"Casters Versus Martials" is Really Just "Toolboxes Versus Hammers"

Perhaps one of the oldest debates in RPGs is the caster versus martials debate. Wizard or fighter? Sorcerer or barbarian? At the end of the day, though, I feel like entirely too many people who want to have this debate are talking past one another rather than actually discussing the same thing. So I wanted to take this week's Crunch topic to weigh in on what I would like to rename the Toolbox Versus the Hammer.

Because I think this actually gets us a lot closer to what is at the heart of a lot of these (sometimes quite heated) discussions.

And remember, both are quite useful.

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Flexibility Versus Reliability

Before we get too deep into things, I have played through a variety of characters on all sides of these arguments, as well as middle ground concepts like paladins, rangers, magi, etc. who combine the martial and the magical. With that said, I do have a noted preference for brutes, bruisers, and bludgeoners. However, when people hold up full caster classes as "god tier" options for character power level, and treat martial characters without magic as sub-optimal choices hardly worth considering, I find that it's usually because of two major differences.

The first is player philosophy. The second is player goals and ideals, which may or may not be in-line with the goals and ideals of the plot and the game. But we'll get into that.

Let's begin at the beginning, shall we?

The most common reason I've seen people argue that spellcasters are inherently better choices for characters in terms of mechanical advantages is that they have more options; more tools they can bring to the game. A wizard, sorcerer, or cleric, properly equipped, can often overcome problems with a wave of their hand, and a whispered word. The guards don't want to let the party in? A simple enchantment spell can make you their best friend for a little while, or leave them staring off into space while you just walk by. The next stage of the journey is atop a sheer cliff? A spell can easily fly one up there, allowing them to keep progressing with minimal interruption. And if a creature proves hostile, well, there's always a lightning bolt to reduce them to ash.

Now, having both watched and played the utility caster who acts as the party's Swiss army knife, I am not hating on this path. It is astonishingly convenient for all concerned to have a wizard who can magic away problems so that you can progress. It is the flexible solution, allowing you to subtly alter the rules of a given situation so that you can more forward.

However, as a counterpoint, magic is not a reliable solution. This is something that I always keep foremost in my mind as a player, and it is something that I feel entirely too many folks forget when they settle down at the table.

There's a six on each of these dice... just need them both to come up!

Magic, as a solution, has inherent weaknesses that can undermine its usefulness as a tool. For example, a lot of spells give their target a saving throw, and often that means the target walks away unscathed if they make it. There are entire creature types that are immune to certain kinds of spells and effects, and there are a lot of creatures with inherent resistances to spells (in Pathfinder, at least, this doesn't apply as much to the 5E players reading this). Not only that, but a given character only has so many spell slots per day, and they need to have the proper number of the proper spells available to cast. Lastly, an aspect that's often forgotten, spellcasters need to have the proper materials and focuses in order to make their magic work; if these materials are lost, stolen, destroyed, etc., they're rendered powerless. Spells have specific durations, as well, and if you use them too soon they'll wear off before they're needed. On the other hand, if you wait till you're in the thick of danger, you may have to choose between which spells are going to be most effective, finding you're hampered by action economy. Then there's the usual issue with anti-magic fields that always seem to crop up when they're most inconvenient.

Now, none of that is to say that magic isn't useful, or that you can't solve problems with it. That was merely to show that it is not a blanket solution that always succeeds... especially since magic is a limited resource. You can only cast so many spells of each level per day before you're tapped out.

The abilities of martial characters, on the other hand, tend to be far more reliable. The fighter's feats don't run out, the barbarian's damage reduction is always there, and while they might not be a strictly martial class, a rogue's sneak attack is always going to be effective in bringing a target down. Any martial character could just as easily solve the issues mentioned above, as well. The guard doesn't want to let the party pass? Perhaps the charismatic fighter manages to bribe them, using Diplomacy to defuse the situation. It's possible the barbarian swings their reputation around, making an Intimidate check to get the guard to step aside. Or the rogue just knifes them, or uses a poison to render the guard unconscious or dead, allowing the party to walk on past.

