minmaxer
English
Etymology
minmax (“blend of minimize and maximize”) + -er.
Noun
minmaxer (plural minmaxers)
- (role-playing games) A player who attempts to create an optimized character by minimizing unfavourable traits and maximizing favourable ones, typically by improving a single trait or ability to the exclusion of others.
- 1992 December 2, Sea Wasp [username], “Re: Question on why people play AD&D and all”, in rec.games.frp.dnd, Usenet:
- Point based systems have their problems. Some of us simply don't like them because, while D&D has its Munchkins, most of the PB-players we've encountered seem to be minmaxers whose greatest joy is wringing the very most out of their points. Forget ROLE playing.
- 1996 December 9, Harrigan, “Re: GURPS, sci-fi RPGing, and medical skills (was Re: Space-Rpg.)”, in rec.games.frp.misc, Usenet:
- One thing that annoys me is when someone posts a character or something, built, as minmaxers would say, 'inefficiently.'
- 2003 January 6, Timothy Little, “Re: Foolish Character Designers”, in rec.games.frp.gurps, Usenet:
- I agree that a minmaxer can usually make a character more suited to particular situations on less points than a player driven by a pre-existing concept, but for a well-designed system there will always be *some* way that their character is less effective.
- For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:minmaxer.
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Synonyms
- munchkin