2013-12-09 : Some Basic Rules (i)
Starting with the dice.
Saves
Whenever your character does something that will put her in harm's way, the GM should ask you to make a save. The GM tells you which stat to roll, and whether to modify your roll with a tag.
Before you roll, stop! You’re entitled to straight answers to the following questions. If you already know the answer, great; otherwise, feel free to ask the GM:
- Is there any way I could avoid having to make the save?
- Can I tell how bad it's going to be if I miss the save?
Also remember to check your modules, equipment, and tags for any other questions you're entitled to ask.
Roll a die, add your stat, add any tag modifiers.
The GM rolls a die and adds the level of the threat (if any).
- If you win by 3 or more, that's a killer save.
- If you tie or win by 1 or 2, that's a basic save.
- If you lose, that's a missed save.
Tests
Whenever your character tries to accomplish something difficult or demanding, the GM should ask you to make a test. The GM tells you which stat to roll, and whether to modify your roll with a tag.
Before you roll, stop! You're entitled to straight answers to the following questions. If you already know the answer, great; otherwise, feel free to ask the GM:
- What's the best or most I can hope to accomplish? What will it cost me?
- Can I tell if I'm going to put myself in any danger or expose myself to any risks?
Also remember to check your modules, equipment, and tags for any other questions you're entitled to ask.
Roll a die, add your stat, add any tag modifiers.
The GM rolls a die and adds the level of the opposition (if any).
- If you win by 3 or more, you nail the test.
- If you tie or win by 1 or 2, that's basic success.
- If you lose, you know at once that you won't be able to do it. What do you do instead?
Challenges
Whenever your character goes up against someone else, the GM should ask you to make a challenge. The GM tells you which kind of challenge, who's rolling against whom, which stat to roll, and whether to modify your roll with a tag.
Before you roll, stop! You're entitled to straight answers to the following questions. If you already know the answer, great; otherwise, feel free to ask the GM:
- Is there a way that I can get out of the challenge instead of seeing it through?
- Is there a way that I could change what kind of challenge this is?
Also remember to check your modules, equipment, and tags for any other questions you're entitled to ask.
The GM might answer directly, or might ask your opponent for input.
GM, be sure to check your modules for challenge types beyond fight, race, and flinch, too.
Fight
You and your opponent both roll. The GM tells you which stat to roll, and whether to modify your roll with a tag.
Whichever of you rolls higher, you're on offense. Whichever rolls lower, you're on defense.
If you're on offense, do each of the offensive actions on your character sheet. If there's a question of order, you choose.
If you're on defense, do each of the defensive actions on your character sheet. If there's a question of order, you choose.
By default, the offensive player goes first. Some actions may change this.
If there's a tie, both of you do your offensive actions, and then both of you do your defensive actions.
Your modules, equipment, and tags may specify outcomes or give you additional options to choose from.
Race
You and your opponent both roll. The GM tells you which stat to roll, and whether to modify your roll with a tag.
Whichever of you rolls higher, you're winning the race. Your roll stands.
Whichever rolls lower, you're losing the race. You have a choice:
- Reroll against the winner's standing roll, to try to pull ahead and win at the last instant.
- Abandon the race and take a free action while the winner wins.
If you tie, you're tied. Either or both of you can make the choice above. If neither of you do, the race ends in a tie.
Your modules, equipment, and tags may specify outcomes or give you additional options to choose from.
Flinch
You and your opponent both roll. The GM tells you which stat to roll, and whether to modify your roll with a tag.
Whichever of you rolls higher, you're keeping your cool. Your roll stands.
Whichever rolls lower, you have a choice:
- Back down gracefully.
- Reroll against the winner's standing roll.
If you take the reroll and lose, you flinch.
If you take the reroll and tie or win, now you're keeping your cool, and your opponent has to choose whether to back down gracefully or take a reroll of her own.
Your modules, equipment, and tags may specify outcomes or give you additional options to choose from.
Your Win / Your Loss
Some rules refer to "your win" or "your loss." This is simply the number by which you won or lost the roll.
- For your win: your roll minus your opponent's.
- For your loss: your opponent's roll minus yours.
- In case of a tie, your win and your loss are both equal to 0.
This is true for all tests, saves, challenges, and other rolls.
More to come. All subject to change.
Some Basic Rules (ii)
Some Basic Rules (iii)
Some Basic Rules (iv)
Some Basic Rules (v)
Some Basic Rules (vii)
1. On 2013-12-09, silby said:
Why opposed rolls? Offhand or calculated?
This makes...
VB go "Thanks for asking!"
2. On 2013-12-09, Vincent said:
Oh sure.
Calculated! Here's the calculation:
Fights, races, and flinch challenges call for opposed rolls, or else they privilege one of the participants, the one rolling. So, opposed rolls for challenges.
To be consistent - by which I mean, for a +1 strong to mean the same thing for fighting as it does for a strength test or a strength save - tests and saves should also be opposed rolls.
All other things being equal, I prefer opposed rolls. All other things are never equal! But I do.
3. On 2013-12-11, George H said:
Arbitrarily choosing one player to roll doesn't *necessarily* privilege a player. If you use, say, 4dF as your randomizer, you can be perfectly consistent and still treat both participants equally, without caring who actually carries out the roll.
Also, you've already got an asymmetry built in in the challenge mechanism. One of the players gets to pick, the other gets to accept or decline. How are you going to resolve that asymmetry when both players want to be the one making the challenge?
Finally, just for clarity, is it your intent that 'going up against someone else' include NPCs, played by the GM?
This makes...
VB go "Thanks for asking!"
4. On 2013-12-11, Vincent said:
George:
1. Sure, not necessarily.
2. Good catch!
3. Yep.
5. On 2013-12-15, Josh W said:
Hmm I wonder what happens if you go by who declares the type of challenge first..
6. On 2013-12-15, Vincent said:
George, Josh: Revised!
7. On 2013-12-20, Paul T. said:
This mechanic is basically just the Apocalypse World mechanic, except rewritten slightly, isn't it? 10+, full success, 7-9, partial success, 6-, failure.
The only differences:
1. The two dice are rolled by two different people, instead of both being rolled by one person.
2. Both parties get to factor in their stats, instead of just one.
That has some potentially neat cross-pollination with existing AW moves and hacks. Cool.
8. On 2013-12-20, Vincent said:
Paul: Right on.
9. On 2013-12-31, David Berg said:
I'm a big fan of "Before you roll, stop! You're entitled to straight answers to the following questions, including whether there's a way to avoid the roll". I've been using that logic as a GM for years, though working it into the conversation in a different way.
The big difference is that the rules in this post switch the "clarify options" phase from before the "roll is triggered" phase to after it. I suppose that places more of the total process under the purview of explicit procedure (assuming that we're more freeform before the roll is triggered). I can see how "more explicit" here might equal "more efficient". Seems like a good thing, though I wonder how the flow of / focus on the fiction is impacted. Interesting!
I dig the O/D fight positions and that Racing and Flinching are things. Not sure about the reroll decisions.
10. On 2013-12-31, David Berg said:
Oh, I see: Flinch vs Back Down are different handles for specific modules to parse, with "you flinch" often (always?) being worse than "you back down". Never mind, I do like that reroll decision.
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