There's a mundane solution to most issues in a game. Because yes, you can cast knock, but you can also just pick the lock, or bash down the door. You could fly up a sheer cliff, or onto the roof of an enemy stronghold, but you could also just climb up there, possibly with the aid of a rope and a grappling hook. You can make yourself invisible to avoid detection, that's true, but a decent Stealth roll can do wonders for you. And unlike with magic, these mundane solutions usually don't have built-in limitations on how often you can use them to solve a problem, nor is there a save to resist them. You can Intimidate one guard, or 5, or 10 as need be. You can huck that grappling hook as many times as you need to, and you can haul yourself up an entire mountain hand-over-hand if the need arises. You can pick every lock you come across, if you so desire, and never once worry about needing to rest to regain your daily uses.

The drawback for most martial characters is, of course, they are more limited in the resources they can swing around. As a result they tend to be very good at a select few things, but those select few things don't require them to have a spell component pouch, to worry about anti-magic fields, spell resistance, or saving throws. They just have to hit the target, or beat the DC. But the flip side of this is that you may find yourself trying to solve a delicate problem with a blunt instrument, because when you're a hammer that's the tool you brought to the game.

White Room Power Play

The second part of this debate is one I honestly find odd, but it's something I run into time and time again so I thought I'd comment on it. Now, "white rooming" is when you set up an ideal situation where you have all the time, resources, and preparation you need to achieve a specific thing. Basically it's the RPG equivalent of asking what Batman could accomplish if you gave him a challenge, and enough time to build a specific solution to overcome it.

And things can get rather out-of-hand when it comes to what you can do with spellcasters in a lot of games. From an archmage creating their own demiplane, to clerics creating an army of undead minions, to a sorcerer crafting enchanted items powerful enough to shake the foundation of the setting, these are sometimes held to the gold standard of what the possibilities are of a particular character.

Phenomenal cosmic power!

Sure, that's neat if that's the story you want to tell. However, most of the time accomplishing these things will require massive hoards of treasure in costly spell components, months-to-years of in-game time to complete, and for a character to achieve extremely high levels just to gain access to the spells in question... which are all rather extreme limitations in your average campaign.

This is my way of saying sure, you'll be able to do that eventually, but it likely isn't going to affect the campaign we're actually playing in because you don't have the time, resources, and power you'd need to accomplish those goals.

This is where we get into player goals versus game goals. Because if you're in a game you might have the stated goal of, "Stop the lich king from rising," or, "End the war between these two nations." And if a player wants to uncover the eldritch secrets to folding reality in order to make their own private plane of existence where time stands still, that's cool... but how does that solve the problem of the campaign? More to the point, if the campaign is set to end at level 13-14, but the spellcaster needs to be level 17 before they can even begin to accomplish this goal, it's all epilogue that's out of the realm of the here and now. It would be no different than saying the barbarian became king of his own border nation, or the monk achieved inner perfection and rose to the position of a demigod; it wasn't a part of the campaign, so it's just a part of your personal story and narrative.

To be clear, this is not to knock anyone's preferred storytelling flavor or fun. If that's the kind of narrative that gets your wheels turning, and you enjoy telling the story of just how your character eventually achieved that goal (along with the spreadsheet of how you did it once the campaign was over), then more power to you. However, that kind of setup may do nothing for other players, who get far more excited about the idea of burying an ax in a demon lord's skull, or eventually worming their way into the position of Master of Whispers in a shadowy spy network.

It's just important to remember that if you're comparing toolkits that you need to look at the game in question. Because if this plot is going to benefit from the use of a Hammer, then it's important to have at least one big, ugly sledge at the table.

Check Out Some Gaming Stories!

