Post originally by DogBreath at 2003-07-08 11:51:19
Converted from Phorums BB System

>However, sophisticated roleplayers can also
>play D&D and use the character creation
>process in D&D to create interesting, deep,
>dynamic characters. These people do not need
>Everway to make good characters.

Of course. But you're talking experienced and sophisticated roleplayers.

My point is that many new roleplayers find D&D first. And the D&D books put an emphasis on number-crunching and powergaming. Many of the D&D 3E articles around, especially those over at WotC, deal specifically with how to build more effective characters.

No one needs Everway. And it isn't the Holy Grail. I'm not suggesting that everyone should play it. It won't be everyone's cup of tea.

What I am suggesting is that the character creation process -- the Q&A process, the visual aspect, etc. -- is a valuable tool to help new people in getting nearer to the goal of creating a character that is more than just a collection of numbers geared towards combat. That background and personality are just as important.

D&D as it stands contains none of these tools. If you're an experienced roleplayer, you know that characters are more than the sum of their numbers. If you're a new player, D&D 3E tells you that a character *is* the sum of its numbers. D&D makes little attempt to go beyond the numbers.

I'm simply saying that the character creation process (i.e. the Q&A session, the visual process, etc.), as defined by J. Tweet, would be a valuable chapter (or section) in any RPG book. And would go a long way to explaining that roleplaying is more than just a video game performed on paper and in-person.