Oh by "1v1" I mean vs. another creature or obstacle. Not necessarily PvP. It could be vs. NPCs, Monsters, Robots, Traps, Environment Hazards, etc.
1v1 is when you're in a competition or conflict with someone or something rather than just doing something to do it (build a car, dance in the studio, make finger puppets).

I like to focus on story as well, but it's frustrating to share a spotlight with someone who has ALL the superpowers ever and any time you try to do something they can always get to it first. Superman-like characters and Wizard-characters often steal the spotlight from other players in freeform because they can do anything and everything that everyone else can do...only better.

This leads to a lot of godmoding and glory-hogging as well as player jealousy. I hate that. So I use the coin flip to give other players a chance to shine. Where the wizard and superman always have a tool appropriate for the situation, they will never be as powerful at any one field.

Take some superheroes for example:

Iceman, Human Torch and Dr. Strange (a wizard character) are teamates. They are fighting a fire elemental. Iceman has an obvious advantage so anything he does to harm the creature is considered an automatic success. Human torch is at a disadvantage so he has to flip 2 coins and take the worst result. Dr. Strange is a wizard and never had advantages or disadvantages in any scenario and always just flips a coin to determine success.

Reverse the scenario where they fight an ice elemental. Now iceman has the disadvantage (2 coin flips, take the worst) and Torch has the advantage (autosuccess). The wizard has no special benefits so continues to flip 1 coin.

Now take an average scenario where they fight an earth elemental. Nobody has special advantages so they all flip 1 coin for each successful maneuver or ploy.

You can apply this to noncombat scenarios as well. Torch and Iceman both like to joke around and be goofy they have a set-in-stone personality type. Dr. Strange has chosen to be stern and enigmatic. So Torch and Iceman have the "advantage" in party situations or when talking to kids while Strange has a disadvantage. However, when speaking with Professor Xavier or another stern serious type these advantages and disadvantages are reversed.

Just stuff like that. It's not complicated and merely judging someone's powers as "advantageous" to the circumstances or "disadvantageous" or "neither" is pretty easy and only takes the most basic of common sense (or a GM ruling).
This message was last edited by the player at 22:05, Sun 27 May 2012.

Yes, if you set up the game so everyone shines sometimes, it works much better.

ah...

In all my freeforming, I've been allowed three 'powers' and I always go for the fire-element, as I'm a sucker for fire and fire added to explosives... Basically a walking torch...

But I game vampires (Not the glitering bitches kind) or fey (unseelie, as I like my soul as dark as my sis' coffee I don't drink coffee...)

I used to do Harry Potter, but I couldn't deal with the angst, so I keep to nonhuman nowadays...

Superhero, high fantasy, scifi or vampires, it helps if the GM is careful to keep scenarios diverse so that each player with their own unique array of powers and skills and even personality quirks has their turn in the spotlight.

It also helps to spot godmoders when you set up a scenario where they'd normally be weaker and they do not roleplay it (such as a water monster attacking the pyromancer and the player just continues to 'kill it with fire' ignoring the fact that it's made of water).

I was in a game with a godmoder once

It was annoying to always read his/her posts telling me, how I reacted and what I did, when I wasn't even online, he/she just decided I was this or that, which lead to me hating that game

and the GM did nothing to stop the power-hungry knat, I was so disappointed

Yeah, it's not fun because godmoders aren't actually participating with anyone. They're just talking about themselves rather than interacting. Ruins it for everyone. Games with rules help to stop that but then you get the opposite problem: a rules lawyer. It's difficult to walk the path between the two nuisances. It's always best to just have a good GM.

It's even worse when the godmoder is a player and YOU'RE the GM.  *grins*
I have one of those in a game with me now.

But I always try to defer to others, to let them react in their own way.

I'm usually the GM as well, but I'm pretty harsh. I don't hesitate to call a player out when they're doing something wrong and enforce a punishment or just outright kick them out of the game. :/

I try to keep a tight rein on players, if I can.

Wait.  Hold on a second.

Where did this thread come from?  How did it sneak up on me?

Where were you hiding Arkrim?  I thought that I checked every ones pockets...

We had a special pocket made.

It was a Handy Haversack...in a Bag of Holding...with a Portable Hole. :D

hidden in a tardis

ah yesh, he sneaketh

Then we have the ENTIRE Astral Plane to play in!    Yay!!!!

Have some Narnia...

Yes.  They have the tastiest lions....

Have you tried the snow cones? Tastes just like turkish delight and crazy b*tch!

As long as the crazy b*tch is non-fattening, I'm cool.

And if you can keep the goat-guy hairs out of it.

Crazy b*tch will actually cause you to lose calories the more of it you have. Usually by having random body parts hacked off, calories and all. :D

*grins*  Yes, I could date that crazy b*tch, but she cost me an arm and a leg.

LOL we've all been there before friend. :P

But you know, Narnia might actually make a fun campaign setting. As long as you toned down the dependency on big-god-like-lion to come to the rescue and maybe amplified the number of goons that want to kill you vs. the number of friendly talking animals that want to help. :P

Yes, it would be like most book and movie worlds.  As long as you tone down the major bad guy, you should be able to flesh things out a bit.

There must be lots of good plots involved with the world.

I read all those b*tch... as butch

It seemed wrong somehow...

Then I realized, I'm an idiot

Nah, just suffering from some minor confusion. Nothing a little remove confusion spell won't fix. :P

you threw a confusion spell on me!!!!!?????!?!!!!