For folks who haven't been keeping up on my recent changes, I've been largely hosting my Table Talk feature on Vocal, rather than here on Improved Initiative. I talked about this a bit ago in You're Not Missing My Updates (They're Over on Vocal). The short version is that Vocal pays a lot more than my blog does, and I'm trying to capitalize on that as much as I can... but it's tough getting eyeballs and fighting the algorithm. So take a moment to check out some of the following pieces!

- Silver Raven Chronicles Part One: Devil's Night

- Silver Raven Chronicles Part Two: From The Ashes

- Silver Raven Chronicles Part Three: The Raven's Nest

- Silver Raven Chronicles Part Four: Circles in Salt

Any reads and shares are much appreciated. And, of course, the more traction particular articles get, the more likely it is I'll write more like them in the future. So if you see something you like, help me spread the word on it!

Like, Share, and Follow For More!

That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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No One Is Accusing You Of Having "Wrong Bad Fun"

The Internet is chock full of advice when it comes to roleplaying games. Whether you're looking for rules combinations, character conversions, guides, clarifications, or just suggestions for creating atmosphere, or getting into character, you can find it out there. Regardless of the system you're playing, or the kind of tone you're going for, you're bound to find at least a few bloggers, vloggers, and industry voices you agree with. You're also likely to find several you disagree with. It is, in fact, likely for you to find a lot of people you disagree rather strongly with. Which is why, this Monday, I'd like to remind everyone out there of the silent mantra when it comes to reading RPG blogs, watching channels, reading articles, or just talking in forums and on social media.

Now, repeat after the Goat of Silliness...

The mantra goes something like this. "If I don't agree with this content, then clearly it's not meant for me, or my game."

That's it. Just a simple, silent sentiment that we should always tack to any article we disagree with when it comes to gaming.

RPGs Are Not A Zero Sum Game

I bring this up because I spend a lot of time online talking about RPGs. Whether I'm promoting my own blog posts, or those of a fellow creator, or just answering questions or joining discussions, I spend several hours a day up to my elbows talking about my favorite games. And, as anyone who spends time on social media knows, there are bound to be disagreements. Sometimes it's over a rules interpretation, and other times it's over whether or not a certain class is bound to certain styles of play. Sometimes it's just asking if something is technically possible, according to the game rules.

Now, I'm going to make the following statements from the calmest portion of my soap box that I have. Suggesting a certain way to play is not demanding that everyone play that way. Pointing out that a rule works a certain way in the game does not preclude your table from altering that rule when you play the game.

Unless someone specifically says, "this is the only way to play this aspect of the game, and if you do it differently, then you're doing it wrong," then no one is "calling you out" for having "wrong, bad fun."

Play how you want, you mad bastards.

However, if you feel the need to demand that someone else stop telling you how to play the game, and you want to sling a comment about how the, "fun police," have found your thread, take a moment, and repeat the silent mantra to yourself. Then, if you feel so compelled, re-read the thing that upset you, and ask if it is, in fact, demanding that all players play the game in a single way. If it isn't, and is simply pointing out the language of a rule, making a suggestion on how a given class could be run, or stating that at this particular person's table, X, Y, or Z are the order of the day, then scroll on along.

So What's Your Point?

What's the point of this post? To get my fellow gamers, and members of the community, to stop using the accusation of someone calling you out for, "wrong, bad fun," the same way that people with unpopular views will scream about their, "freedom of speech," or about how everyone's so, "politically correct," when the criticism starts rolling their way. Someone telling you that your interpretation of the rules is directly against the game's errata, and thus that you have house-ruled things to be different, is not an attack on you. That's just a statement. Someone pointing out that barbarians can be from big cities, or that wizards don't have to go to universities, isn't accusing you of playing the game incorrectly. They're just pointing out that there are other ways to do things.

You like the way you're doing them? Beautiful! Shine on, and happy trails. But if you're going to get involved in discussions, talk about the issue at hand. Don't just raise a criticism shield and claim someone's trying to censor your fun.

