Quote Originally Posted by Kaelik View Post
"Winning the game" doesn't mean ending it. Powergamers have powerful characters. How does that end the game. That means they can start with a powerful level 1, and slowly become more powerful until they reach level 20 (or epic.) Rolepayers on the other hand die at level 6, or complain because high levels are too powerful, and so instead end the game at level 12.

This posts contains exactly the same amount of misrepresentation as yours.
I'm not saying that they WILL win the game, I'm saying that powergamers play towards the goal of 'winning' the game.

Roleplayers play the game with the goal of playing the game.

The problem becomes this:
Powergamer optimizes and becomes very good at something... we'll say fighting...
Powergamer character wants to shine so he drags everyone into fights
Powergamer gets bored because he is beating the adversaries so easy and is not getting enough loot
GM relents and sends group on tougher challenges
Rest of party either has to power game to keep up or gets killed.

Now if it is the reverse situation, where the roleplayer is the odd man out, then they will usually either bow out and leave the party or take it as a roleplaying challenge and start an inn or act as the faceman for the party or something along those lines.

Powergaming causes escalation and an arms race. That may have more to do with a Power GM that insists on challenging the strongest party member and ignoring the fact that the rest of the team would get crushed without him.

Frankly, the group is better off if they bemoan how hard things are and how they are always broke, when they are actually in pretty good shape rather than brag about it and challenge the GM to test them. That even works in character. If a town hires you to stop goblins from attacking the town, bemoan how difficult it will be and how expensive supplies and healing will be to accomplish the task... That way you'll look all the more impressive when you get it done... and you can ask for more money. If you're all like "Pfft! Goblins... I wipe out an army in my sleep!" The town is just going to point you at them and say "Have at it!"