From: ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steelratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steelratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steelratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pier)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Diceless or Senseless?
Date: 7 Aug 92 15:06:28 GMT
	<1992Aug05.170016.1803@sco.COM>
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Old-Message-ID: <RATINOX.92Aug7110628@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu>
In-reply-to: paul@sco.COM's message of 5 Aug 92 17:00:16 GMT
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>>>>> On 5 Aug 92 17:00:16 GMT, paul@sco.COM (Paul Jackson) said:

>You missed the concept of good stuff and bad stuff. Some characters are 
>lucky. They get lucky breaks because the universe likes them. They have 
>"good stuff". Other characters are unlucky, evil, cursed by the universe. 
>They have "bad stuff".
>
>You can still have your incredibly lucky occurrences, and even better you 
>know when they're going to happen and to whom!

PJ> The problem is that is doesn't "feel" random, it feels like it is
PJ> happening at the whim of the GM (and, to a large extent, it is
PJ> happening at the GM's whim). To a large extent I feel that I'm just
PJ> along for the ride. Nothing ever happens that the GM isn't
PJ> controlling/expecting.

Having played "dice" games and Amber with the same GM, I don't understand
what you mean. Nothing in his game is totally "random" to begin with. He
lays down the plot, sets up the antagonists, and dangles the plot thread
for us to grab. About the only time dice are used is in a fight (wargame
setup, not in Amber); and we (the players) can usually predict the outcome
beforehand.

PJ> I have NO problems at all with anti climaxes where something difficult
PJ> becomes something trivial. The opposite also happens often enough to keep
PJ> things interesting. So there isn't a climax, so what? Its NOT a novel.

I can make a case of dice ruining a climax, that being the "critical
success" to save the world from destruction. Ding! game over, we won, let's
go home.

On the flip side, would you (this is anyone) as a GM want to put the whole
world (and your campaign) on the line just for a couple of dice rolls? What
happens when (in Champions, say) the heroes roll threee 18's in a row to
defuse the nuclear bomb ready to anihilate the city? Bang, game over, write
up new characters?!

Yes, there are times when dice are useful (even if I sometimes seem as if I
don't think so--I certainly wouldn't want to make Champions completely
diceless). But when the story is concerned, I think it's more important
than a few semi-regular solids rolling around on a nearly-flat surface.

--Rat

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