GENERAL
Someone posed the following question to me on Facebook a short while ago: “Why don’t you like min-maxxers?” I thought about it for a second, and had a pretty immediate and intuitive answer along the lines of ‘auto-win’ or playing the game on Easy Mode, which necessarily has some negative impact on any story and some plot elements the GM may be laying down for the Players. Instead of typing off the cuff, I went back over the question and realized there may be more to this than my initial impression. So I checked into the University of Google for some pop culture research and started looking up why I felt the way I felt about ‘the dreaded Min-Maxxers’™ and decided to write a long-form response.
DISCUSSION
Definition. The first thing in dealing with a problem: first, identification and definition of the problem space; secondly, does the definition reinforce the issue as the problem, or my viewpoint the problem space? This is where we start seeing some variance, and honestly some overlap, which only adds to the discussion.
Power Gamer: Leverages maximization of certain attributes, class features, spell, weapons, and other equipment in a deliberate manner to try to “beat” the game. Typically, is looking to make short work of any combat situation and get to the loot as quickly as possible, and don’t engage in any social aspects the PC could have.
Example: The Glitter Boy Pilot that refuses to leave their GB power armor. Or insisting on playing a Cosmo-Knight in a CS 'Burbs campaign.
Optimizer: These are the guys that take every advantage the class or race offers. By taking the options that provide the greatest advantages and really leaning into them to maximize the benefit, you basically turn the class up to eleven, going “all in” with the options available. Basically you are making the ‘magiest-mage,’ the meanest barbarian with ‘clubbiest of clubs,’ or the rogue scholar with the highest skill percentages by taking mostly/almost exclusively skills with the highest bonuses.
Example: Every character made comes with Optimized Hearing and Sound Filtration System for that sweet, sweet bonus to Initiative and Parry/Dodge.
Munchkin: Intentionally inflate key attributes, perhaps ‘fudge' rolls, “accidentally” misinterpret rules to their benefit. They want to create a hack-and-slash environment with little in the way of role-playing. Don’t give it to them, they will bend or break the campaign to make it one. Not quite sure why they labelled them after the infamous members of the Lollipop Guild from The Wizard of Oz, but I've seen stranger things.
Min-Maxxer: Takes Attributes, skills and class options that overtly and overly accentuate a certain aspect of the character. They maximize the aspects that reinforce the trope of the character to make them “the best possible” of that trope, while ignoring other elements of (e.g. max P.P. and P.S. with acrobatics, gymnastics and boxing for a brawler; who cares about M.A.), but they accept the fact they are limited in those other areas. Also involves a certain amount of playing the meta-game. They know the game and present ‘rules-bending’ but not breaking options (mostly with spells and combinations). Example: My 1st Level Ley Line Mage just ran away from the Magic School of Doom after killing the abusive Master and taking the Spell of Legend Scrolls of VICTORY!
HOW THIS APPLIES TO RIFTS
Attributes: There are, unfortunately, a few Attributes that are always considered before others. This is typically obvious across most TTRPGs, and Rifts is no exception. For Rifts, there are several that simply provide too much of an incentive to be ignored. This makes the game design a part of the problem space, which is less evident in any S.D.C. game setting, exacerbated in any M.D.C. setting, none more so than Rifts.
The Good. The following are simply too good to pass up:
o Physical Prowess (P.P.). Often referred to as the “god-stat,” there are frankly too many caveats attached to making a character with a very high P.P. Just the bonus to Strike, Parry and Dodge makes it infinitely more eligible for a Player to favour.
o Intelligence Quotient (I.Q.). Let’s boost those skills with some free percentages!
o Mental Endurance (M.E.). Psionics exists, and when they manifest, things can go bad. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.
The Remainder. With few exceptions, most of the other Attributes are relegated to the background, which is unfortunate.
o Physical Strength (P.S.). In an M.D.C. environment, Physical Strength (P.S.) is overshadowed by Robotic/Supernatural Strength. Who needs high strength inside a robot or power armour?
o Physical Endurance (P.E.). Often only considered for the boost to Saving Throws.
o Mental Affinity (M.A.) and Physical Beauty (P.B.). Favoured in certain builds or specific classes, none of which really fit into the hack-and-slash motif.
o Speed (Spd). An abstract attribute with that has little direct play.
