I think the foundation of my argument is that while I agree that choices should have consequences, if the game truly wants to support an individual's visions for their character concept, then reasonable choices need to be balanced. This doesn't mean they must be equal, and some choices should offer a benefit in one area while having a drawback in another. Choices which have only benefits become the default standard and anyone not using those choices is considered 'suboptimal' or even 'underpowered'.
As an example:
Say you want to play a character who specializes in tripping his opponents. You generally have 2 options in the game:
Option 1) Use a weapon that is traditionally known for tripping foes (whips, flails, staves, spiked chains)
Option 2) Use a shield (I'm sorry if it appears I am targeting anyone's character, I'm not it's just a good apples to apples comparison in my opinion)
Option 1: The traditional build would take Weapon Training in one of the listed weapons, learn the Maneuver "Trip Foe", and continue to benefit from their Weapon Tricks. The "Trip Foe" maneuver costs +2 (1) speed, is Advanced (so can never be combined), and does no weapon damage. In addition, three of the weapons this is most closely associated with (whip, steel whip, and spike chain) are saddled with arguably several very poor Weapon Tricks (Bypass the Shield and Rapid Strike namely). Finally, one of the weapons is the single most expensive weapon in the game (steel whip) and has no compensating benefit.
Option 2: The shield build requires only Weapon Training (or Armor Training) in Shield and to use the Tier 1 (or 3) Weapon Trick Shield Slam. It's a speed +0 (4), Base (so can be combined with many multi-target maneuvers), does weapon damage, and also pushes the opponent's clock. The shield also has defensive abilities (though not usable when attacking) and some great weapon tricks (Assuming that Shield Defense works like Total Defense where the Recovery starts when you decide to act next).
So if you want the more traditional option with the less than common weapons, you are left with many suboptimal choices which can combine to be very bad. Or you can choose the obviously optimized solution. In my opinion, for things to be balanced and for the choices to be based upon how you see your character, Option 1 should have some other benefits to it to compensate for the distinct lack of comparable effectiveness.
This is just one example. Another is that of ranged weapons. If you want to play a ranged character, Bow (or sling) are your only viable options. While the bow has traditionally required more training, in the game, it's just as easy to learn one as the other. For the choice to be based upon character concept, crossbows and flintlocks should be comparable, even if their strengths/weaknesses are different. However, bows have only strengths over the other two.
- Cost less
- Are much faster to shoot/reload
- Have greater range
- Have one of the best weapon tricks in the game (darken the sky)
- Remove reload all together with 1 Talent
Well I think that's good enough for now
I look forward to more discussion.
John