RESOLUTION

When I call for a roll, it is with some deliberation. It will usually be in response to the player attempting to do something or asking if something they want to do is possible.

First, we need to look to the fiction, which is to say we need to understand what they want to do, how they are planning to do it, and what they hope to accomplish.

After that has been determined, I will discover if a roll is even necessary, and this means discovering if there are any interesting story branches that could result from the roll. If there's nothing particularly interesting to be gained by success or by failure, I will go for the more interesting story outcome. This may mean that I go with failure, but just as often mean success. :)

If there is a viable story branch, I will call for a roll. Typically, the player will roll a d20 versus a difficulty class determined by the specific scenario. Bonuses and penalties to this roll can be applied at this point, based on the player's character sheet.

Matching or exceeding the roll's difficulty class means that what the player wanted to happen happens. Rolling lower than however means that the story turns an unexpected way, though I will usually detail what will happen before any roll is made. In other cases, I might have a specific chart available to be studied beforehand, so that the player knows the consequences of their actions before rolling.
This message was last updated by the GM at 23:32, Fri 27 Oct 2023.