[FR/EN] GAME BALANCING RPG

For this workshop, we had a choice of 8 character classes, based on the simple archetypes generally found in JRPGs. A roll determined which classes we would have to balance, and I inherited the following classes: Barbarian, and Monk.

Each class duo had to be balanced internally, and then had to compete against two other classes balanced differently, by another designer.

Each of us had to balance the classes in our own way, without revealing our process to others, with the aim of creating a deliberately unbalanced character.

We then had to "fight" our balanced classes against each other (2v2 ), and determine where the balancing needed to be reviewed and adapted.

Having created and played campaigns for the Advanced Dongeons and Dragons board game for many years, I chose to use this base of numerical statistics for my characters (with the constraints that we had to follow).

Initially, not knowing how the other classes would be balanced, I chose to arbitrarily assign values to the various characteristics available as well as spells consistent with the class.

This blind balancing revealed two particular points:

• Every designer has a different notion of what balancing should be. Some classes were deliberately overpowered, while others were completely underpowered. This underlined the importance of common balancing, taking into account a global vision and removing this "blind" side of the approach.

• A strong background in JDRs clearly helped me to establish a solid balance from the outset. Not too strong, not too weak. The changes I made during subsequent iterations reinforced this aspect, and the vision of other designers helped me understand where my characters could be improved.

For a full analysis (in French), download the design document here :

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