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View Full Version : RPG Design Help Needed: Dice Mechanics



Djinn_in_Tonic
2010-03-07, 12:18 PM
Hey all! I've been working on a system named Cinema for some time, and have been wondering on what dice mechanic to use for conflict resolution. Cinema is aimed at recreating movie genres in often over-the-top ways: stuff like James Bond, Indiana Jones, and the like. It's fairly rules-light, and runs on a lot of player/GM interaction to reward creativity and role-playing.

That said, which of the following systems sounds most fun, or, if none, what would your suggestions be?

Option A: A modified dice pool mechanic, where each player rolls Stat + Skill in d10s (or d12s, or d20s, for more variance, thus rewarding a larger pool), with the highest roll winning (compared down in the case of ties, until one player wins, or runs out of dice to compare).

Option B: Similar to Option A, only Stats contribute less than skills (d10 and d12, respectively), rewarding skilled characters. Specialties may add an additional +1 to rolls, resulting in truly skilled characters doing far better. Against, highest number wins.

Option C: Similar to Option B, this dice pool runs on a target number system, most likely being 7+ for success. Default Stat die is a d8, default Skill die is a d10, and Specialty dice are a d12.

erikun
2010-03-07, 06:31 PM
Your system sounds similar to the IronClaw (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironclaw)/JadeClaw system. In it, you get dice for your individual skills, your profession, and your race. You roll all the dice together, and the highest number rolled determines whether you succeed or fail.

For example, let's say you had d10 in Stealth, a d8 in your profession (which adds to stealth), and a race which does not add to stealth. For a stealth roll, you would roll d8 + d10, and compare both dice to the target number for a success. Having multiple dice scoring a success gives you better results.

With an opposed test, you compare the highest number of each die for successes individually. Rolling a 4 and an 8 against a 5 and a 6 gives one success to each character. (one for 8 vs. 6, the other for 5 vs. 4)

Improving a stat upgrades the die size. Improving the Stealth skill would increase it from d10 to d12. Improving your profession (for more expensive, because it applies to multiple skills) would increase that bonus from d8 to d10 for all related skills. Situational bonuses are deal with by also increasing the die size. (Penalities follow a very confusing system. Honestly, just a +1/-1 to the die rolls should be sufficient, though.)

Just to give you an idea of how Iron/JadeClaw handles it.

Melayl
2010-03-07, 07:55 PM
I'd go with option A.

The Iron/Jade Claw system sounds similar to the original Star Wars system (except they used solely d6's, they just gained more) -- I really liked that system. I'd second something like that.

Gralamin
2010-03-07, 11:16 PM
Option A: A modified dice pool mechanic, where each player rolls Stat + Skill in d10s (or d12s, or d20s, for more variance, thus rewarding a larger pool), with the highest roll winning (compared down in the case of ties, until one player wins, or runs out of dice to compare).
Having a bunch of add them up contested rolls seems slow.


Option B: Similar to Option A, only Stats contribute less than skills (d10 and d12, respectively), rewarding skilled characters. Specialties may add an additional +1 to rolls, resulting in truly skilled characters doing far better. Against, highest number wins.
This is quite nice.

Option C: Similar to Option B, this dice pool runs on a target number system, most likely being 7+ for success. Default Stat die is a d8, default Skill die is a d10, and Specialty dice are a d12.[/QUOTE]
Also like this.

It is worth noting, however, the math on all but C is rather complicated, and it will be difficult to balance.

Djinn_in_Tonic
2010-03-07, 11:48 PM
Having a bunch of add them up contested rolls seems slow.

Sorry...highest single roll. Or comparing the top 3-4, and taking whoever wins the most of the set.

Gralamin
2010-03-08, 02:33 AM
Sorry...highest single roll. Or comparing the top 3-4, and taking whoever wins the most of the set.

Oh okay. Thats much simpler.