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<blockquote data-quote="Jacob Lewis" data-source="post: 8627949" data-attributes="member: 6667921"><p><h3>Changing The Core Mechanic</h3><p>The twenty-sided die, or "d20", has been at the heart of the <em>Dungeons & Dragons</em> game since its inception. It is what is commonly referred to as the <strong>core mechanic</strong>, which defines the rules and parameters of how the players interact with the game system and create the narrative experience. The d20 has become so synonymous with the system, in fact, that it's a large part of its identity. D&D without a d20 just isn't D&D, is it? Well I'm not here to argue semantics and opinions over this particular subject. But since I'm not trying to preserve the integrity of key features (i.e. "sacred cows"), this isn't a concern for me.</p><p></p><p>But let me be clear; I don't think the d20 is a bad mechanic. It is simple, quick, and easy to use. Most of us will agree that these are very attractive features in any game. In a complex game like D&D, these are qualities that make playing (and running) the game faster and efficient, thus leading to a more enjoyable experience. Just to refresh ourselves, allow me to reiterate how it works:</p><p></p><p>Whenever you declare an action where the outcome isn't certain, you make the appropriate skill check, ability check, or attack roll using the following steps:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Roll a d20.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Add or subtract any relevant modifiers.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Compare it to a target number or an opposing roll. If the result is equal to or greater that number, then you succeed. Otherwise, you failed.</li> </ol><p>The die itself can generate a value between 1 and 20, and the modifiers can result in even higher (or lower) values. Despite the large range of possible numbers, however, there are only two outcomes that actually matter: either the check was successful (pass) or it wasn't (fail). This is essentially a binary test where the results have only two possible values: "true" or "false". If you're familiar with how computers work, you'll recognize this as the fundamental basis of all programming languages and operations. To put it in more human terms, the results can only answer a simple question with either a "yes" (pass) or "no" (fail).</p><p></p><p>So what kind of questions can we answer with yes/no results in D&D? Some of the most common are:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Did you hit the monster with your weapon?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Did you climb over that wall?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Did you convince the guard to let you pass?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Did you pick the lock? </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Did you find the secret door?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Did the enemy resist your spell?</li> </ul><p>These are all very simple, very common, and very basic events that happen in the game. Of course, the game session is not comprised of a single one of these events, but a series of them which take place over the course of an encounter, a adventure, a campaign, etc. This is what the d20 is designed to do, and for the most part, it works quite well. And if that is your preference, there's no reason for me to recreate something that does what already exists and works well. So what's the problem?</p><h3>So What's Wrong with d20?</h3><p>Here's how a typical D&D session might go:</p><p></p><p>The characters are searching through the jungle for the lost city. The ranger wants to look for any tracks that might lead them in the right direction. He rolls a Survival check and succeeds. The party moves in the right direction.</p><p></p><p>Next, the DM notes that the group is about to stumble onto a pit trap. She asks the rogue who is scouting ahead to make a Perception check. He fails the check and falls in. The fighter throws down a rope and helps to pull the rogue out of the pit. She makes an Athletics check, and so on.</p><p></p><p>We can see that the d20 works adequately at the most basic, fundamental level of the game. Whenever a character attempts an action, a single throw of the die tells you whether they fail or succeed. You're either rewarded or you earn consequences. If you hit the monster, you may roll damage. If you miss the secret door, you don't get to see what's behind it. No more, and no less. As far as the rules of D&D are concerned, that is all you need to play the game.</p><p></p><p>Now consider this: Let's say my character is attempting to climb a 10' wall. I roll a 16, apply the modifiers for his Athletics skill and Strength, and determine that he succeeds. Then, he attempts to climb a similar wall, using the same values and modifiers as before, but this time he rolls only an 8. And he still succeeds! What does that tell me?</p><p></p><p>We can infer a few possibilities just from the results of the d20 check.</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>The wall was not very difficult to climb.</strong> In this case, the DC set by the game (or the DM) was low enough that anyone with a decent modifier had a good chance to climb it even with a poor skill roll.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>My character is either highly skilled in Athletics, a natural climber because of his high strength, or both.</strong> My character's modifiers are high enough that he can easily compensate for a poor skill roll, even if the wall is more difficult to climb.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong>A combination of the above.</strong> A skilled climber attempting to scale an easy wall rarely has any difficulty unless the dice roll is really, really low.</li> </ol><p>Notice that the rules provide a good logical explanation for the <strong>difficulty class (DC)</strong>, the <strong>ability modifiers</strong>, and the <strong>skill modifiers</strong> in the game's narrative. The DC represents the difficulty of the task being attempted, while the character's modifiers represent their training, competence, and natural talent. The system, however, seems to make no distinction between the two check results. A success with a 16 has the same results (and consequences) as a success with an 8. So what role does the dice play in the game exactly? What do they inform about the narrative?