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11 |
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12 The Impossible Dream |
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13 |
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14 |
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15 Resolution Mechanics I |
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16 |
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17 *by Hunter Logan* |
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18 Mar 11,2003 |
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19 |
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20 |
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21 *Resolution Mechanics I* |
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22 The Impossible Dream Installment #4 |
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23 by Hunter Logan |
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24 |
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25 Intro |
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26 |
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27 Thus far, I have talked about play flow, balance of power, and player |
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28 goals. This time, I want to move on and talk about something near and |
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29 dear to most every designer's heart: Resolution mechanics. |
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30 |
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31 */Resolution mechanics/* are the means for getting things done in the |
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32 game. When a character searches a room, attempts to run the gauntlet, or |
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33 negotiate a contract, resolution mechanics determine what happens. This |
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34 is a monster topic, so I will present it in two parts. The first part |
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35 will cover the Three Means of Resolution. |
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36 |
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37 The Three Means of Resolution |
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38 |
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39 The Three Means of Resolution are loosely based on Jonathan Tweet's |
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40 three means of resolution as presented in the */Everway RPG/* and as |
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41 modified by Ron Edwards in his many RPG theory discussions. Tweet's |
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42 terms are Drama, Fortune and Karma. Edwards also uses them, though he |
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43 applies slightly different meanings. I mention Tweet's terms as |
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44 reference, but I've got my own take on them. To avoid the great onus and |
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45 inertia of history, I'm not using them. I'm using the terms Chance, |
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46 Ability and Intent. This is the way I conceptualize the Three Means. |
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47 |
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48 /*Chance*/ is random determination of what happens. Roll dice, draw |
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49 cards, flip coins, and look at the results. They are random and subject |
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50 to the laws of statistics. Dice are a common and popular method of |
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51 generating random results in RPGs. I like dice because all dice have |
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52 similar characteristics in the way they generate numbers. Here are some |
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53 examples. |
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54 |
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55 * A single die generates a linear curve. Roll a d20 and you have a |
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56 flat 5% chance of rolling any particular number. You have the same |
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57 chance of rolling a 1 as you do a 10 or a 20. When you change the |
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58 number of sides on the die, you change the flat percentage chance |
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59 and the range. Roll a d12 and you get a range from 1 to 12 with an |
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60 8% chance of getting a particular result. Roll a d10 and the range |
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61 is 1 to 10 (or 0 to 9) with a 10% chance of getting a given |
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62 result. Roll a d8 and the range is 1 to 8 with a 12-1/2% chance of |
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63 getting a given result and so on. |
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64 * If you roll several dice and evaluate the result on each die |
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65 independently, the curve for each die is still linear. |
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66 * Rolling a pair of dice and adding the results generates a bell |
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67 curve. For example, you may roll two 6-sided dice and add the |
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68 results. This produces a range of results from 2 to 12. At the |
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69 extremes, the player has about a 6% chance of getting a 2 or a 12. |
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70 In the middle, he has about 17% chance of rolling a 7. The actual |
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71 result is random, but the player has a 28% chance of rolling 2 to |
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72 5, a 44% chance of rolling a result from 6 to 8, and a 28% chance |
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73 of rolling 9 to 12. Clearly, the middle is favored. |
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74 * Rolling a pair of unequal dice also generates a bell curve. |
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75 Rolling a d6 and a d4 and adding the results produces a range from |
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76 2 to 10. At the extremes, the player has about an 8% chance of |
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77 rolling a 2 or a 10. In the middle, he has about 20% chance of |
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78 rolling a 6. He has about a 23% chance of rolling 3 to 4, a 54% |
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79 chance of rolling a result from 5 to 7, and a 23% chance of |
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80 rolling an 8 to 10. Again, the middle is favored. |
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81 * As you roll more dice and add the results, the bell curve becomes |
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82 flatter at the top with a greater chance of generating an average |
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83 value and a far smaller chance of generating an extreme value. |
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84 Rolling 3d4, for instance, produces a range from 3 to 12. A player |
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85 has about a 3% chance of rolling either a 3 or a 12, a 15 % chance |
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86 of rolling 3 to 5, a 69 % chance of rolling from 6 to 10, and a 15 |
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87 % chance of rolling 10 to 12. Again the middle is strongly favored |
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88 with a 1-in-3 likelihood that the player will roll either a 7 or an 8. |
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89 |
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90 * Dice can be manipulated to tailor their function. |
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91 |
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92 |
