by Tinker on Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:30 pm
Ok, this is not about the layout, but a general point, hopefully bringing a bit of discussion... Is there consensus about what should be a recommended race for each class? What I'm thinking, very roughly, is:
1. Races sections should be beefed up to include those strategies and perks that work with most/all classes right on the race pages. Arguably, one of the benefits of playing an Elf is that you can increase your mana pool, which in turn allows you to play almost any class as a spellcaster. Halflings allow you to pull Health Potions out of your... satchel, so they will be able to pull off health spiking better than any other race, and have certain other synergies as well (with some of the deities, items, etc.). This means that even if a race is not specifically mentioned for a class, you can put 2+2 together and just play the race that suits the intended playstyle. Like, I play Gnomes all the time, even on apparently non-synergistic classes, but by playing them in a certain way, I create the synergy that allows me to fully leverage Gnomes even on a Priest or whatnot. That doesn't mean, though, that I would recommend Gnomes with every class, even if I see a synergy somewhere; I would recommend Gnomes in general for their versatility and mana spike, and I would specifically recommend them with caster classes due to the mana spike synergizing well with i.e. increased mana pool, or other caster perks.
2. Classes sections should focus on the features of the class, and should mention recommended races in order to help players make the most of their experience playing that class. For this end, I would stick to listing specific synergies, as well as exceptionally powerful combinations, and maybe keep in "honorable mentions" for something that is spectacular, though not necessarily top-tier.
For example, if a class offers an Attack Bonus, I would mention Orc as a synergistic race because the Base Attack bonus synergizes well with the Attack bonus of the class. That does not mean that an Orc is not good with any other class - it just means that they synergize exceptionally well with the indicated class. I would be wary of going into great length about 2nd or 3rd degree synergies, because you can have a situation where a certain package (class+race+deity+prep) is awesome, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the class+race part of it is by nature sufficiently awesome.
I would also like to see a bit more balanced mentions of the synergies existing between Race-Deity and Class-Deity (for example, Humans synergize well with GG, in general, irrespective of class, due to his ability to boost Base Damage). I would also mention the non-intuitive (but sometimes useful) synergy between potion races and GG/Dracul at least as a "Honorable Mentions" type entry.
If a class would have to list too many races, we can just change it and say "any" for recommended, like the current Tinker entry has it.
thoughts?
"Thinker", just without the "ache".