostly "archer in the woods"). The very idea that a...

Elennsar sounds like he

a) doesn't get the difference between "Elves and Dwarves should be equally good rangers" and "An Elf PC and a Dwarf PC should be equally good rangers" and

b) has a problem if elves are not better rangers.

There's also the fact that playstyles vary a lot, and house rules and even DM preferences can have a lot of impact on minmaxing options.

I always thought the best option to "level the playing field" between experienced players and new players was to have the experienced players help the new ones with character builds. Seriously, if you've got a mix of optimisers and non-optimisers, then chances are that the optimisers like ...