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93 o */Curved Results:/* The player rolls dice, but the actual |
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94 result is curved. For example, the designer may have the |
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95 players roll a single d10, but the die roll may actually |
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96 produce results from ö3 to +3. Here's one way it could work. |
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97 |
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98 *Curved Results* Die Roll Result |
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99 1 -3 |
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100 2 -2 |
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101 3-4 -1 |
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102 5-6 0 |
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103 7-8 +1 |
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104 9 +2 |
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105 0 (10) +3 |
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106 |
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107 |
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108 o */Exploding Die Roll:/* The player rolls the dice and rolls |
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109 again on a designated result. The result of the next die |
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110 roll is added to the first. For example, the player rolls a |
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111 d6. On a 6, the die "explodes." The player rolls the d6 |
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112 again and adds the result to his total. So, the player could |
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113 roll a 6 then roll a 4 to get 10. |
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114 |
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115 If the die roll is open-ended, this goes on as long as the |
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116 player's die rolls meet the condition for explosion. A |
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117 player might roll 6, 6, 6, 6, 2 and get 26 off the die roll. |
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118 |
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119 If the die roll is closed, the player gets a fixed number of |
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120 additional rolls (usually just one). This way, a player |
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121 might roll a 6 and another 6. He gets 12. |
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122 |
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123 There is a fault with this method of rolling dice: Some |
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124 numbers may drop out. In the preceding example, it's |
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125 actually impossible to get 6, 12, 18, 24, and so on with an |
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126 unmodified die roll. The counting goes ·4, 5, 7, 8· It's |
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127 possible to mechanically work around that, but I think the |
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128 d10 provides a more elegant solution. The d10 is numbered 0 |
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129 to 9. If you count the 0 as 0 and 9 as the maximum value, |
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130 your numerical progression will always be very smooth. If a |
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131 player made an open-ended d10 roll, he could possibly roll |
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132 9, 9, 9, and 0 to get 27. |
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133 |
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134 |
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135 o */Counting Victories:/* The player rolls one or more dice. |
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136 Each die is evaluated separately to generate a number of |
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137 victories. The more victories the player gets, the better |
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138 the outcome of the character's action. For example, a player |
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139 might roll 4d6 and evaluate the results against a target |
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140 number. Say the target is 2. If the player rolled 1,3,5,and |
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141 2, the player would get 3 successes. If the target number |
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142 had been 4, the player would have only 1 success. |
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143 |
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144 |
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145 o */Mass on Target:/* The player again rolls one or more dice. |
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146 This time, the results are tallied to produce a really big |
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147 number. Well, the player hopes it's a big number. The device |
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148 is usually die roll vs. target. For example, the player |
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149 might roll 3d10. If the player rolled 3, 5, and 8, his |
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150 result would be 16. Of course, rolling dice this way greatly |
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151 increases the chance of getting a mid-range value. |
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152 |
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153 |
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154 o */Many More Possibilities:/* I am the first to admit that |
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155 the examples and ideas I've presented here barely scratch |
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156 the surface of what you can do with dice, but I think these |
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157 are the basic building blocks. You can mix and match these |
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158 methods to your heart's content. |
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159 |
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160 |
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161 * */A Good Article:/* As it turns out, Shannon Appelcline recently |
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162 wrote a very good article |
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163 <http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/virtually14feb03.html> |
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164 about the nature of random chance. |
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165 |
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166 |
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167 |
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168 */Ability/* is deliberate determination of what happens based on the |
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169 capabilities of the character. If the character has the skill, if the |
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170 character has a resource such as hero points, or if the character has a |
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171 built-in capability that allows him to do certain things, the player can |
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172 use this /Ability/ to resolve an event. |
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173 |
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174 * /Using skill to resolve an event/: Skill is usually based on |
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175 character attributes or skills. Frequently, a character with a low |
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176 attribute or skill will only be able to do simple, little things |
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177 with that attribute or skill. A character with a high attribute or |
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178 skill will be able to do amazing things. If the character's |
