Post #1179750

2026-04-14 17:57 UTC

Dumb question: In an RPG, is it actually better to have race impact stats? Or should race selection be more of a cosmetic thing? In my own game, I&#39;m finding it hard not to min/max setups because racial bonuses or perks are too advantageous to pass up. But this kind of defeats the point of getting to choose.

Replies (5)

@justdaveisfine@mastodon.gamedev.place 2026-04-14 18:01

(I know theoretically they should all be balanced in some grand way but let's safely assume my form of balancing is one play-tester going off of pure vibes)

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@britown@mastodon.gamedev.place 2026-04-14 18:01

@justdaveisfine@mastodon.gamedev.place in general with RPG's I find that it's the presence of 'clearly superior' options that eliminates choice, regardless of what offers them. the magic trick is presenting options that are individually beneficial for different strategies or in combination with other options, the balancing problem

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@RethinkJeff@mastodon.social 2026-04-14 18:03

@justdaveisfine@mastodon.gamedev.place I really like Kinds affecting stats, but it does mean you have to do the work to make those stats meaningful for everyone, see Pillars of Eternity. The discourse really wants you to have effectively flat stats though, so it's something to consider.

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@jeanv@mastodon.gamedev.place 2026-04-14 19:20

@justdaveisfine@mastodon.gamedev.place I think it's up to you, really. What makes race in RPGs different from hair color is that other games have set the expectation of it impacting stats. You don't need to follow that trend, but it could interfere with player expectations if you don't. If you do want it to be purely cosmetic, you have the option of moving those stat impacts to something like a "this is my background and this is what I'm good at!" system. What serves your intended player experience best? Go for that.

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@OwOday@social.seattle.wa.us 2026-05-24 23:45

@justdaveisfine@mastodon.gamedev.place i dont think its better personally, you can probably replace with traits probably and make race/species cosmetic, optionally size may behave differently in whatever you are making

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