</p><p></p><p>Dice are basically the <em>"What if..."</em> factor in the game. As written in the <em>Rules Compendium</em> (pg 14), "The d20 roll... reflects luck and the unpredictable nature of action and adventure." This makes it a surrogate for those untenable forces we like to call "fate", "luck", or "destiny". And while there is a place for such influences in our made-up stories and adventures, there is also such a thing as giving it too much influence.</p><p></p><p>Admit it. We've all had those nights when the dice are taking things out of our control and ruining an otherwise fun experience. You can't seem to roll high enough to do anything at all, which leaves you on the sidelines during most of the action. Meanwhile, your buddy rolls three 20s in a row to take down the boss monster almost single-handedly. Now you begin to question why you decided to play a barbarian in the first place when its the halfling bard that is suddenly the brute in battle. </p><p></p><p>Of course, most of us might actually enjoy the unexpected surprise that creates a funny or memorable moment for everyone. But not when it undermines our personal choices or expectations in the game. The purpose of the dice is not only to make things unpredictable, but also to inform us about what happens in the game. There is a balance between the amount of influence our choices as players (and GMs) in the game have, and the power that random dice rolls have to indiscriminately override them. And in my opinion, the d20 has way too much power and not nearly enough purpose. But it goes even deeper than that.</p><p></p><p>If this is primarily a <em>storytelling </em>game, then where are the rules that help you interpret the mechanics into the narrative? We've heard the tagline for years that says it is <em>a game of your imagination</em>. They are literally telling us we need to use our imagination in order to decide everything that happens. The dice and the rules are simply there to guide you. How, exactly? By answering "yes" or "no" questions? That's not nearly enough. Everything else is entirely up to you.</p><p></p><p>And I mean <em>everything</em>.</p><p></p><p>Go back to the example of my character trying to climb two walls. I rolled a 16 the first time, and I knew he succeeded. Then I rolled an 8 for a similar wall, but he still climbed it. So what happened in the narrative? Did he stumble a bit on the second wall? Was there a foothold on the first one? I have no idea. But we can either a) come up with some details to describe what happened differently, even though we come to the same result, or b) ignore it knowing that it won't affect the game any differently and just move on. There's no wrong answer, by the way. I've been known to do both.</p><p></p><p>So when I consider the d20, I often think to myself <em>'why do we need such a large range of numbers just to answer yes or no?'</em>. The actual values generated have little significance to the outcome, unless you count 'natural 20s' as critical hits. But that has nothing to do with the character options, skill, or the choices of the player. It is purely random luck. Ever notice that most rolls are predicated by a sense of tension and excitement from the players? You see similar behaviors when people are gambling, even with low stakes.</p><p></p><p>This is where I start looking for different mechanics to work with. I want dice to have a more direct influence in the game itself without taking away from player agency. I also want the dice to inform more about what is happening than just "hit" or "miss". The d20 is ill-suited for these purposes, and that is why it has to go.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jacob Lewis, post: 8627949, member: 6667921"] [HEADING=2]Changing The Core Mechanic[/HEADING] The twenty-sided die, or "d20", has been at the heart of the [I]Dungeons & Dragons[/I] game since its inception. It is what is commonly referred to as the [B]core mechanic[/B], which defines the rules and parameters of how the players interact with the game system and create the narrative experience. The d20 has become so synonymous with the system, in fact, that it's a large part of its identity. D&D without a d20 just isn't D&D, is it? Well I'm not here to argue semantics and opinions over this particular subject. But since I'm not trying to preserve the integrity of key features (i.e. "sacred cows"), this isn't a concern for me. But let me be clear; I don't think the d20 is a bad mechanic. It is simple, quick, and easy to use. Most of us will agree that these are very attractive features in any game. In a complex game like D&D, these are qualities that make playing (and running) the game faster and efficient, thus leading to a more enjoyable experience. Just to refresh ourselves, allow me to reiterate how it works: Whenever you declare an action where the outcome isn't certain, you make the appropriate skill check, ability check, or attack roll using the following steps: [LIST=1] [*]Roll a d20. [*]Add or subtract any relevant modifiers. [*]Compare it to a target number or an opposing roll. If the result is equal to or greater that number, then you succeed. Otherwise, you failed. [/LIST] The die itself can generate a value between 1 and 20, and the modifiers can result in even higher (or lower) values. Despite the large range of possible numbers, however, there are only two outcomes that actually matter: either the check was successful (pass) or it wasn't (fail). This is essentially a binary test where the results have only two possible values: "true" or "false". If you're familiar with how computers work, you'll recognize this as the fundamental basis of all programming languages and operations. To put it in more human terms, the results can only answer a simple question with either a "yes" (pass) or "no" (fail). So what kind of questions can we answer with yes/no results in D&D? Some of the most common are: [LIST] [*]Did you hit the monster with your weapon? [*]Did you climb over that wall? [*]Did you convince the guard to let you pass? [*]Did you pick the lock? [*]Did you find the secret door? [*]Did the enemy resist your spell? [/LIST] These are all very simple, very common, and very basic events that happen in the game. Of course, the game session is not comprised of a single one of these events, but a series of them which take place over the course of an encounter, a adventure, a campaign, etc. This is what the d20 is designed to do, and for the most part, it works quite well. And if that is your preference, there's no reason for me to recreate something that does what already exists and works well. So what's the problem? [HEADING=2]So What's Wrong with d20?