Multi-player in Games (part 3)

Another problem I saw that encouraged hero-centric characters was the steady accumulation of “hit points” in popular RPG's. The more hitpoints you had, the tougher you were for enemies to defeat. Hit point growth awarded the ego—I can't count how many times I heard players laugh at the GM (game master), saying something like, “It only did 50 hitpoints damage? Ha! I still have 500 more, this fight is easy!” Often, this would be taken as a challenge by the GM, and rather than continue his role as someone who created a story and provided balanced challenges for the players, he felt tempted to smack down the arrogant player with a foe that dealt enough damage to humble him. The player would then respond by trying to buff up and design his character to be more resilient, to further confound/irritate the GM. This back-and-forth competition is rarely a formula for a good time, and certainly departs from what really makes an RPG fun: the journey of a group through challenging circumstances to craft a unique and memorable story.