August 2017 – TechNo Prisoners

I’m Sorry, GM, I’m Afraid I Can’t Do That!

There are many articles discussing skill-systems (or lack thereof) in RPGs. How much bonus you get, how to level-up, which you should buy.

This is not one of those articles.

We learn from Failure, not success – Bram Stoker

Here I discuss what happens when a PC does not have a skill. Maybe the GM has called for a “History – Elven” roll, or “Electronics Repair”, or even “Climbing”. Scouring your character sheet reveals a large, conspicuous gap where that skill should be. How does your system handle that? Do you get to roll anyway, or automatically fail? Do other skills (“History – Dwarven”, or “Electronics Manufacturing”?) help at all? How relevant are your Stats?

The system our group is currently playing (FWTD) says that all Skills require a level of training, and anyone without this basic requirement (Rank 1) cannot roll, and will automatically fail. Simplistic, and ignoring the Player’s Favourite “Critical Hit”, it does distinguish between people who have invested the time and effort (XP) in learning a Skill, and those who haven’t. Most skills are based on your Intelligence score, and you roll 1d20 +4/Rank-above-One, so if you were allowed to roll, a INT 16 PC wold still have the advantage over a INT 10 PC with 2 Ranks!

Rolemaster takes a similar approach, but instead of an outright Fail, applies quite hefty penalties to unskilled characters. Rolling a d100 + Skill Bonus, and usually wanting to hit 100, unskilled applies a -30 Penalty! Even allowing for a half-decent Stat Bonus (+5 to +15), and a decent roll (70+), you are not getting very far! It does allow for “Critical Hits”, and its Exploding Dice (if you roll 95-100, you roll again and add!) can lead to some outrageous results, even for unskilled PCs.

GURPS has a complex web of default-skills. You don’t have “Electronics Repair”? You can roll “Electronics Operation” at a penalty of 3, or IQ stat at a penalty of 5. Each Skill has a list of which other skills can be substituted for each other, at what modifier. This can be a little cumbersome for novices, but a little work, and a decent character sheet, will soon see it falling into place.

In a similar manner, Shadowrun had its “Skill Web”, where you could trace skills to other skills, and roll with a penalty depending upon how far away on the Web they were. More cumbersome than GURPS, with little to recommend it, this was removed in later editions.

At the other end of the scale is Apocalypse World (and the ever growing list of “Powered by The Apocalypse” (PbtA) systems), that have no Skills. You have 4 Stats, rated -1 to +3, and roll 2d6 plus stat. Trying to fix that broken radio? That’ll be Sharp, unless it is a very pressured situation, when it might be Cool.

The style of game will inform (and be informed by) the Unskilled procedure. Pulp-type games, or “heroic” systems can encourage players to try actions that they are not necessarily trained in, rewarding flair and confidence, whereas “gritty”, “realistic” systems try to penalise PCs for attempting things they have no right to be doing (“I know I’m not trained in Surgery, but what’s the worst that can happen?“).

Another point to be considered is the consequence of failure. If a Fail doesn’t cost much apart from time, and allows another attempt, unskilled PCs will be wanting to Roll anyway, looking for that “Natural 20”. PbtA (and other systems) has distinct problems that arise from failed rolls (e.g. failing a Combat roll means you got hit!), and players will be more inclined to call “Oh, no! I didn’t realise it would be a HOT roll! Can I take that back? Or make it a HARD roll instead?” rather than suffer the Consequence of Failure.

Failure does not always mean “The task is completely failed”. If the GM calls for a Horse Riding roll, and your Urban Hacker has never even seen a horse before being hoisted onto one five minutes previously (no Skill Ranks), this does not mean that they sit there immobile while their team-mates ride off to the Bad Guy’s hideout, but will mean that anyone who has ridden one before (Rank 1 Skill), will get their earlier, in better shape, with a happier horse (unless they roll a Fumble – sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing!)

So next time you’re wondering whether to invest your hard-won XP in a new skill, rather than pushing up an existing one, look to the system you are playing – can you roll a decent Default Skill? Does it open a new set of Tasks you were previously unable to attempt? Does it move you from Inevitable Failure to Almost Certain Failure, or do you reach Possible Success (For Easy Tasks)? Each system has different ways of approaching these things, and they can lead to quite different styles of play.

Trail Rations: A User’s Guide

Gamers are a hungry bunch, if the common tropes are to be believed. Mountains of Cheetos and gallons of Mountain Dew get consumed every session. Players failing to bring enough to feed a small army are ostracised, their characters docked points, and told to do better next time. But is this true? Do you eat at the gaming-table? Does the GM expect to be provided for? Do you mind your dice getting sticky?