O.C.C. Selection. Based on the adventure design of the Game Master, most Players tend towards the combat classes or those with the greatest combat output, balanced with the highest M.D.C. in order to survive the longest, win the most fights possible.
Juicers. One of the poster-boy Classes for this kind of Player, the Juicer has a significant level of Attribute boosting, which in turn adds Attribute bonuses to the Class bonuses. The end result is a combat-oriented character with very few downsides that most GMs will likely ever bother to action within the context of the game sessions.
Cyborgs. Sacrifice the mortal toils by sloughing off that pesky flesh and replace it with some mechanical renditions, augmented strength, and some kick-ass technological weaponry and equipment. Add in the absolute brutish amount of M.D.C. armour they can latch onto an already impressive amount of M.D.C., and watch the technological blender go murder-hobbo.
Glitter Boys. As a Class goes, compared to other Elite RPA pilots and many of the newer Classes, there really is very little to the Glitter Boy Pilot outside of their Power Armour. In my opinion this leaves the Class a little wanting. The power armour itself is a brute, with laser resistance and very high M.D.C., packing one of the most devastating weapons in the game. I get why it would be popular. That said, a GM is pretty much required to now present antagonists and enemy forces to challenge the GB; this might very well leave other PCs in a precarious position.
Dragon Hatchling. So you don’t want to play a humanoid, but throw in a large amount of M.D.C. and a boat load of magic capability, an impressive amount of natural abilities, and some psionics to boot.
South America Books. I’m not a particular fan of the South America books in terms of compatibility with most other World Books. Compare the mutant animal classes to the Dog Boy and explain to me why you wouldn’t use the South American classes? There are a number of other classes and technological examples that I pretty much limit/refuse access to. South America is a vast unknown expanse.
Others. There are myriad honourable mentions that I could site outside of anything from South America. The Atlantean options, some Spirit West classes, Warlords of Russia or Sovietski, or a number of M.D.C. Player-Character species options. This is before we even consider some Nightbane conversions, superheroes from Heroes Unlimited, or any number of options of Mystic China/Ninjas & Superspies.
HOW THIS APPLIES IN REAL LIFE
To be sure, real life presents different challenges to folks in myriad ways. Some are born more intelligent and grasp certain skills easier; others are more athletic and can maintain physical rigors more easily; others present with charisma and beauty that they might leverage in their career. Of course, one must consider that we aren’t here to play “real life,” we’re here to escape into a functional game space, to create an immersive experience. Heck, the game we’ve chosen involves extra-dimensional and interplanetary threats to our very existence, the threat of magic rifts swallowing us whole, or worse disgorging a myriad of beasts to slowly and painfully end our existence.
For some, getting into this immersive experience means going ‘all in’ with a trope and seeing how that plays out. They want to play something akin to great warriors like Conan or Caramon Majere, others preferring rangers like Aragorn or Tanis Half-Elven, assassin rogues like John Wick or Desmond Miles (Assassin’s Creed), or wizards supreme Merlin or Raistlin Majere. The few popularized characters from some of the more popular fantasy series certainly reinforces the stereotypes. Who wouldn’t want to be able to fight through challenges like Conan or John Wick? The irony may only be lost on some, but those characters also came through serious adversity, and have little real control over the plot of their stories. But they are surefire entertaining to watch or read about, aren’t they?
MY TAKE ON THE ISSUE
This is a “Me Issue.” First and foremost, this is only an issue if you make it out to be one. By this I mean it applies to the Player in question, the other Players in the Group, and lastly the GM and how they approach adventure design. A GM can really reinforce/enable this issue or nip it in the bud quickly. Again though, this may not be a problem at your table. At this point, the most you’ve lost in maybe two minutes of reading to get to this point. If you have a Player or some of your friends are asking for a different type of adventure, this may be an inflection point.
