13th Warriors

The Colonel · 05-14-2018, 10:10 AM

The two obvious problems that spring to mind are fifth wheels and snowflakes.
Phantasm's example above appears to be a fifth wheel - a character that doesn't really belong and contributes nothing useful to the game. This is often the result of a player misunderstanding the game they are about to play.
The snowflake seems to crop up a lot in "that other RPG" where you get the (possibly clichéd) party of three humans, two elves, a dwarf and a planetouched half dragon fae - there's nothing inherently wrong with the character mechanically, but it jars badly with the setting ... the same also applies to ninjas, kung-fu monks and swashbuckling pirates rammed into a stock medieval setting. Like the "misunderstood edgelord drow" it's usually a sign the player isn't of the team persuasion and/or has contempt for the GM's worldbuilding attempts.

Of course, done properly a 13th warrior allows you to inject useful complementary skills into a group that would not otherwise possess them.

05-14-2018, 10:10 AM	#12
The Colonel Join Date: Jul 2006	Re: 13th Warriors The two obvious problems that spring to mind are fifth wheels and snowflakes. Phantasm's example above appears to be a fifth wheel - a character that doesn't really belong and contributes nothing useful to the game. This is often the result of a player misunderstanding the game they are about to play. The snowflake seems to crop up a lot in "that other RPG" where you get the (possibly clichéd) party of three humans, two elves, a dwarf and a planetouched half dragon fae - there's nothing inherently wrong with the character mechanically, but it jars badly with the setting ... the same also applies to ninjas, kung-fu monks and swashbuckling pirates rammed into a stock medieval setting. Like the "misunderstood edgelord drow" it's usually a sign the player isn't of the team persuasion and/or has contempt for the GM's worldbuilding attempts. Of course, done properly a 13th warrior allows you to inject useful complementary skills into a group that would not otherwise possess them.