A Min-Maxer’s defence: Why I optimise my D&D characters, and maybe you should give it a go, too.

Written by Ollie Lynass

This is not a guide on how to “deal” with optimisers in your D&D games. We are not - as Matt Colville so eloquently puts it - “wangrods”. Your fun is valid!

I don’t agree with everything the 4e DMG has to say on this subject, but it’s a good starting place.

As per the 4e DMG: “A powergamer thrives on gaining levels and [...] the abilities that come with those levels.” It even spells out that “A couple of the core elements of fun in the D&D game are the accumulation of power and the use of that power to accomplish astonishing deeds. Nothing is wrong with enjoying that in the game.”. For some mystifying reason, this was all left out of the 5th edition book.

SuperGeekMike has a fantastic video going over the different player types indicated in the 4e DMG, and Matt Colville has a similar video that has nothing to do with 4e. Of course, these player types are not prescriptive or exclusive; every player will be a mix of player types.

On the other hand, there’s a significant contingent of people convinced that optimisers “can’t roleplay”, or “don’t care about story”. This is strange to me, because it implies that player types don’t mix. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone that thinks an actor (enjoys roleplaying their character’s motivations and actions) can’t also be a storyteller (enjoys experiencing the overarching plot of a campaign).

I’d identify most strongly as an optimiser, but I never shy away from acting, and I’m often deeply invested in the plot of a campaign. Let me walk you through my character creation process to illustrate my point.

I like to start with a thing I like to do. That’s often “tanking” - protecting my allies - or control - manipulating the battlefield in favour of my allies - or support - ensuring my allies are operating at 110%. I then build my character - making decisions that enhance my character’s ability to do that thing. I let the rules guide my inspiration: if it turns out that Loxodon is the best species for me, I’ll use that to inform my roleplaying. Instead of choosing spells based on what looks cool, and then being disappointed when they don’t do what I was expecting, I do some research into what each spell does, take the spell that best allows me to fulfil my role, and then think: “What type of character would use this spell?”. I find stitching together a number of seemingly disparate ideas into a complete character concept fulfilling, and often find my characters to be just as deep and consistent as anyone else at my table.

At the end of the day, D&D is a game about killing monsters. Most of the content in the rulebooks pertains to combat. If you find yourself frustrated with the crunchy nature of D&D, perhaps it’s time to take a look at some other systems. Every few months, my DM’s husband runs a session of Blades in the Dark for us - a fantastic TTRPG system focused more on roleplaying and narrative that’s very different from D&D.

So maybe give it a try?