Combat as a single roll

[Laurefindel]

Agon, from Evil Hat by John Harper and Sean Nittner does this. All challenges, whether combat or skill or oration or whatever, are resolved with a single roll by each participant.

Same as Blades in the Dark I presume?

 

[hawkeyefan]

Same as Blades in the Dark I presume?

It goes even further, really. With Blades, you may resolve a PC dealing with a specific target (or at times, maybe multiple targets) with one roll, but the entire combat may consist of multiple targets or enemies, and would therefore potentially involve multiple rolls by all players.

Agon is specifically about deciding which PCs are getting involved in the challenge, making a roll for each of them, then comparing them to to Strife Score to see if they succeed and who might gain the most glory.

There are certainly multiple challenges on each island, but every single challenge follows the above play summary, with each participating PC making one roll.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Don't some of the Powered By The Apocolypse games do this? Or at least, a lot of physical conflicts are handle by a basic move called something like "Kick Some Ass"?

 

[Ovinomancer]

Don't some of the Powered By The Apocolypse games do this? Or at least, a lot of physical conflicts are handle by a basic move called something like "Kick Some Ass"?

No, they really don't. And I think you're thinking of Dungeon World's Hack-and-Slash, which is a basic move. However, if your combats in DW are just repeated uses of Hack-and-Slash, you're doing it wrong.

If you're going to use a single roll to resolve anything, in any game, the important bit is what the stakes are and who sets them, followed by the ability of the player to judge the odds, at least at a high level.

 

[Retreater]

I think it might work in a fail-forward type system. Not so much if the results are "you lost this one die roll and thus all your characters die."

 

[Ovinomancer]

I think it might work in a fail-forward type system. Not so much if the results are "you lost this one die roll and thus all your characters die."

Right, stakes. The issues really will resolve in how stakes are set for a contest, both in what they are and who decides them.

 

[Morrus]

I think it might work in a fail-forward type system. Not so much if the results are "you lost this one die roll and thus all your characters die."

Absolutely. Thats the flaw which strikes me straight away.

 

[Voadam]

In typical D&D the PCs win most fights.

When they do lose they have to run away, or they get captured, or they die. In contrast the consequences of failing a skill check are usually less game halting.

 

[dragoner]

Killing characters on one roll of the dice?


No, the players would probably not like that.

 

[Voadam]

Oh wait, so one option for this is to go full OSR fantasy Vietnam.

Make a save or die. Success means no effect and you proceed, fail you are dead.

Man I hated that in B/X and AD&D.