Outcomes as Plot Devices

[Paganini]

I just read Raven's thread on cinematic results where failure results in a success plus a complication. I agree that *always* succeeding removes real tension from the game. No matter how big the T-Rex is that shows up after you fail the "find hole in fence" roll, you always know that your "escape from T-Rex by falling down steep embankment" roll will get you away from him, even if it fails and a Horde of Velociraptors shows up.

I think the real point is that the result of any situation should serve the plot[1], regardless of whether or not the roll is a failure. The failure of a "find hole in fence" roll doesn't neccesarily mean that the character didn't find a hole in the fence, but it *could* mean that. The important point here is that results should always be interesting, regardless of whether or not they succeed or fail. A failed roll of the dice can mean many things, including a literal interperetation. Often, however, there are many more interesting ways of handling outcomes than such a strict literal interperetation.

[1] Plot as in series of game scenes or events, rather than GM predetermined railroad track.