Thoughts on Balance

I am currently running one game of Dungeons & Dragons, playing in another one and playing another game of Star Wars Saga edition. I mention this because these two games seem to take a completely different view of game balance.

I would argue that Dungeons & Dragons (at least its 4th edition version that I am currently playing) is very concerned with balance from a gamist point of view. By that, I mean that the mechanics of the game are intended to make sure that each player can contribute equally regardless of class choice. That is not to say that each character can do everything equally well, but that each character can add to the experience of the game in a meaningful (and ideally equal) way.

On the other hand, Star Wars seems balanced from the point of view of the setting. By that I mean, that the rules of the setting dictate which character options are more powerful than others. I am specifically talking about the Jedi. In the Star Wars movies and the books, the Jedi are significantly more powerful than your average character, and this is just how the game works as well. There is something to be said for a game that remains true to the material it was based on, but when I play Star Wars I do find that I often feel bad about the lack of equality between the characters, regardless of if I am the jedi player or not.

This is something that I think the new version of Dungeons & Dragons has fixed. In the older editions, just like in Star Wars, there were certain class choices that made others uneeded, particularly the mage and clerics. I am glad that D&D has decided to level the playing field. Gone are the days that a single wizard can do more for the game than an entire party of fighters.

It is really nice to be able to play in a system that truly supports the idea of a team. Yes, it is true that is it hard for a single character in D&D to go off and do their own thing without the rest of the party, but I think that is fairly appropriate for a group based game. And I feel that I would rather play in a game that supports the idea of a collaborative fun experience than one that would sacrifice that for the sake of staying true to the published setting.