reverancepavane | this too shall pass

Change.

Change is important in role-playing games. Both change in the characters and the universe. It's what drives a fulfilling story. And an important part of change, especially in RPGs, is the reversal of circumstance. For example, if a gamemaster introduces an escape-proof prison then they are almost guaranteeing that the players will be escaping from it or rescuing someone from it, negating the nature of the prison. Think of how unfulfilling the story would be if the prison really was escape-proof. "Nope. It's no use. Let's get a beer."

But this technique also applies to characters as well. If a player has a powerful character then they are just asking to be humbled, to be brought down low, to be inconvenienced. That's where the good story is. [Of course, they can then get to change their status again, and regain their power. That too is change, and excellent storytelling.] It's when a player is unwilling to relinquish their power that they start to disengage with the game. The objective of the game changes from "continuing play" to "winning."

And how exactly do you win a role-playing game?