[RPG] As a GM, how can avoid pitfalls common to Generic Point Build Systems

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I'm well aware that point-buy systems (HERO System, GURPS, Mutants & Masterminds, Wild Talents) tend to have a set of common pitfalls associated with them. Players will usually choose Combat abilities over Non-Combat while those that don't will be under-powered outside of combat. There's generally a few viable builds, and the rest are inefficient compared to them. Characters built using these systems can easily be built entirely as combat monsters without any attention given to non-combat at all. My question is this: How do I, as a GM, avoid the pitfalls common in these systems when running them?

Houserule and other technique suggestions are welcome.

Best Answer

Communicate.

Let the players know what kind of campaign you're running. How relevant is combat? Will there be social encounters at all? Will they be frequent?

Even better, listen to the players to find out what kind of game they would like to play. They want a game of brutal dungeons and challenging combat to gain ever more powerful items? Then they better build their characters as combat monsters because you will be throwing the full Monster Manual at them.

Both you and the players need to know what game you want to be playing. Point-buy is a way to tailor a character to a specific type of play, and everybody should know what the type of play they're tailoring their characters for. The team may even want to tailor the characters such that there is a specialist for every type of encounter - in that case you just have to make sure that there are opportunities for everybody to shine.

In short: as a GM, make sure everybody will have fun, and the best way to achieve this is to play to the audience, with the occasional curveball thrown in.

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