Actions resolved through single or mutliple dice.

[MJGraham]

Do you prefer systems which require rolling mutiple dice to resolve actions or ones that use a single dice roll, e.g would you rather play a game that required rolling 3d6 or one that required rolling 1d20?

I prefer multiple dice as it makes exceptional results... well exceptional. In a system which uses single dice to resolve actions there's a much chance of getting a terrible result, an average result, or an outstanding result. Multiple dice take care of this problem.

I've noticed that some systems that use single dice for resolving actions either get around this ignoring degrees of success - you either succeed or you don't. Or the degree of success is resolved through a secondary roll. A typical example being roll to hit and then roll to damage.

[Tommi Brander]

In your experience, do the exceptional results given by dice often happen when it would be dramatic/entertaining for them to happen ?
Personally, I find it more reliable to have some sort of metagame currency involved here.


Could you give an actual play example or few, where the critical successes or failures happened at particularly appropriate or inappropriate moments?

[MJGraham]

It's difficult to speak about my own experiences without them becoming distorted by my considerably imperfect memory. As far as I'm aware, and all things being equal, mundane events yield extraordinary results in equal measure to dramatic/entertaining encounters. However during a gaming session the amount of mundane vs dramatic/entertaining events is rarely equal and that may effect the chances of extraordinary result occurring during an dramatic/entertaining event, e.g. given five mundane events versus one dramatic/entertaining event its not surprising that the most extraordinary results occur within one or more of the mundane events. 

As for specific examples of appropriate/inappropriate moments for critical success of failures... I believe that if your relying solely on dice for the outcome there is no appropriate/inappropriate moment for them. To my way of thinking appropriate/inappropriate critical successes or failures belong in systems which determine success or failure not by rolling dice but by other means, e.g. purchasing success through spending points.

Moreover appropriate/innappropriate moments feels to subjective and too arbitrary for my liking. My own concern with single dice versus multiple dice isn't whether the critical successes or failures happen at the right time and for the most dramatic/entertaining outcome, but that extraordinary results should be less frequent than average results.

Consider the D20 system... If while playing the system I have to check a particular skill, I'm required to roll a D20. I know that no matter what else may happen I have the same chance of rolling a one as I do as seven or a twenty. However, if I were to replace the required D20 roll for 3d6 all the numbers I can roll do not have an equal chance of occurring (most will fall in the range of nine to eleven and very few will ever be as high as eighteen or as low as three).

I am of the opinion that way events are resolved should strongly reflect the kind of game being played. (Which is one of the reason I'm against generic systems). Take the way that combat is resolved, some games place an emphasis multiple tests (roll to hit, roll for location, roll to wound, roll for critical, roll damage reduction, and so on) other will use a few tests as possible. My preference is for the latter, not because I necessarily believe it to be superior, but because I prefer the emphasis it places on speed. But whatever I prefer, I know that I wouldn't be comfortable playing a dice based game where the chances of critical success or failure depends on someones arbitrary decision. Players shouldn't have to second guess whether there chances of a critical success or failure is different from one moment to the next or at least they should have access to some set of rules regulating what qualifies as an appropriate moment for critical success or failures. This doesn't mean I'm against all arbitrary decisions. Only that as far as dice rolling goes, I believe its best to keep it down to a minimum or remove the dice altogether.

[Ron Edwards]

Hi there,

This thread needs to be rooted in an account of actual play experience, or it cannot continue.

Memory or not, please describe some situation in which you really played - the real people, the real events, the game system being used, who did what, what happened with and to the characters, the whole thing.

Without that, it is absolutely impossible for a constructive discussion to occur. If you'd really like to discuss dice mechanics, then starting with an account of actual play is the way to do it.

Best, Ron

[MJGraham]

Please lock this thread and accept my apology for misunderstanding the nature of how this forum works.