Diceless resolution mechanic

[simon_hibbs]

???

I thought that by diceless, that you were actually looking for a "fortuneless" resoluton system.

What's wrong with dice? Assuming you're going to allow in fortune at all?

I suppose I got thinking about throwing in Plot Points as being a bit like throwing in chips in a poker game, and then thought, why not use cards, like in a poker game?

It's realy just a matter of what's the best way to preserve tension and suspense in conflict resolution. In less important contest you could just look at who's got the best skill, or stat. In medium-improtance contests you also take into acccount how many 'Fate Cards' cards each player threw in (a good time to dump your low cards), but in the most critical and suspenseful contests the values on the cards might be critical too.

It gives a nice sliding scale in terms of detail and tactical options in contest resolution.


Simon Hibbs

[Le Joueur]

Why not instead use positive reinforcement? Have no PP, but just give "bonus dice" to any role that follows genre (or whatever you're trying to incentivize). As in Sorcerer, for example, or a few other games that use such mechanics. This is very similar in effect, really, but psychologically it's much more potent, and has no down side. I see players forget their Plot Points all the time, or feel afraid to lose them, and thus refrain from using them. But if a GM gives out "Bonus Dice" with regularity, the players grab for them on every roll like they were crack cocaine. As then the question is only how many dice do I get.

That sounds quite like what we're intending for Scattershot's Genre Expectations Mechanix and the "Bonus Dice" are Experience Dice, which also function as the Persona Development resource and Plot Device Mechanix.  (Although we also leave open the 'refund idea' too, seeing that it might get used once in awhile.)

I hope another example is helpful.

Fang Langford

[RPGuru59]

I am designing a storytelling game called SAGE (Story Advanced Game Engine) that uses diceless combat resolution. I use a point based system, allowing the characters to give away points to get things resolved. Yet Resisted actions are of coarse a problem. Would anyone care to discuss the mechanics of diceless combat resolution?

Our points are called Karma points and a player uses them to do anything from pick a lock to open a door. I do not want anything too complicated in my game, thus I plan (only plan) on using nothing but Karma points. I know that some other games use stats and that would include separating the points. But I want it simple.

Yet how do you do this for combat with NPC's is it a barder system, whoever gives away the highest percentage of points wins, or is it skill plus the addition of points? Do let me know...

[RaconteurX]

I recommended checking out several other diceless games using resource-allocation here. All are well-done, but the latter two would probably be of greater inspiration.