[/HEADING] Here's how a typical D&D session might go: The characters are searching through the jungle for the lost city. The ranger wants to look for any tracks that might lead them in the right direction. He rolls a Survival check and succeeds. The party moves in the right direction. Next, the DM notes that the group is about to stumble onto a pit trap. She asks the rogue who is scouting ahead to make a Perception check. He fails the check and falls in. The fighter throws down a rope and helps to pull the rogue out of the pit. She makes an Athletics check, and so on. We can see that the d20 works adequately at the most basic, fundamental level of the game. Whenever a character attempts an action, a single throw of the die tells you whether they fail or succeed. You're either rewarded or you earn consequences. If you hit the monster, you may roll damage. If you miss the secret door, you don't get to see what's behind it. No more, and no less. As far as the rules of D&D are concerned, that is all you need to play the game. Now consider this: Let's say my character is attempting to climb a 10' wall. I roll a 16, apply the modifiers for his Athletics skill and Strength, and determine that he succeeds. Then, he attempts to climb a similar wall, using the same values and modifiers as before, but this time he rolls only an 8. And he still succeeds! What does that tell me? We can infer a few possibilities just from the results of the d20 check. [LIST=1] [*][B]The wall was not very difficult to climb.[/B] In this case, the DC set by the game (or the DM) was low enough that anyone with a decent modifier had a good chance to climb it even with a poor skill roll. [*][B]My character is either highly skilled in Athletics, a natural climber because of his high strength, or both.[/B] My character's modifiers are high enough that he can easily compensate for a poor skill roll, even if the wall is more difficult to climb. [*][B]A combination of the above.[/B] A skilled climber attempting to scale an easy wall rarely has any difficulty unless the dice roll is really, really low. [/LIST] Notice that the rules provide a good logical explanation for the [B]difficulty class (DC)[/B], the [B]ability modifiers[/B], and the [B]skill modifiers[/B] in the game's narrative. The DC represents the difficulty of the task being attempted, while the character's modifiers represent their training, competence, and natural talent. The system, however, seems to make no distinction between the two check results. A success with a 16 has the same results (and consequences) as a success with an 8. So what role does the dice play in the game exactly? What do they inform about the narrative? Dice are basically the [I]"What if..."[/I] factor in the game. As written in the [I]Rules Compendium[/I] (pg 14), "The d20 roll... reflects luck and the unpredictable nature of action and adventure." This makes it a surrogate for those untenable forces we like to call "fate", "luck", or "destiny". And while there is a place for such influences in our made-up stories and adventures, there is also such a thing as giving it too much influence. Admit it. We've all had those nights when the dice are taking things out of our control and ruining an otherwise fun experience. You can't seem to roll high enough to do anything at all, which leaves you on the sidelines during most of the action. Meanwhile, your buddy rolls three 20s in a row to take down the boss monster almost single-handedly. Now you begin to question why you decided to play a barbarian in the first place when its the halfling bard that is suddenly the brute in battle. Of course, most of us might actually enjoy the unexpected surprise that creates a funny or memorable moment for everyone. But not when it undermines our personal choices or expectations in the game. The purpose of the dice is not only to make things unpredictable, but also to inform us about what happens in the game. There is a balance between the amount of influence our choices as players (and GMs) in the game have, and the power that random dice rolls have to indiscriminately override them. And in my opinion, the d20 has way too much power and not nearly enough purpose. But it goes even deeper than that. If this is primarily a [I]storytelling [/I]game, then where are the rules that help you interpret the mechanics into the narrative? We've heard the tagline for years that says it is [I]a game of your imagination[/I]. They are literally telling us we need to use our imagination in order to decide everything that happens. The dice and the rules are simply there to guide you. How, exactly? By answering "yes" or "no" questions? That's not nearly enough. Everything else is entirely up to you. And I mean [I]everything[/I]. Go back to the example of my character trying to climb two walls. I rolled a 16 the first time, and I knew he succeeded. Then I rolled an 8 for a similar wall, but he still climbed it. So what happened in the narrative? Did he stumble a bit on the second wall? Was there a foothold on the first one? I have no idea. But we can either a) come up with some details to describe what happened differently, even though we come to the same result, or b) ignore it knowing that it won't affect the game any differently and just move on. There's no wrong answer, by the way. I've been known to do both. So when I consider the d20, I often think to myself [I]'why do we need such a large range of numbers just to answer yes or no?'[/I]. The actual values generated have little significance to the outcome, unless you count 'natural 20s' as critical hits. But that has nothing to do with the character options, skill, or the choices of the player. It is purely random luck. Ever notice that most rolls are predicated by a sense of tension and excitement from the players? You see similar behaviors when people are gambling, even with low stakes. This is where I start looking for different mechanics to work with. I want dice to have a more direct influence in the game itself without taking away from player agency. I also want the dice to inform more about what is happening than just "hit" or "miss". The d20 is ill-suited for these purposes, and that is why it has to go. [/QUOTE]
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