I think sometimes people conflate 'specialist' with 'distinctive.'

I'm all for characters being distinctive and standing out in some way. I just don't think games are well-served by rigid spotlight elements, like 'oh, a social scene? Ok, Bob and Jane are useless. They'll just watch us do this bit while drinking heavily.'

Quote from: Will;816170I think sometimes people conflate 'specialist' with 'distinctive.'

I'm all for characters being distinctive and standing out in some way. I just don't think games are well-served by rigid spotlight elements, like 'oh, a social scene? Ok, Bob and Jane are useless. They'll just watch us do this bit while drinking heavily.'

Do your players actually say that and do that?

Mine never have. Usually it takes effort by the sensible PCs (if there even are any in the party) to get the "useless" PCs to keep quiet or stay in the background. Some of our more entertaining scenes have arisen because of PCs talking when they should maybe be silent. And sometimes the unsettling, lumbering, scary looking giant who should stay quietly in the background and try not to knock over the crystal punch bowl by mistake manages to pull off looking friendly and helpful and, despite the odds, he makes a new friend. Norbert the Giant's player really loves when that happens. Despite looking unfriendly and kind of scary, Norbert is probably the nicest of the PCs and he wants people to like him. So Norbert loves when that happens and he keeps trying.

Just to be clear, Bren, I have no intention to discussing anything with you, ever.

Quote from: Bren;816175Usually it takes effort by the sensible PCs (if there even are any in the party) to get the "useless" PCs to keep quiet or stay in the background. Some of our more entertaining scenes have arisen because of PCs talking when they should maybe be silent.

Agreed.

And even if they are sensible, sometimes less socially skilled PCs can't avoid social situations. Just as enemies don't always only attack the fighter, sometimes social contacts deliberately go to talk to a character who is not a skilled liar (for example).

Quote from: jhkim;816177Agreed.

And even if they are sensible, sometimes less socially skilled PCs can't avoid social situations. Just as enemies don't always only attack the fighter, sometimes social contacts deliberately go to talk to a character who is not a skilled liar (for example).

Yep. If the players are OK with their characters not winning at everything or even failing now and again, then specialization works fine. Always assuming of course that the GM isn't being an adversarial ass who takes every opportunity to hammer the PCs into the dirt for any result that isn't a total PC success.