Professions and Balance

[Nikoli]

Hi Guys,

I’ve recently become interested in Renaissance Deluxe and C&C, however despite being almost perfect it looks like - maybe similar to 1st edition WFRP - that the professions are not balanced in terms of awarded percentiles. Is this the case? Has anyone managed to balance them?

I loved 1st edition WFRP, but I also don’t want people being short-changed because they want to be a certain concept and yet the system rewards X and not Y. I know, of course, that reality is like that. But in a game, it seems to me, it’s good to give everyone an equal footing - especially when the game has social standing. If there was a random roll for career, it might work, but even then it would be nice to balance professions so that people can choose a concept without being mechanically limited relative to another concept. I like the idea of every profession having value and so representing that in the game mechanically, too.

Any thoughts or tips?

Thanks!

N.

[1d8+DB]

Perhaps this is an issue  that should be addressed  by how the GM runs the campaign and encounters; if you have a noble among some peasants, make sure  to have a good part of the game take place out in a  desolate rural region, where the noble  would be completely helpless and dependent upon  the peasants for  his/her every need.

The idea being that every character gets, at least at one point, a stage  suited to their profession/career to 'strut their stuff'.

Otherwise I guess  you could handle out extra 'Free Points' to players who take 'Disadvantaged' professions/careers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nikoli]

Thanks.
 

Yes, I’d aim to do that anyway. (Within reason. I wouldn’t expect a noble to be entirely helpless in a rural setting due to familiarity with landed estates, game, etc.) Though I’d be interested in a way to balance. But since the careers seem haphazardly pointed, it looks like the only way to do so would be to give out a standard amount of points to all careers and use the current listing as ‘skills you can choose from, coupled with maximum values’. So if a career has +20 in X, one can choose to put up to 20 points there. Advanced skills might cost 10 points to buy the base level. Maybe 100 points would suffice.

It’s just unfortunate that the careers are so variable, as it also makes creating new ones an issue. I’m surprised the game recapitulates a well-known wfrp 1e issue. A standard approach, as with CoC, seems more useful.

It’s maybe not an issue for most, though it doesn’t sit well with me. I was curious if others house ruled it. 

N.