# Give Them a Nuke tags: #thoughts I was reminded of one of the guidestones of RPG design that I always felt compelling, but is at odds with a lot of traditional mainstream RPG play: *["Give them a nuke, keys and all, and see what they do with it."](https://www.reddit.com/r/bladesinthedark/comments/1pbsl80/comment/nrt5c7i/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)* I have never, in my decades of play, ever had a problem with that. The idea that game balance demands keeping the PCs powerless completely missed me from day zero. This probably explains a lot of my personal preference in play. I like science fiction, which tends to have extremely well-empowered individuals with the capability of moving from place to place rapidly, significant individual power and knowledge which is not particularly limited. They often start the day with a nuke (in the form of an interstellar drive), and things just go up from there. A game where the PCs are literal gods (like *[[Nobilis]]*)? Sure, let's go. Absolutely, I don't have a problem rolling with that. They may have great and broad control over pivotal aspects of the cosmos as a whole. That is not going to keep them from getting into trouble, nor is it going to make them immune to discomfort or concern. I think this is part of my problem with traditionally architected fantasy RPGs. The players are assumed to start with characters who have no ability to affect the world in any meaningful way, and thus it really doesn't matter what happens to them. I don't want to play in a level zero high lethality funnel because it's impossible for me to care about what happens during the game at that point. Just drop me into the game with a level 20 character and let's have some fun. The things you think about when you're reading other things. (This largely came about while surfing my feeds, and people were talking about the low-prep nature of *[[Blades in the Dark]]* and how it's perfectly okay to let the players have powerful things, thus getting themselves into trouble, and thinking about *[[Elder Mythos]]* and the idea of being one of the hideous Outer Gods intruding into sane space. Plus my love of giant robot games, wargames, and other things in which one finds oneself in ridiculously powerful positions, precariously placed.)