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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 8165846" data-attributes="member: 6785785">What's the process?That depends on the game, doesn't it?In Apocalypse World and most of its PbtA branches, there is no DC. The numbers to fail or succeed are static; roll 2d6, on a 6 or less you miss, 7 to 9 is a hit, and 10+ is a strong hit.For Blades in the Dark, the GM sets the position based on the situation or fictional positioning. There are 3 commonly used positions: Controlled, Risky, or Desperate. So if your PC is going to stab somebody it might be Controlled if you've successfully sneaked up on them, or Risky if you're facing off in a gang fight, or Desperate if his buddy has a hold of your arm. That kind of thing. Usually it's pretty obvious what position to use, and when it's not, the default is Risky. But even then, open negotiation by the players is actively encouraged. That encouragement is explicitly stated.Looking at those two games as examples, I would say that the differences with PbtA are significant. There's no judgment really needed on the part of the GM as far as establishing what's needed for a success; the numbers are set. The player knows their chances to succeed.For Blades, there is GM judgment needed, but it's all very transparent and is also explicitly negotiable. The Position is established before the player has to commit to a roll, so they know what their chances are, and how much risk is involved. The three positions make sense, and the limit in number allows for more consistency in interpretation and application.For a game like 5E, the DCs range from 10 to 30 or more. That's far more than 3 buckets when compared to Blades. The DC is also based on situation/fictional positioning, so that is similar. But that larger scale leaves a lot more wiggle room for inconsistencies. Then there's the question of if the DC is even shared with the PC. Hell, sometimes a GM in a game like 5E will ask the player to make a roll and not even tell them what for! The game leaves the question of how player facing all this is up to the GM. The players may be totally in the dark about any or all of it.Haven't we all seen examples along the lines of the below?GM: Hey, Mike, give me a roll for Gor.Mike: Oh boy....what kind of roll?GM: Don't worry about that for now....just a d20. Mike: Okay....ugh, now I'm nervous. Something's going on. (Rolls a d20) I got a 17! GM: Okay, cool. Mike: What happens? Do I notice something? GM: Nothing as far as you can tell. What do you want to do? I've seen that kind of thing all the time.</blockquote>

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