Adventure Design. If it’s at your table, you do you; I’m the last person to tell someone else how to play the game. Do you what the best way to play Rifts is? The one you enjoy the most with your friends. If that’s a god-stomping hack-and-slash romp through the heavens, roll those dice! If your GM or Players are looking for something different, the first sign might be someone NOT looking to stack the deck of their Player Character’s possibilities in combat. The crafty GM should note this and take steps to ensure the adventure isn’t necessarily being bent to satisfy only a single player type’s needs. For more information on Adventure Design, see The Bazaar #62: Adventure Design.
Francois DesRochers As A Player. Personally, if anything, I lean towards the Optimizer, and I catch myself looking harder at skills with a greater Skill Bonus during character creation than ones that would more accurately reflect the character I was trying to create. I know I also tend to prioritize P.P. and M.E. attributes, for some obvious reasons. Would I stop playing a character with negative modifiers due to low attributes? Not a chance! I actually prefer the challenge of playing the more moderate character, and I more enjoy a low fantasy adventure – I’m not really into fighting gods and changing major muscle movements of plot.
HOW TO DEAL WITH MIN-MAXXERS
Start at First Level. I've always been a proponent of Players starting at First Level, or sometimes Second. This allows the Player the opportunity to learn their Class in a way that is more organic, more immersive. By allowing Players to start in mid-career, or even what should only occur later in life (e.g. Sixth to Tenth Level), they start with a package of powers and skills that they don't necessarily know how to employ or exploit to overcome challenges.
Limit O.C.C. Selections. By keeping the Players to the Classes found in Rifts Ultimate Edition, or with very limited access to World Books that apply to the adventure setting, you can tone down the levels in which a Player's choice, whether deliberately manipulative or by pure happenstance, has that negative impact on the scenario. Myself, I limit Classes to those in World Books, and typically only play in settings within North America. Very (VERY) rarely would I allow something from far-off getting 'rifted' over.
Reinforce the Non-Combat/Narrative. Something largely falling on the GM's shoulders, the intent is to revert you back to the beginning of the adventure design you employ. By taking into consideration the very nature of the encounters you design, how they play into the overall narrative, and whether you are leaving a combat option as a primary outlet. A clandestine operation to meet an informant, a saloon meet-up within a no-weapons zone, anything in which combat isn't within a top-3 of options.
Accept It and Drive the Adventure. This isn't a cop-out option, but truly a method a GM can employ in dealing with Min-Maxxers. By accepting the way the Player Group as a whole want to proceed, give them the adventure they are looking for. Give them a dungeon or space to explore and combat encounters that allow them to roll dice and achieve victory. Then start layering story elements into the adventure, based on those encounters. Perhaps one of the caravans they robbed was sponsored by the Black Market, and they have bounty hunters to contend with. Maybe the Coalition States are after them? That Kittani patrol was being observed by Splugorth minions and now they want the Players for their gladitorial arenas.
CONCLUSION
So, let’s call a spade a spade. I’m not against Players that want to “min-max,” nor do I consider the inclination as some blight within the TTRPG community that we need to purge. It’s a method of playing, one reinforced by the Game Master, the Game System being played, and the level of immersion and integration the Game Master may be looking to accomplish. I have little desire to play a “min-maxxed” character, but have no problem leaning towards skills that reinforce the trope of the O.C.C. I simply find the munchkin experience dull and one-dimensional. I’m sure there are those out there that are against me on this. That’s fine, I’m (likely) not at your table.
My pet peeve is the response from Players that feel they must go this route to create a viable character. For Rifts, things are dangerous, and very deadly. An S.D.C. character will be one stray Mega-Damage attack away from being vaporized or bludgeoned to oblivion. This is also part of the charm to the system, and the challenge for the Player, as well as the Game Master. A GM throwing only seriously threatening M.D.C. nasties with high potential for a total party kill may need to examine the adventure design philosophy. This is one of the primary reasons most Players refuse to consider non-M.D.C. player classes or species.
So for the new GM, or those that have been at this a while, I challenge you to consider your Players and the possibility of either an S.D.C. campaign, or throwing a series of challenges that involves something other than hack-and-slash adventuring. Give them something other than a combat-oriented encounter to really test their chops(e.g. puzzles, role-playing social settings or encounters); get them role-playing the game, instead of roll-playing from one encounter to the next. You may surprise yourself in the enjoyment this setting may provide. And hey, Palladium has a few settings to fit the bill!
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