A game, in its most basic form, is a model for successes and failures, for incentives and consequences. The interaction of the player or players within this model generates successes and failures that build the story of play. This is true for every game from solitaire to D&D to board games to video games. Specifically in RPGs, where players put themselves into the roles of other people, these models for successes and failures, become a mental model for what the character should or shouldn't do and for how things interact in the game world. What never ceases to amaze, is that as soon as this model is put in place, the players, without mathematical rigor or even openly stated analysis, begin finding their way to the optimal configurations of characters for the types of interactions they want to focus on. Give the man some advice, and he'll ignore it. Give the man a puzzle with some rules, and he'll find the right answer every time. Struggling to ...
Chronicles of an Elder GM Running, Hacking, and Sharing Advice on TTRPGs