Jools
First Post
I'm currently making my own game (mostly informed by 4e, but thats not too important here) and I'm starting to favour opposed D20 rolls. I know it'll slow things down slightly - waiting for two people to roll - but I'm starting to think its better. I like the idea of the DM rolling first, announcing his total (that needs to beaten by the pc) thus allowing the player to take control of the narrative and narrate what happens. For exmple, the rogue beats the DM's 28 and isn't hit by the orc's cutlass. He can now narrate precisely how he evaded the blow by ducking under a barrel of fish.
It has the further advantage of allowing players to feel more involved in what happens to their characters. I find it a little passive to roll dice all by myself and then announce to players that they've been hit for X amount of damage. I sometimes get responses like "really? even with my AC?" and so on. I think they'll feel more involved when they know they got hit because they rolled lower than me.
So what do you think? Do you agree with me? I've not played any opposed dice games for years and can't really remember what they were like. I'd love to hear about any experiences you may have had with such games. Are they better? Can they be better?
It has the further advantage of allowing players to feel more involved in what happens to their characters. I find it a little passive to roll dice all by myself and then announce to players that they've been hit for X amount of damage. I sometimes get responses like "really? even with my AC?" and so on. I think they'll feel more involved when they know they got hit because they rolled lower than me.
So what do you think? Do you agree with me? I've not played any opposed dice games for years and can't really remember what they were like. I'd love to hear about any experiences you may have had with such games. Are they better? Can they be better?