Our main Game is played in our lounge, and some of the players come straight from work. We start the evening by ordering from a local pizza place (although we haven’t ordered an actual pizza in forever!). Chicken wings, burgers, “meat” lasagna, donor-meat on chips, you get the idea. We all write our orders on the same notepad that has been used for over three generations of gaming, once we have found a gap to write in, and the last person to arrive adds their order, and calls it in. The GM is exempt from making the order, even if they are the last (perks of the job!). (There is usually some change left over after we have all paid, and this is put into a jar, to save. We occasionally dip into it to buy a new game, the latest being the full set of Nuclear War, costing over £100. We still have more in the jar!) The order usually arrives shortly after we start, and we munch as we recap last session and decide tonight’s actions. This usually keeps us fuelled for the rest of the evening. We supply our own drinks. Tissues are available for wiping hands, and the occasional inevitable spill.

I do mourn my sister-in-law closing her cake-making business. We would sometimes order custom cupcakes, designed to our characters. This image show (clockwise from top left) Elven archer, Magical Sword, Wizard, GM’s Crown, Barbarian, Priest of The Cudgel).

The other game I play in is quite different. For those of us who arrive early, the host puts on a spread, usually themed to the game, that we eat in front of an episode of “Release the Hounds”. Everyone makes a contribution towards ingredients and time. Last time was a slab of roast pork, a slab of chicken, thin-sliced roast veg and bread rolls, followed by a choice of two Spotted Dicks. Previously we have had Pie, and Soup. We then retire to the Gaming Room. A custom-furnished area, with Gaming Table, GM’s Screen and dice-trays. Here the rest of the players unload their bags, with crisps, flapjacks, mini-donuts and whatever other sugar was on cheap at the local shops, forming a veritable cornucopia. These are gradually devoured through the long session, and any non-perishables left over are stashed in the Snacks Cupboard, ready for next time! As most of the players drive to the game, there is little alcohol (although the host likes a decent Ale, and I get a lift from Lucretia, so take a few cans).

I missed the new game running on Sunday evenings at our local pub. But I have attended other one-off games there. Being a pub, there is beer, coffee, beer, soft drinks and beer available. Bags of bar snacks (crisps, peanuts, tiny spiced sausages, pork scratchings) are opened on the table for all to share. They are also famed for their pizzas, made by the incomparable Mikey G. (Do ask for MORE spice, if you want them spicy though.)

The venue makes a big difference to eating, with the host having a lot of say over this. The Criterion does not take kindly to people bringing their own food/drink. Others places, such as my house, are less fussy (often, players will stash drinks in our fridge, and have even used our oven to heat meals!)

Somehow, we have managed, in all of the games, to avoid getting grease-stains all over our character sheets, or dice dropped in too many cups of tea*.

Do you eat at your games? Snacks? Meals? Is eating barred at the table?

*Ruining their rollablity! See: Probablite

Post-Apocalypse Dungeon Crawl

The Dungeon Crawl. Staple of Fantasy Gaming. Enter an underground complex, and raid it for XP/Loot. They can vary from very small (One Page Dungeon) to very large (The Underdark). But how can they be incorporated into a Post-Apocalypse setting?

Ruined Cities are often featured, but focus more on Interiors than Underground. Carefully negotiating rubble-strewn streets to reach Storage Depots, Warehouses or other Loot Drops. With possible snipers on rooftops, the grey/red/<insert Apocalypse here> sky always in view, and many exits, they don’t really have the same feel.

But what if the City IS underground? Not originally-underground, but became-underground. I’m thinking something like Manhattan getting hit with a bigger version of Pompeii’s pyroclastic flow. The streets are filled with rapidly-solidifying ash, covering over 20-stories deep! Buildings are preserved, but access becomes limited. Maybe a lot of the Flow doesn’t penetrate much into the buildings. The rooms are still rooms. And there is Loot to be had! Pre-Fall Loot!

Access would be through the tops of tall buildings (now low buildings with Dungeons beneath!). Areas between buildings is blocked by ash, but could be tunnelled through (and possibly already has!), although the top layers are baked solid, and excavation efforts are hampered by bandits/mutants/radiation/<insert reason here>. Who knows what foul creatures reside in the deeper levels of such places? Mutants with pig-like noses and penchant for cannibalism? Animals escaped from the Zoo, twisted over generations (because Apocalypse)? Rodents over-gorged on food-stores and grown to Unusual Size?

With short sight-lines, melee combat becomes favoured over sniper shots. You’ll need to bypass locked doors and vaults. Maybe previous occupants have laid traps. As this is an expedition away from Base Camp, a medic will be useful.

I’ll be expanding on these thoughts later, but I present this as a taster.

Feedback Appreciated.