Don't roll the dice unless failure would have a unique and interesting result!
This includes dice rolls made by the players. The basic reasoning behind this is simple: the dice are there to help you add an element of chance to the game. They don't need to be a crutch for game-running, decision making, or keeping players engaged.
Rolling dice too often can hurt your game in a number of ways:
- It slows down the action.
- It devalues the impact of the dice results on your game.
- It places the core of your game on randomness instead of strategy.
- It adds the potential for failure in cases that may pointlessly disrupt the game.
Automatic Successes and Failures
There are times when a dice roll may be required, but there are also times when automatic success or failure is the most logical choice.
Success should always be automatic when the result is either immaterial or crucial to the progress of the campaign. Sometimes a roll may be made to determine how quickly you find the vital clue that leads you to the next chapter, but it should never incorporate the possibility of not finding the clue at all. Each roll should have a distinct purpose, so rolling five times to find the clue is likely to leave your group bored and frustrated. Many systems use the "take 10" or "take 20" system to avoid this problem (In which you can choose to spend some extra time on certain tasks and automatically complete the task as if you rolled a 10 or a 20.)
Automatic failure is a trickier matter, and should be implemented carefully. You'll want to use it more sparingly to avoid undue frustration and dead-ends for your players, but it still has its own appropriate time and place. It could be an instance of an obvious goofball move like grappling with an intangible ghost, or simply a contingency the DM has planned for, like a failsafe alarm if the heroes shut down a security system, but some things just can't be avoided. Don't roll dice if the task is impossible, just break the news to the group right then and there.
Being Prepared For Success or Failure
In any case, the roll of the dice should always be associated with two or more results, not a foregone conclusion. Dice rolling, especially rolling in the open, is the one way that action is allowed to take place out of the hands of player and DM, so it should generally be unnecessary to undermine it by vetoing the result. Try to have an idea of the possible outcomes in mind before you call for a roll, not after you realize that a failed spot check has derailed your game. (Same goes for unlikely successes.)
Also keep in mind that failure is not a bad thing! It is necessary for the suspense and challenge of a game campaign. Failure should open up new possibilities for a player just as often as closing them. Dropping to the floor at an enemy's blow, for example, leads in to a chance to roll out of the way of their next attack! And finally, keeping up a brief but evocative narrative of the action, whether provided by the player or DM, will help to keep things from becoming a slog. When the ranger casts out her grappling hook and fails a roll, it doesn't just end with "you fail." She sees the hook pull taught against the ledge, and it pulls loose a rocky outcropping and falls free, dropping a stone on the head of an angry troll beneath that snarls a vicious threat. The overall aim of all this is to subconsciously convince your players that failure isn't the end, but the source of conflict and drama from which enjoyment is derived. The player should ideally be able to find enjoyment in the unfolding action and gameplay, regardless of a streak of bad luck. The average dice results should not dictate whether or not a player has fun.
Having Fun With Dice and Without Them
But why is it that players and DMs tend to roll dice excessively instead of leaving them for when they are needed? One of the main reasons for this is because it gives the player a sense of active participation in the action, more so than the abstract description of their character's actions. Being able to do something with your hands and crunch the numbers of a roll is stimulating and attention grabbing, whether it is relevant or not. Additionally, some pragmatic players prefer tossing the bones to detailed role playing or storytelling and it is their way of amusing themselves to pass the time.
Rather than punishing the players for this habit, which wastes time and possibly disrupts the campaign (A character who keeps making dexterity rolls and falling over their own feet, for instance) Your group should remember to include alternative methods to provide the same feeling of interactivity. Miniatures and maps are a start, kept within reach of the players so that they can move their avatar around to represent their actions. Tokens like FATE's fate points or Savage World's bennies provide an in-game economy built around player actions that can keep things moving along. Some players might also find taking notes or modifying character sheets a useful way to track progress and stay engaged with the game. Whatever makes your players feel involved is great!
The players are of course always free to have fun rolling dice whenever they please as long as it is not disruptive. There's never anything wrong with a joke roll to determine a character's current desert cravings or feelings about jazz music. But if it comes down to rolls called by the DM, dice being used to affect the outcome or continuity of the campaign, be concentious, be prepared for any result, and make it count!
To be continued...
Also keep in mind that failure is not a bad thing! It is necessary for the suspense and challenge of a game campaign. Failure should open up new possibilities for a player just as often as closing them. Dropping to the floor at an enemy's blow, for example, leads in to a chance to roll out of the way of their next attack! And finally, keeping up a brief but evocative narrative of the action, whether provided by the player or DM, will help to keep things from becoming a slog. When the ranger casts out her grappling hook and fails a roll, it doesn't just end with "you fail." She sees the hook pull taught against the ledge, and it pulls loose a rocky outcropping and falls free, dropping a stone on the head of an angry troll beneath that snarls a vicious threat. The overall aim of all this is to subconsciously convince your players that failure isn't the end, but the source of conflict and drama from which enjoyment is derived. The player should ideally be able to find enjoyment in the unfolding action and gameplay, regardless of a streak of bad luck. The average dice results should not dictate whether or not a player has fun.
Having Fun With Dice and Without Them
But why is it that players and DMs tend to roll dice excessively instead of leaving them for when they are needed? One of the main reasons for this is because it gives the player a sense of active participation in the action, more so than the abstract description of their character's actions. Being able to do something with your hands and crunch the numbers of a roll is stimulating and attention grabbing, whether it is relevant or not. Additionally, some pragmatic players prefer tossing the bones to detailed role playing or storytelling and it is their way of amusing themselves to pass the time.
Rather than punishing the players for this habit, which wastes time and possibly disrupts the campaign (A character who keeps making dexterity rolls and falling over their own feet, for instance) Your group should remember to include alternative methods to provide the same feeling of interactivity. Miniatures and maps are a start, kept within reach of the players so that they can move their avatar around to represent their actions. Tokens like FATE's fate points or Savage World's bennies provide an in-game economy built around player actions that can keep things moving along. Some players might also find taking notes or modifying character sheets a useful way to track progress and stay engaged with the game. Whatever makes your players feel involved is great!
The players are of course always free to have fun rolling dice whenever they please as long as it is not disruptive. There's never anything wrong with a joke roll to determine a character's current desert cravings or feelings about jazz music. But if it comes down to rolls called by the DM, dice being used to affect the outcome or continuity of the campaign, be concentious, be prepared for any result, and make it count!
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment