A Diceless Resolution Procedure

I remember in law school learning about the difference between "elements" and "factors."

Sometimes, to succeed in your case, you need to prove the elements of a legal claim.  These elements are basically the component parts of a claim, and if you cannot prove all of them, your case falls apart.  For instance, to prove the tort of negligence, you must prove the element of causation.  There is no middle-ground.  If you cannot prove causation, then your lawsuit will fail.

On the other hand, sometimes you have to make out factors.  A factor is basically a condition, that, if satisfied, is helpful for your case.  Factors are useful for the court to determine who should prevail, but you are not actually strictly required to prove them.  A judge will weigh the factors for and against the litigant.  At the end of this balancing act, the judge will determine whether the factors weigh in your favor or not.

Rolling a die to determine the resolution of an outcome in a TTRPG is somewhat similar to proving an element.  An element is a bright-line requirement - if you cannot prove it, you fail.  Similarly, if your roll  cannot beat the goblin's AC, your attack fails.  There is no balancing, no surveying the situation to weigh whether the attack should succeed, partially succeed, or fail.

On the other hand, I wonder if there can be a diceless system that incorporates the concept of factor-balancing.  Here is my attempt to design one:

The Scale System 

The GM weighs “factors” in determining the resolution to an action, rather than abiding by hard and fast rules or reviewing dice results.

Factors are defined as guidelines, principles, and conditions that the GM should take into account.  Some factors weigh in favor of the players, other factors weigh against them.

A GM’s judgment, after taking factors into account, must be perceived as fair by the players. Trust and communication facilitate fair judgments.

These factors weigh in favor of a player: 

1) The player is executing a well-constructed plan 

2) The player is using an item or spell in a creative way 

3) The player is exploiting an enemy’s weakness 

4) The player is using overwhelming force 

5) The player is well-defended 

6) The player is particularly swift 
7) The player is using the environment to her advantage 

These factors weigh against a player: 

1) The player undertakes a risky maneuver 

2) The enemy is using overwhelming force 

3) The player is fatigued, injured, or vulnerable 

4) The enemy is particularly tough or agile

When in doubt, the GM should escalate the stakes and increase tension, or release tension at an opportune moment.

Justice (1530-34) by Giulio Romano 

Minimalist Magic and Sacred Wine

I love how magic allows my players to solve problems in creative and unanticipated ways.  Spells can be fabulous tools at the players' disposal, especially spells that have broad applicability.  For instance, a spell that allows a player to conjure flame can be used in a myriad of ways (from burning down the local pub, to producing light in a pitch-black dungeon, to melting the ice encasing the Frost Prince's corpse).  On the other hand, an open lock spell really only has one function, and is therefore less interesting. 

When crafting a TTRPG rules system, one challenge facing the designer is how to actually get these tools into a player's pocket.  Does the player choose from a list of spells when he creates his character?  Does she learn spells as she acquires and studies arcane tomes?  Does the player have access to a particular "domain" of magic (such as the domain of "necromancy") and then fabricate spells that stick to that domain's specific flavor?

These are all valid and interesting ways for a player to acquire spells.  But lately I have been interested in systems that are as lightweight and minimalist as possible.  When a player is presented with a menu of potential spell options, the player must expend mental energy and time to pick their choices.  There is nothing wrong with this.  But I am curious whether I can design a system where there are fewer steps between choosing to be a wizard and performing awe-inspiring feats of sorcery.

One choice is for the GM to tell the player that she knows these four spells (Conjure Flame, Animate Undead, Invisibility, Telekinesis, for instance) and then allow the Player to acquire more spells as she discovers and analyzes spellbooks, which are hidden about dungeons and other dark corners of the world.

Another option is for the player to let the GM know what variety of magic he is interested in.  A player may be interested in mental magic, like casting illusions.  The GM then tells the player that he may cast any spell affecting the mind, such as producing hallucinations or instilling fear.  There is no rigid spell list.  Rather, the player must think of spells that fit within his domain of magic, and then utilize these spells to overcome challenges.

There should be a cost to spellcasting, as magic can be a particularly powerful tool, and drawbacks create interesting choices for the players.  The mental magician may become more foggy-headed or fatigued as he casts spells.  Casting a potent illusion might have even more deleterious effect on the caster - he could become quite weak for a given time, during which his companions may need to really help him out.

I have a friend in my current game who has started playing as a cleric of the goddess of wine.  We have not quite worked out how her magic functions yet.  I am thinking that for our next session, I will let her know that as long as she appeases her deity, she may bestow blessings and miracles, such as conjuring sacred, healing wine.  She may appease her deity through self-sacrifice, by giving up some of her own vitality.  As she casts blessings, she loses strength in the process.  A powerful miracle (summoning a torrent of wine to drown her enemies, causing an obstinate target to become helplessly inebriated) requires a greater sacrifice of vitality.  If she becomes too weak, when the time comes to dodge the snapping jaws of a monster, she will be at a great disadvantage.

Falstaff at the table with a wine jug and pewter cup (1910), by Eduard von Grützner

Demon Spark Table

As I mentioned in a previous post, Chris McDowall uses spark tables to generate ideas for people, places, and things.  To use a spark table, roll 2d20, reference the table, and combine the results.  The combination is a great way to spark ideas.  You do not need to stick exactly to the combination you obtain - rather, take it as a jumping-off point.

I have always been fascinated with demons - those malicious, fallen creatures that torment the living and the dead.  Here is a spark table for helping you to generate demons to bring to your table!

Ditching the Character Sheet

After homebrewing TTRPG rules systems throughout the years, I've become fascinated with the idea of a rules system that is as minimal and flexible as possible.  I have challenged myself to create a workable system that can be summed up in 5 bullet points.  I may have landed on what those bullet points are!

• One person at the table will be the Gamemaster.  The others at the table will be the Players.  Each Player roleplays as a Character of their own creation.
• Each Character has strengths (physical might, agility, persuasive ability, spellcasting knowledge, etc.) and starting items (heavy armor, a potion of healing, a cloak of invisibility, etc.)
• The Gamemaster describes the world, and the Players are free to explore this world using their Characters.
• When a Player wishes to overcome a risky challenge, the Gamemaster considers the respective Character's advantages and disadvantages.  Depending on the circumstances (the Character's strengths, the effectiveness of the Character's action, what item the Character is using, etc.), the Gamemaster determines whether the Player will succeed, fail, or have a mixed success.
• If an outcome is truly uncertain, the Gamemaster may roll a die to inject some randomness into the game.  A low roll exposes the Character to more risk, and a high roll exposes the Character to less risk.

This system does not quite use a Character Sheet.  Rather, the Player jots down a few details about her Character (her strengths and her equipment).  There are no stats, no modifiers.  Resolving a risky challenge is left up to the GM's judgment, taking into account multiple factors.

This system also does not have any player-facing rolls.  The GM may occasionally roll dice to help with a ruling.

This system should encourage immersion into the game world.  No breaking to glance at a character sheet for guidance on what to do next, no stopping to roll to determine how to do something.

One technique to utilize: when in doubt about how something should work (damage, healing, armor, leveling up), rely on fewer numbers, and more on your own sense of how your fantasy world works (focus on qualities over quantities, and communicate risks to your players).

You may find it a relief to forego all the extra, conventional accoutrements of tabletop gaming, from the hefty character sheets to the handfuls of dice!

These rules are particularly influenced by the FKR.  They are inspired by Chris McDowall's Certainty System, and by Sam Doebler's posts on diceless gaming.

Men Throwing Dice (German, 19th Century)

Designing the Wyrdwood

After running a few sessions set within a strange dungeon filled with shining marvels and loathsome dangers, I became curious as to how to "open up" my game world - how to GM an adventure set within the world outside the dungeon, how to present interesting situations and challenges in the wilderness.

After researching the various game structures for wilderness adventures, I realized I wanted to do something a little different than the hexcrawl.  I gravitated toward the pointcrawl and the pathcrawl.  I resolved to create an outdoor space replete with compelling monsters, characters, items, and traps for my players to encounter.

Ultimately, I settled on the idea of a forest adventure.  I chose a name for my forest (the Wyrdwood), and gave it some flavor - it is an enchanted place suffused with magic, a sacred grove of ancient elves that worshipped the moon and paid tribute to a gigantic celestial moth.

In order to design a structure to facilitate play within the Wyrdwood, I created a pointcrawl/pathcrawl.  The forest is composed of multiple "spaces," similar to rooms in a dungeon, except that they are not bounded by walls.  Each space contains a different situation or encounter (a lair of giant predatory slugs, a ruined elven tower topped with a magical bell, a pond where the drowned dead dream restlessly).  

Rather than having doors or corridors connecting each space, there are various paths, including dirt walking trails, winding creeks, and and hoary roads.  But there are other, more intangible "connectors" between the spaces as well - lures to attract the players between the different spaces.  Druidic markings on the trees point the players toward a mysterious graveyard, heavy patches of moss point the players toward a sleeping moss giant, smoke above the trees leads to a witch's hut.

The players are certainly free to ignore these connectors, and travel to wherever they wish (most likely by following a cardinal direction).  I created some ideas for encounters to throw into these unmarked areas (hidden forest nymphs, wandering bandits, wicked death-druids).

The only thing left is to give my players a real hook for exploring the Wyrdwood.  I'm thinking it will probably be the promise of treasure, as my players are roleplaying as a newly chartered adventuring company, and their goal is to acquire riches and renown in order to build up their enterprise.  I have found that having the acquisition of gold as an objective is a quick and dirty way of motivating players, especially if one is running fast, short sessions.

From the Sylva Britannica, or Portraits of Forest Trees, Joseph George Strutt 

Fast, Immersive, Streamlined Roleplaying

I currently GM one tabletop roleplaying group, and we only meet about once or twice a month (and sometimes we even skip a month or two, depending on life circumstances).  When we meet, we usually chat and catch-up for about 30 minutes, and then we jump into our game.  Our sessions usually last 2 hours at most.  

Given this schedule, I have prioritized getting my players into the action as quickly as possible, and I attempt to pack lots of satisfying content into our short sessions.  I have come to greatly value any GMing technique that contributes to fast and streamlined play.

While working out how to fit good stuff into a 2-hour session, I have made some mistakes to be sure!  For example, my players were once navigating a darkened corridor, the cleric leading the way with her torch.  In order to better codify and "gamify" how torches work, I appended a new mechanic onto my system: Torch Integrity Points.  A torch begins with 5 points, and loses 1 for every 10 minutes in the game world, and whenever it gets wet, whenever it is dropped, and whenever it encounters a gust of wind.

After GMing this dungeon-crawling session for a little while, I realized that neither I nor my players really cared about keeping track of Torch Integrity Points. 

Perhaps because of this, I have become skeptical of systems that are loaded up with mechanics, rules, and things to keep track of.  Actually, many TTRPGS are quite stuffed with such things.  For instance, in many RPGs, players are obligated to account for many items, including resources (such as Hit Points and Spell Slots), skills and modifiers, and the rules of the game itself.  Accounting for all of these items can impose a real mental strain on a player.  Chris McDowall has noted that "every rule has a cost," and lately I have been endeavoring to see how I may be able to craft a minimalist, streamlined, and accessible rules set that works for my table.

While researching minimalist rules systems, I came upon the "Free Kriegsspiel Revolution," or the FKR.  The FKR, in short, is quite an exciting style of roleplaying, since it places a premium on ease of use, immersion, and player engagement.  Many others have discussed the FKR in depth, and I would highly recommend these resources:

• Norbert G. Matausch's series of essential articles on the FKR
• Jim Parkin's article on the origin of the FKR
• Questing Beast's video on the FKR
• Dreaming Dragonslayer's series of articles titled "Focus on the World"
• Aboleth Overlord's series of articles titled "Less Rules Do More"

In short, the FKR refers to a renewed interest in a style of roleplaying that is quite old.  When 19th century Prussian officers realized that their wargame ("Kriegsspiel") had become bloated with rules, a new type of wargaming arose ("Free Kriegsspiel") that replaced rigid rules with flexible adjudication by an umpire.  Many roleplayers in the pre-D&D era adopted a similar style, relying on simple rulesets and spot rulings from the referee.

The FKR has much to offer anyone interested in a style of roleplaying that brings the attention back to the world and the characters.  I hope to post more about how GMs can incorporate interesting FKR techniques into their gaming.

If there is any advice I can give to an aspiring GM that has become bewildered by the complexity of mainstream RPGs (such as 5e), it is this: do not be afraid of utilizing fewer rules.  Trust your judgment.  Use your creativity and common sense to adjudicate situations.  Give your brain a rest, and take it easy on yourself: forget about Torch Integrity Points.

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Dungeon Spark Table

The inimitable Chris McDowall, creator of Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland, utilizes the concept of "spark tables" as a way to generate inspiration for people, places, and things.  You merely roll 2d20, consult the applicable table, take the two results, and combine them.

Below is a Spark Table that I hope inspires ideas when you craft your dungeon.  The first result reflects the theme (the flavor, aesthetic, or motif) for the dungeon, and the second result reflects the physical space (a ruined temple, a secluded shipwreck).

As Chris McDowall recommends, you do not need to dwell so much on the particular results you get from your roll.  What is most important is that the words spark your creativity.

Here is the table!