I've been thinking a lot about game balance lately and written about this in a couple of other posts with regard to CraftWork.
Overall, I don't worry too much about balance. Could CraftWork be unbalanced? From one perspective, yes. Did I extensively play test every single possible option? No. Do I think it matters that I didn't? No.
These answers may seem kind of flippant, but they are deliberate. It is impossible to balance a role-playing game. There are just too many variables once you get to the table, which is key. You can balance things in the book, but once you get to actual play, that teeter totter starts to tilt one way and then the other, eventually crashing to the ground.
The players, including the DM, will certainly strive for balance. The characters are going to be looking to achieve a goal and will do just about anything to get to that point, tilting things in their direction. The DM is looking for challenge, for an appropriate mix of risk and reward, and will be posing questions for the players, which will shift over time in a wide variety of ways.
Like with most things, balance happens at the table.
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