Well, that's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday post. Hopefully you enjoyed what I had to say, and even if you didn't enjoy it, that you still found something worth taking away from this particular post. If you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, then just stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to toss a few bills in my jar. No pledge is too low, and if you pledge at least $1 a month I have a free book with your name on it! Well, my name is on it, but you get the picture. Lastly, if you haven't followed me on Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter yet, what's the hold-up?

Why "Appeals to Fun" Are Pointless in RPG Discussions

As folks have noticed, when I'm not talking about RPGs themselves, I tend to talk about how we think about them. The language we use to describe our games, and what themes can expand or contract a game's focus, are some of my favorite topics. In fact, posts like Sexuality Matters in RPGs (And Here's Why) and Calm Down, No One is Taking Your Games Away are some of my most popular articles. So, since it's Monday, I thought I'd take the opportunity to talk about something related to gaming, that isn't gaming itself.

In short, I would like to ask that all of us stop making appeals to fun as a way to try and win an argument, or to end a conversation whenever we're online and trying to score debate points.

Appeals to Fun (And Why They're Useless)

The entire point of playing RPGs is to have fun, and tell a story. If you're not having fun, chances are good you're going to quit playing, or find another game that fulfills your needs. However, an "appeal to fun" is something that shows up in conversations about RPGs, not in the games themselves.

And, since examples work best when illustrating a point, I'll use one for you.

Oh good, I was in danger of getting confused.

Let's say we're on a Facebook group dedicated to Pathfinder. A conversation springs up about mental health in adventurers. They have to face awful dangers, and they're often subjected to terrible stresses. Post-traumatic stress disorder seems like a surefire condition many of them might suffer from, though it's far from the only condition that might crop up. Alcoholism, drug addiction, violent acting out, and other symptoms are also discussed. Other people get in on the conversation, either arguing for or against why certain conditions would or wouldn't affect certain races, or whether or not magical treatment would be effective when it came to mental disorders.

And then, in the midst of discussion around this topic, someone chimes in with, "why are you getting so involved in this? It's a game, forget all of this and just have fun already!"

The problem with this sort of statement is that, clearly, someone is having fun with this idea. For some players, the idea of having to face serious repercussions for violent lives, and losing limbs and companions along the way, is engaging. It's the sort of thing they think will improve their roleplaying experience. For other players that aspect of the game might be a downer, getting in the way of what they consider to be the fun part of the game (the power fantasy that comes with slaying dragons and fighting gods, for example). Just as some players will dive face first into cosmic horror, or grimdark sci-fi, other players want something uplifting, or even funny, for their game's tone.

Most of the time when someone says, "just go have fun," what they mean is, "go have my kind of fun."

If It's Not Your Game, Walk Away

The definition of fun will change from one person to another. There is no single activity that everyone will enjoy. So if you're the sort of person who likes to relax with a book and your cat, you do you. If your friend likes to get hammered at the bars while belting our karaoke, good for him. But if your friend tries to get you to come along for his kind of fun, and you don't want to, telling you that if you go out with him you'll experience real fun is a massive logical fallacy. Just because you love something, that doesn't mean anyone else shares your opinion.

The sword is so you can fight off the hangover in the morning.

So the next time you're reading a conversation about gaming, and you think the people having this discussion are somehow missing the point, or they're more focused on rules or tone than having fun, remember this; for some people, that is the fun part.

If you don't have anything to actually contribute to the conversation, keep scrolling. Seriously, it will make your life so much easier, and the people who are actively engaged in what they're doing won't have to deal with comments from people who just want to step in, shout, "you're gaming wrong," before they leave again.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this Moon Pope Monday post. If you'd like to help keep Improved Initiative going, then why not drop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page? As little as $1 a month will help me keep producing content, and it will get you some sweet swag. Lastly, if you haven't done so yet, why not follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter?