2D6 or 2Dx?

I have come up with an idea about how to eliminate the Action Result Table (ART) from the game.  I am somewhat fond of the ART but I am also fond of this idea.  I can not take full credit for this idea because I came up with it after reading the latest post over at Back to the Dungeon! about a D6 - D6 resolution mechanic.  I liked the basic idea but put my own twist to it; details below.

Most of the ideas I have brainstormed for a 2D6 chart based game system will still work with these changes; it should only require minimal tweaking.  How about a 2D6 task resolution system with one positive die and one negative die?  You roll the two dice together, subtract the negative from the positive, add in any modifiers from attributes/skills/etc., and get a total.  If the final result is 1 or above, the attempted action is a success.  If it is 0 or below, the attempted action fails.  That would be for any standard difficulty tasks under the ART.  Do you want to simulate a Hard difficulty task?  The negative die is now a D8 and you roll with a positive D6.  Do you want to simulate a Very Hard difficulty task?  The negative die is now a D10 and you roll with a positive D6.  The necessity of the ART is now eliminated.

It seems pretty easy and elegant to use to me.  Of course, that is just a first impression with no play testing whatsoever.  Any suggestions?  What would you do - keep the ART or switch to 2Dx?  

2D6: Talents

Talents in the 2D6 system are the equivalent of skills in other games.  Each talent will be associated with a corresponding attribute.  A proposed grouping is listed below.

(MIGHT)

Climbing

(PROWESS)

Acrobatics

Riding

(KNOWLEDGE)

Literacy
Lore
Streetwise

Survival

(WILL)

Leadership

(There will also be other talents that are related to the role of the character.)

(Melee)
Berserker Rage
Two Weapon Fighting

(Ranged)
Double Shot
Quick Shot

(Magic)
Fast Casting


Again, this is just a placeholder for a list of ideas.  There will be more added during the design process.  More later...

2D6: Boons & Banes (partial list)

Just as a point of reference, here is some ideas for some of the individual boons and banes.

Boons

Ambidexterity

Charismatic

Fearless

Lucky

Photographic Memory

Strong

Very Strong

Banes

Clumsy

Forgetful

Hatred

Phobia

Unattractive

Unlucky

Weak

Very Weak

Just a short list to get the creative process moving.  I will add to this list and keep refining it through the design process. More later...

2D6: Boons & Banes

Okay, I am still working on a makeshift list of talents.  It is coming along but not quickly.  In the meantime, I will present a little bit of information about another area of the rules: boons and banes.  Many other games have rules corresponding to boons and banes but they just call them something different; advantages, disadvantages, edges, and flaws are just a few examples.  

Boons (aka advantages and edges)

Put simply, a boon affects a character or the situation in a positive manner.  They differ from talents by the fact that they represent something other than just training or skills.  Some examples might include security clearance, lucky, and fearless.  One of the mechanics involved will be rolling a 3D6 for any task related to the boon and the player picks which two dice to use for the task.  A second idea for a mechanic involves rolling the normal 2D6 but only picking one die for the total while assuming a 6 was rolled on the other die; this would be for a minor boon.  A major boon would use the assumption of a 6 on on die while rolling 3D6 and the player chooses which of the dice to use for the total.  All fo these methods give a chance for a higher roll and that is what a boon is good for.

Banes (aka disadvantages, flaws, and hindrances)

In a nutshell, banes are the opposite of boons and affect the character or situation in a negative or adverse manner.  Some examples might include phobia or unlucky.  Of course, they would work in the opposite manner of a boon and some would come in two levels - minor and major.  A minor bane would work with the assumption of an already rolled 1 and the player rolls 2D6 and keeps the lowest roll.  A major bane would work the same except involve rolling 3D6  while keeping the lowest result.

There are the basic ideas for how boons and banes might work.  Of course, it is all subject to change because it is just the rough draft.  More later...

2D6: Class, Role, etc.

After a player selects the race of their character and generates the attribute ratings, the next step in the character creation process is the selection of character class or role.  In my 2D6 system, this class or role will basically be a bundled together group of talents and a few other options that help to mold the character into a more focused direction.

I am attempting to detail the classes or roles in a manner that does not straight jacket the character into being useful in only limited situations.  Yes, I want the characters to be "better" or "best" in certain situations BUT I also want there to be situations where other classes would better handle the situation so the team aspect is encouraged.  

My initial impression on how the class or role information will be formatted is detailed below.

Name: The name of the class or role followed by a few sentences explaining the functions of that class.

Talents: The bundle of talents that will be the core building blocks of that class or role.

Other: A short list of special abilities, bonuses, and penalties related to characters playing this class or role.  This will include stuff like clerical healing, the ability to detect evil, or other similar abilities.  (This should be where the difficulty columns of the Action Result Table get the most use.  For instance, on a successful roll in the Hard column against knowledge, a mage can decipher a magic scroll.)

I would like a healthy amount of variation among the classes or roles so the players will have plenty of options to choose from.  A few ideas for the list of classes or roles are listed below:

Barbarian: a warrior of the wild that is prone to fly into an uncontrollable rage during combat.

Bard: a traveling minstrel type character desiring fame and fortune.

Cleric: a warrior-priest.

Druid: a nature priest.

Elementalist: a mage that uses the forces of the elements to aid him.

Knight: a noble warrior.

Mage: a worker of arcane magic.

Monk: a spiritual warrior that commonly groups together in a monastery.

Paladin: a holy warrior.

Ranger: a warrior of the woods; typically prefers bows.

Thief: an adventurer typically from the "wrong side of the tracks".

Warrior: a typical sword for hire.

Witch: a misunderstood magic user that is often thought to be evil.

That is just a basic list showing the general idea; not much detail yet and I am sure that much of it will eventually change.  I just needed to get it out there.  Besides, I still have a list of talents to complete.  More later...

2D6: Decisions and (some) Details

The last few days of work have been pretty demanding of my spare time but I am back at work on my 2D6 based game system.  First of all, I do appreciate the comments and suggestions made by all that did so; even if they went in directions that different from mine.  The responses ensured that I looked at differing views and design intentions instead of just simply deciding on something out of thin air.  If I do not wind up using your idea in my design do not take that as a slight on your part; it boiled down to a difference of opinion or point of view and not a judgment on quality or usefulness.  Feel free to continue with suggestions in the future - suggestions are always helpful to me - or, even better, take your ideas and start making your own game; I would love to give some input!  The information below contains the basic ideas I have decided to use for this design.

Narrow Focus

I believe there was some initial talk on my part of just trying to start with a system and then fine tune it to each genre.  That plan has changed.  The focus of the game will now be on the fantasy genre.  I feel that by limiting the focus to just one genre that it would be easier to complete.  I may move on to other genres in the future.

Task Resolution

The 2D6 fantasy game will use a single, unified Action Result Table to determine the outcome of all actions in the game; regardless if the attempted action is striking with a sword, searching for a trap, deciphering a code, etc.  I know many games have different mechanics for different actions in their rules - some of my favorites are guilty of this - but I am getting to the age that I would rather play than worry about cross referencing this rule on page 48 with that rule on page 210 while keeping in mind that I need to remember the optional method detailed on page 58.  You get the idea.  I hope to have clear, concise rules that do not need to referenced every time a player has his character perform an action in the game.  One of the ways I will accomplish this is by putting the ART on the character sheet.

Attributes

Each character will be defined in the most basic physical and mental sense by the use of a short list of attributes.  I have went back and forth on the number of attributes to include in the game.  I am still not 100% sure but after reading some of the previous comments I have figured out that it would probably serve me best to come up with a make shift list of attributes and see how the talent list interacts with them.  Once that is determined, I can adjust the number or definitions of the attributes to suit the game.  At this moment, I am trying out 4 attributes:

Might [M]: a measure of the character's physical strength, constitution, and overall health.

Prowess [P]: a measure of the character's balance, coordination, and reflexes.

Knowledge [K]: a measure of a character's ability to store, understand, and use information.  

Will [W]: a measure of a character's mental toughness and ability to fight off stress.

The attributes will be rated on a simple scale that is easy to follow.  Negative numbers (-1,-2, etc.) are considered below average, zero (0) is considered average, and positive numbers (+1, +2, etc.) are considered above average.

I have tried several different methods for attribute generation ranging from point distribution, archetype selection, to random rolls.  I wanted race to play a role in the determination of attribute ratings but I did not want to do the typical modifier to a roll.  Instead, I came up with a chart of weighted rolls that will tend to create characters matching the typical adventurers of that race; at least, I hope that is what the following chart does.

              Might 

If your roll is a...	Dwarf	Elf	Human
2	-1	-2	-2
3	-1	-2	-1
4	0	-1	-1
5	0	-1	-1
6	0	-1	0
7	+1	-1	0
8	+1	-1	0
9	+1	0	+1
10	+2	0	+1
11	+2	0	+1
12	+2	+1	+2

This table is just an example and not the finished results but you get the idea.  Of course, I just realized that the chart is not set up to have the middle range of rolls be the most common results.  I *think* that would make a difference BUT I am no mathematician so I really do not know if it matters or not.

Talents

Talents will be the skills of this game system.  They will get a rating similar to attributes and work in much the same fashion. I am working on the talents now.

Boons

Boons are advantageous abilities that will also serve to help further individualize and customize your character.  Normally, a character with a Might +1 is basically equally as strong and tough.  A boon of Strong makes him physically stronger.  I have two ways I am evaluating to simulate this.  First, the boon could be slightly strong (+1) or very strong (+2).  You would simply apply this bonus on top of Might when you are doing a task that is related to strength.  Second, the other option I am looking at just gives you a bonus D6 to roll.  I am not sure if you get to pick the 2 rolls you want to keep OR assume a 6 is there and you get to roll 2D6 and use the highest.  

Final Thoughts

That is it for now.  It seems to be coming together a little bit now.  I will continue working on the talents list to see where I stand on the attributes.  If anyone has any input, feel free to share. 

 

2D6: Attributes

One of my design goals with the 2D6 system is to keep the details to a minimum.  Part of that involves streamlining the list of attributes.  I have come up with a list of 3 broad attributes:

Might [M]: a measure of the character's physical strength and fatigue potential.

Prowess [P]: a measure of the character's balance, coordination, and reflexes.

Intellect [I]: a measure of the character's learning potential and reasoning ability.

I like the fact that the list is short and to the point.  I am not 100% sure that only 3 attributes will serve the purposes of this system.  I am unsure if I need to add another attribute that measures some form of mental toughness and stress resistance.  I think that social attribute stuff can be handled with talents or advantage type stuff.  I am designing outside of my comfort zone so I am sure it will take several attempts to get it right.

I am thinking that the race of the character will help determine the attribute ratings. I probably will not go with mechanical modifications to the initial scores that are rolled but something different.  Maybe a roll of 2D6 for each attribute on a chart in the race description.  This specific chart will be weighted to generate a rating in line with typical members of that race.  For example, an elf might have a might generation chart that looks something like this:

Roll            Score

2                 -2

3 to 8          -1

9 to 11         0

12               +1

It is easy to see that the majority of elf characters will have either a -1 rating or average rating.  Of course, selection of class/role/etc. could also change this rating in some manner also.  

More later...

2D6: Some More Ideas...

As I grow older and find myself with all of these real world commitments, I desire smaller sets of rules to learn and use during my play time.  I just do not want hundreds of pages of rules to reference and argue about.  The 2D6 design I am working on is a possible remedy to that situation.  I am pretty happy with the ART presented in previous posts; it may need some modification later but I think it is a good start.  It can be put on the bottom of the character record sheet for easy reference also.  In keeping with my goal of simpler game design, further possibilities are presented below:

Character Classes & Races

My original concept was to follow tradition by having the players select a race and class out of the ones provided in the rules.  Of course, the race and class selection might alter the attributes, skills, etc. of the character.  Instead, the players will now just simply state the class and race of their character.  For instance, Thomas Lightbringer is a Human Cleric of Karnak.  There you have the name, race, and occupation of the character.

Attributes

This is another area that I am trying to break with tradition.  Most games have a list of 6 to 10 attributes with labels such as Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, Intelligence, Will, Wisdom, Charisma, Luck, Perception, etc.  These attributes fill a specific purpose in their game system.  I would like to go with a condensed list of only 3 or 4 broad attributes such as Might, Reflexes, Intellect, and Will or maybe Physique, Mind, Spirit, and Influence.  I am not sure if either of those will be the list but that is the basic concept of what I want to express with the attributes.

If I have not made it clear yet, the attributes will not have a numerical listing but will have a rating expressed as -2, -1 (for below average), 0 (average), and +1, +2 (for above average).  

Talents

Talents will be skills, knowledge, etc. that give a character a specific focused advantage in certain circumstances.  Maybe a minor talent will be +1 to +2  and a major talent will be +3 or +4 BUT it will be specialized and applied ONLY in situations involving the use of that talent.  Some possible talents include  chivalry, computer programming, etc.

More thoughts later...    

2D6: Expanded ART (proposed)

Based on a suggestion by Darius, I am fiddling with the idea of an expanded ART that will include difficulty categories into the table; the table still functions the same but opens up a little more variety.  The proposed changes are presented below.

Using the Action Result Table

1. The GM sets the difficulty of the attempted action; this determines the column to use in the ART.

2. Compare the character's Skill or Attribute Rating against the opposing Skill, Attribute, or Challenge.

2. Take the difference (positive, negative, or even zero) and apply it to a 2D6 roll.
 3. Refer to the appropriate column in the chart below to see the outcome of the attempted action.

Special rolls: There are two special rolls that are handled somewhat differently from the procedure outlined above. If a player rolls double 1s then the attempted action is an automatic failure with no further rolls needed. If a player rolls double 6s the roll is not modified by as in step 2 above. Instead, the dice are rolled again, added to the previously rolled 12, and then the modifier is added to the roll. Even if a task seems impossible a lucky roll just may be what it takes to save the day.

      Action  Result Table

Standard	Hard	Very Hard
2 or less	4 or less	6 or less	Mishap
3 to 5	5 to 7	7 to 9	Failure
6 to 11	8 to 13	10 to 15	Success
12 or more	14 or more	16 or more	Critical

The following guidelines may be used when interpreting the results from the Action Result Table.
Mishap: The attempted action not only fails but has unexpected consequences such as the character drops or breaks his weapon, accidentally injures himself, the spell backfire, or some other similar outcome. The decision is in the hands of the GM to determine the details of the mishap in correlation to the attempted action.
Failure: The attempted action fails to achieve the intended results.
Success: The attempted action succeeds and achieves the intended results; this could be anything from a moderate to success to a complete success depending on the circumstances. The higher the roll, the better the outcome.
Critical: The attempted action not only succeeds but also has unexpected benefits such as a major wound inflicted on the target, a bulls eye shot, or some other similar outcome. Again, it is the duty of the GM to determine the details of the critical in correlation to the attempted action.

It might still need a little tweaking but that's the general idea...

2D6: A New ART & New Direction

I have been brainstorming on the Single D6 design lately and I am temporarily suspending further design of it until I explore the possibilities with a 2D6 based game system.  I was fiddling around with the Action Result Table and came to the conclusion that  2D6 based ART would give much more variety and options for growth. The updated ART and information is presented below.

Using the Action Result Table

1. Compare the character's Skill or Attribute Rating against the Difficulty of the Action.
2. Take the difference (positive, negative, or even zero) and apply it to a 2D6 roll.
3. Refer to the chart below to see the outcome of the attempted action.

Special rolls:  There are two special rolls that are handled somewhat differently from the procedure outlined above.  If a player rolls double 1s then the attempted action is an automatic failure with no further rolls needed.  If a player rolls double 6s the roll is not modified by as in step 2 above.  Instead, the dice are rolled again, added to the previously rolled 12, and then the modifier is added to the roll.  Even if a task seems impossible a lucky roll just may be what it takes to save the day.

Action Result Table

If you roll a	The result is
2 or less	Mishap
3 to 5	Failure
6 to 11	Success
12 or more	Critical

The following guidelines may be used when interpreting the results from the Action Result Table.
Mishap:   The attempted action not only fails but has unexpected consequences such as the character drops or breaks his weapon, accidentally injures himself, the spell backfire, or some other similar outcome. The decision is in the hands of the GM to determine the details of the mishap in correlation to the attempted action.
Failure:   The attempted action fails to achieve the intended results.
Success:  The attempted action succeeds and achieves the intended results; this could be anything from a moderate to success to a complete success depending on the circumstances. The higher the roll, the better the outcome.
Critical:   The attempted action not only succeeds but also has unexpected benefits such as a major wound inflicted on the target, a bulls eye shot, or some other similar outcome. Again, it is the duty of the GM to determine the details of the critical in correlation to the attempted action.