[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

Depends on what you are trying to model. If I was playing a game set in the Marvel or DC Universe, or any campaign based on an established setting. I would expect things to work like they do in that setting, and be disappointed if they did not. Few things ruin a supers game more that seeing Batman or Spiderman getting gunned down in the first fight.

I'd argue that the animated JLA compressed the power level of the characters in the comics considerably, but people didn't seem to have a problem with it. Similarly, I've never seen people have a big deal over the fact their team doesn't have wide variations in power. In the end, unless you're just an incredible authenticity-uber-alles junky, why would you? You care if it has the right feel, and that's not a necessity for that.

I've seen some of that, too.

But I try not to put that as an accusation where it may not be warrented. I note there's been one member of this board who's been pretty blunt about that being the case in his case in the past, and I haven't hesitated to bust his chops about it, but I don't care to jump to conclusions regarding others on it.

No more so than combat. Unless you are running a hack & slash campaign, the adventuring group usually has one or two characters who are doing things and the rest acting in a supporting role.

I've never seen that to be the case. Some characters might be superior combatants, but they couldn't handle the job by themselves. That's not true of the guys disarming the bomb, the guys climbing up to take control of the computer system, or any number of other things. That's because combat normally has multiple problems that are needed to be handled _in parallel_, where other sorts of things, even if they're multi-step, are handled _in serial_.

I'll also add that once you get past 4 or 5 players you get the same problems, only worse.

Again, never seen it; most combats can't be handled by only the combat specialists; they may be the spearhead, but the rest is necessary, and necessary at the time.

The reasons why combat is front and center isn't that it keeps everyone more involved, just that it is the easiest thing to run. Toss a half dozen

And I'm afraid I simply disagree. I think, and nothing in my history in the hobby has shown me otherwise, that it _does_ keep everyone more involved. And its not like I haven't been at it a while.