Not a fan of him but he just said there was nothing wrong with powergaming, kinda hard to disagree with that but you need +80 iq to separate the message from the messenger so I can understand why it’s difficult for some.
There is something wrong with power gaming. It encourages super niche builds where as, Josh says himself, he created some +12 initiative guy who specifically was from some dumb island or whatever. Or in Pillars, characters with Noble backgrounds where no nobility lives. Pillars is all about working backwards, fitting what is mechanically optimal to the race/background that creates that character. And it lead to dumb end results where the CYOA modules, the simulations of puttering around in the real world, don't line up with the stats that result in mechanically superior combat mechanics.
But Josh loves that quirky crap. He likes the kind of no fun allowed where his buddy wanted a charisma based fighter, and he discouraged him because it wasn't effective mechanically as the face of the party or in combat. Which when you think about it, most fighters/soldiers historically are extremely well-served by higher charisma. They're put into leadership positions, everyone likes them more, they're more likely to survive by having more buddies, etc. Mercenary captains and leaders of soldiers have always needed to be at least a little charismatic.
He does make good points about the motivation behind optimization. You do it because you don't know how hard the game is going to be, and you want your character to remain useful until the end. I never want to create some limp-wristed noodle who gets outpaced by party companions. That's lame. I want to create a character who would logically and realistically be the guy who leads a party to consistent glory.
