Quote Originally Posted by Pex View Post
Doesn't matter if it's D&D or not. You participate in the game. You don't do nothing while everyone else engages what's happening. You don't do nothing when there is a combat.
While I mostly agree, and feel that "combat" is great in an RPG because it's an opportunity for everyone to participate... even so, this is *slightly* table dependent. Like, even in D&D, if the Face gets a lot of spotlight during the talky bits, it's fine for them to mostly fade into the background in combat (at least at some tables).

Of course, depending on the table and the coward, "cowardice" might cause one to fade into or grab the spotlight, depending.

But, yes, my own preference is for everyone to participate in combat, even if that participation isn't even. But the contribution should generally[1] be *positive*.

[1] I say "generally" because, sometimes, everyone has a bad day. The Wizard's Fireball gets swatted out of the air, and detonates on the party; the Soldier's grenade gets swatted out of the air and detonates on the party; the Assassin's poison vial breaks, and poisons the party; the Priest's deity orders the Priest to engage in PvP against the party, and the players smack the GM with a clue-by-four; etc. Anyone can be a detriment sometimes; but generally, their contribution should be positive - at least, at my tables.