Hi!
I have always found these types of discussions to be fascinating. The very concept of munchkining in an Open Legend game seems self defeating. The rules were created to allow for options, so you could play the type of character you wanted, without the need for hunting into splat books for a race that matches your idea, or a class that is actually flavorful and mechanically like your character head-canon, as you are forced to in some other games.
From the Introduction to Open Legend “What Defines Open legend”:
“Open Legend is a game designed for players who want enough rules to make a game fair, but not so many that the rules interfere with the fun or imagination. Open Legend provides a way to make sure that the game is balanced while adjusting the story of character abilities on the fly. The rules should be robust, but their only value is in telling a story.”
I browse these forums looking for interesting topics, and keep seeing the same type of -here’s a couple dozen pages of rules I made so that people can/can’t be specifically told exactly what they should/shouldn’t can/can’t do.-
I’ve seen issues with dice explosions, Bane attacks not being as good, average roll # theory crafting, etc.
With regards to the idea that Bane Attacks are not as good because you could do the damage, I would offer that not all characters are into crushing faces. Maybe the character does some other cool stuff, or isn’t into overt violence. It is really cool that you can do a lot of damage, but what benefit are you adding to the game, to the story, to the world.
As a GM I am always more powerful than you, without fail, in every single instance when players and a GM sit down at a table, but I’m not attempting to make the most destructive NPC who can one-shot you.
So why are you?
To Players: I would challenge everyone who is breaking out their magnifying glasses, calculators, and munchkin theorycrafting blogs to instead attempt to create an interesting character, with campaign relevant quirks, cool back story, and multi-dimensional personality. That can actually be a challenge.
To the GMs: Those of you who are using OL to play a combat sim, just trying to throw big monsters at their parties, and are annoyed that the party could one shot it, I challenge you to instead come up with interesting ways to challenge your parties in other ways. How is the terrain? Perhaps some skill checks are required. Perhaps Obi-Wan has the high ground, and you shouldn’t try it anyway. Maybe the ability that the boss has can’t be learned from a jedi, and his power is not just physcial but rather he is the senate. Maybe there’s some important story reason that they can’t just jump on the backs of flying eagles and drop the mcguffin into a volcano.
People love to watch streams of GMs, are big fans of content creators with names that rhyme with Wrathew Wrercer, and that content is compelling because it is not just 4 people moving their PCs on a grid and comparing how big their dice rolls are.
According to Brian: “we designed Open Legend to focus on the fun rather than the homework”. I would like to challenge all of us to share the fun, awesome, cool, and different aspects of gaming that Open legend frees us to find.