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179 attribute or skill is too weak, the character will fail. If the |
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180 character's attribute or skill is sufficient, the character will |
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181 succeed. It's that simple. |
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182 |
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183 For example, a character has a skill, Fencing 5, where '0' is |
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184 untrained and '10' is the best on the planet. The character gets |
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185 in a duel with an opponent who has Fencing 7. Using ability alone, |
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186 the character with Fencing 5 will lose every single time. |
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187 * /Using a resource to resolve an event/: Resources are expendable |
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188 units of success that the player can spend during play. They are |
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189 finite. Once used, they're gone, though the player may have the |
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190 opportunity to earn more. A resource like Hero Points may |
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191 temporarily improve character skill to ensure success. The player |
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192 spends the points to get the desired result. A resource like |
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193 Victory Cards may provide the character with instant victory. The |
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194 player plays a single card and gets the desired results. For more |
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195 thoughts on this, I refer you to Eric Brennan's wonderful article |
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196 about Hero Points |
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197 <http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/chopshop29oct02.html>. |
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198 * /Using a built-in capability/: Capabilities often work with no |
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199 muss or fuss because the rules say so. A character may have the |
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200 ability to cast certain spells or to do certain things without any |
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201 chance of failure. The player says the character is doing it and |
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202 the character does it thanks to Ability. |
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203 |
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204 */Intent/* is resolution based on what a player wants to happen in the |
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205 game. The player makes a declaration. The declaration becomes a |
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206 mechanical device for resolving events. |
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207 |
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208 For example, a group of characters surrounded by enemies, running low on |
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209 ammunition may make their last stand. Before the end, a player declares, |
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210 "·And the cavalry arrives in the nick of time, distracting the enemy and |
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211 giving us the chance we need to escape." The GM allows this to happen |
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212 because it's in the spirit of the game. But nothing is free, so the GM |
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213 replies, "The cavalry assault breaks the enemy line, but they take very |
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214 heavy casualties. It will be a long time before they can help you again." |
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215 |
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216 Using Chance, Ability, and Intent |
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217 |
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218 The three methods of resolution are seldom used in isolation. A |
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219 resolution mechanic is rarely Chance, Ability, or Intent alone. The |
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220 process for resolving events almost always includes a combination of |
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221 Chance, Ability, and Intent, especially Chance and Ability. |
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222 |
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223 Consider this common resolution mechanic: |
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224 |
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225 * Player declares character action. |
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226 * Chance and Ability: Player generates a die result using /Attribute |
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227 + Skill + Die Roll vs. Target Number/. The player must roll over |
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228 the TN for the character to succeed. |
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229 |
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230 |
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231 Here, Intent is a qualifier. If the GM determines the player wants the |
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232 character to do something easy, the TN will be low. If the GM determines |
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233 the player wants the character to do something really difficult, the TN |
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234 will be much higher. Then, the die result is a combination of Chance and |
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235 Ability. The character's attribute and skill are both Ability. Small |
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236 numbers mean the character has little ability. Large numbers mean the |
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237 character has lots of Ability. Naturally, the die roll is Chance. I have |
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238 a lot more to say about all this, but that will fill the next |
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239 installment. As always, thanks for reading. |
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240 |
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241 |
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242 What do you think? <http://trio.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110> |
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243 |
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244 Go to forum! <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110> |
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249 |
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250 Topics Author Date Latest Reply |
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251 cooldog cotangent |
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252 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=98&t=98> (1) new |
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253 cranial_index 01-31-2006 20:46 01-31-2006 20:46 new |
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254 CORONA <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=97&t=97> (1) new |
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255 corn_chamomile 01-31-2006 20:25 01-31-2006 20:25 new |
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256 Fendi Spy Bags WHOLESALE@WizardReplica.com |
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257 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=95&t=95> (1) new 514 |
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258 12-02-2005 10:55 12-02-2005 10:55 new |
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259 Designer Handbags Wholesale@WWW.WIZARDREPLICA.COM |
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260 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=94&t=94> (1) new 868 |
