Let's Get Real - the DM's responsibility is balance

[OldTrees1]

Look folks, no one is saying that publishers are excused from poor game design.

But I think we all recognize that it is literally impossible to account for every combination of player personalities and character choices, and that the DM has always been responsible for polishing off the rough edges. Heck, some of people in this thread have long lists of interesting homebrew rules which they are justifiably proud of. That's good DM-ing!

What if it takes more than polishing? You mentioned you were tired of certain threads

TBH, I'm tired of seeing thread that say "such and such class is boring or unbalanced." Usually (but not always) it's aimed at martial classes, whose primary benefits are combat.

However these threads are rarely talking about polishing. They are generally talking about systemic problems. Those are the kind of problems that cause the GM to have to rewrite a system rather than polish the edges on a system they bought. That prompts the players (including the GM) to criticize the publishers for the poor game design.

I believe that the DM should give everyone the chance to be engaged in all forms of play, even though they aren't optimized. Sometimes the players - especially when they are good roleplayers - will seize on the opportunity to do something outrageous and memorable just because its fun.

Sure, but please expect the players (including the DM) to criticize the publishers for systemic problems. The DM bought the game so they would not have to write the system themselves. So if something needs more than polishing (5E skill system discouraging participation in the social pillar for example) then perhaps threads voicing that criticism are acceptable and expected?


In summary, I hear you are not trying to excuse publishers, but it does sound like you are tired of criticism of the publishers. That might be a communication issue. Maybe it only sounds like you are casting your net that wide.