Design Challenge: prison-playable RPG rules

[Umbran]

The crazy huge dice pools will also present an issue — dice are considered contraband in many prisons because of a little game called "craps" and, in those where they are allowed, they tend to be tightly controlled (usually they must be signed in or out).

if you have a pencil and paper, you can make chits.

 

[El Mahdi]

deleted

 

[jdrakeh]

How to roll a dX:

Two players each right down a number between 1 and X. Add the two numbers together, and if the total is greater than X, subtract X.

Example: I pick 1 and you pick 6. We get 1 + 6 = 7, -6 = 1.
Example: I pick 4 and you pick 2. We get 4 + 2 = 6.

Interesting, though I think that makes it too easy to load 'dice' rolls. In that same vein, though, the old Fading Suns LARP (I think it was called Passion Play) utilized a finger 'throwing' system (ala rock, paper, scissors).

 

[BryonD]

Disguise everything as dancing

 

[pawsplay]

Interesting, though I think that makes it too easy to load 'dice' rolls. In that same vein, though, the old Fading Suns LARP (I think it was called Passion Play) utilized a finger 'throwing' system (ala rock, paper, scissors).

It should be a completely flat distribution. If I throw a 4, my possible results are:

+ 1 = 5
+ 2 = 6
+ 3 = 7, so 1
+ 4 = 8, 2
+ 5 = 9, 3
+ 6 = 10, 4

So apart from rock-paper-scissors type strategy, it shouldn't be loading for anything.

 

[ggroy]

By my memory, Tunnels and Trolls runs perilously close. The only big issue at hand is probably the spell list, which would have to be memorized.

So, that gives you your first design criteria - no long lists that need to be memorized. Spell casting, if any, needs to be something fairly freeform.

Combat spells would probably be easy to remember. It's basically spells which are a variations of: magic missile, fireball, lightning, etc ...

Spells which are used outside of and/or not directly in combat, may very well be more numerous and probably not be so easy to condense into a short list.

 

[Undermountain]

For dice, for a 20 sided die as an example, you could take 10 large pebbles and 10 small pebbles. Sit down on the floor next to wall and draw a line on the floor perpendicular to the wall at about 6 inches away from the wall. Then, to roll the "die", toss the stones against the wall so they bounce back on the floor. Count the large stones that pass back over the line and the small stones that do not pass back over the line and that is your result. Use 5 large and 5 small stones for 1d10, 2 large and 2 small for 1d4, etc.

 

[Undermountain]

Another easy system for dice if they had only paper or even cloth, they could cut up little pieces like chits - just 1 cm squares. Keep one side of each chit clean and put a smudge on the other side essentially making a heads and tails. To roll a d20, toss 20 of them into the air and count the ones that land clean side up.

 

[ggroy]

Another way to simulate a d20, is to use a deck of cards.

(No idea if card decks are considered contraband in prisons).

 

[Undermountain]

Another easy system for dice, if you only have sticks of some kind (like tookpicks, twigs, matchsticks, etc. - not sure if prisoners would have these but maybe you'll get lost hiking sometime in the woods and all you wanna do is play D&D you could take your 20 twigs and mark one end of each twig with ink, dirt, or whatever. then draw a 2 foot line on the floor. To roll a d20, pick one side of the line and throw 20 twigs in the air. Count those twigs who's marked end points more to the same direction as the indicated side and that's your roll.