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261 11-14-2005 19:41 11-14-2005 19:41 new |
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262 REPLICA HANDBAGS LOUIS VUITTON REPLICA WHOLESALE@ |
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263 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=93&t=93> (1) new 794 |
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264 10-20-2005 21:37 10-20-2005 21:37 new |
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265 Death/playing style |
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266 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=92&t=92> (1) new Searcher |
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267 09-22-2003 11:35 09-22-2003 11:35 new |
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268 Death and actual immortality |
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269 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=89&t=89> (3) new Cpl Ferro |
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270 07-19-2003 08:53 01-13-2006 15:22 new |
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271 Non-death death |
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272 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=85&t=85> (5) new Sérgio |
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273 Mascarenhas 07-18-2003 03:07 07-23-2003 02:38 new |
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274 Thanks, Hunter |
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275 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=80&t=80> (4) new Allan |
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276 Sugarbaker 07-16-2003 00:18 07-17-2003 19:34 new |
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277 Realism <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=74&t=74> (3) new |
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278 Robin 06-20-2003 01:23 06-25-2003 02:34 new |
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279 Something you might have mentioned. |
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280 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=65&t=65> (3) new Yamo |
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281 06-19-2003 16:13 06-19-2003 18:11 new |
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282 BTW, excellent column, Hunter! |
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283 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=63&t=63> (2) new flyingmice |
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284 06-19-2003 13:11 06-19-2003 18:13 new |
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285 Armor and Damage Thereto |
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286 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=56&t=56> (2) new The Student |
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287 06-19-2003 08:45 06-19-2003 11:44 new |
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288 Armor <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=54&t=54> (9) new |
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289 flyingmice 06-19-2003 08:29 06-20-2003 06:12 new |
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290 Death spiral and unconsciousness |
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291 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=53&t=53> (7) new Torben |
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292 Mogensen 06-19-2003 07:31 06-20-2003 06:52 new |
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293 lucky or skilled |
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294 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=51&t=51> (2) new rhyme |
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295 05-12-2003 18:49 05-13-2003 09:25 new |
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296 Absolute, unopposed and opposed |
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297 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=48&t=48> (2) new Torben |
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298 Mogensen 04-16-2003 02:19 04-16-2003 09:26 new |
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299 0-9 open ended = brilliant! |
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300 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=31&t=31> (8) new Vibropod |
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301 03-12-2003 10:41 07-18-2003 01:28 new |
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302 Smooth rerolls |
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303 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=27&t=27> (10) new Torben |
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304 Mogensen 03-12-2003 00:47 03-16-2003 23:57 new |
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305 Resolution Mechanics |
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306 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=110&i=25&t=25> (8) new Kyle |
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307 Schuant 03-11-2003 22:14 03-29-2003 21:28 new |
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308 |
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309 Go to Top <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110> | New Topic |
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310 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/post.php?f=110> | View Threads |
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311 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110&collapse=0> | Search |
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312 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/search.php?f=110> |
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313 |
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314 Newer Messages |
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315 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110&t=98&a=1&> | Older Messages |
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316 <http://www.rpg.net/pf/list.php?f=110&t=25&a=2&> |
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317 |
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318 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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319 |
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320 |
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321 Previous columns |
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322 |
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323 * #8: True Death </news+reviews/columns/dream17jul03.html> by Hunter |
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324 Logan, 17jul03 |
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325 * #7: Assessing Damage </news+reviews/columns/dream19jun03.html> by |
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326 Hunter Logan, 19jun03 |
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327 * #6: Putting Theory to the Test |
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328 </news+reviews/columns/dream12may03.html> by Hunter Logan, 12may03 |
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329 * #5: Resolution Mechanics II |
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330 </news+reviews/columns/dream14apr03.html> by Hunter Logan, 14apr03 |
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331 * Resolution Mechanics I </news+reviews/columns/dream11mar03.html> |
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332 by Hunter Logan, 11mar03 |
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333 * Player Goals </news+reviews/columns/dream10feb03.html> by Hunter |
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334 Logan, 10feb03 |
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335 * Balance of Power </news+reviews/columns/dream20jan03.html> by |
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336 Hunter Logan, 20jan03 |
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337 * Play Flow First </news+reviews/columns/dream01jan03.html> by |
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338 Hunter Logan, 01jan03 |
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339 |
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340 |
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341 Other columns </news+reviews/columns.html> at RPGnet |
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342 |
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