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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jedijon" data-source="post: 6692058" data-attributes="member: 49099">Grimm RPG by Fantasy Flight has a dice mechanic that is designed [explicitly stated in the rulebook] to generate normal results most of the time. They want to avoid a character being able to lift a freight train one turn but fail to move a chair the following turn...Here's how it works, if you make a check using your lvl3 skill; your result...<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">will remain lvl3 if you roll a 2 through 5</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">will be lvl2 if you roll a 1</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">will be lvl4 if you roll a 6*</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">*and you can keep rolling to increase your level IF YOU KEEP getting a 6 otherwise you stop there</li> </ul>Pretend you have a group of adventurers who come across an enchanted plate of cookies which, if they eat them, will result in them becoming bloated and floating up to the ceiling. The difficult of this willpower [called "pluck" in Grimm] check is lvl3. The pluck lvl of these characters is 1, 3, 3, 4. So 2 characters have an 83% shot at being okay, one character has a 100% shot at being okay [you can only lose ONE level] and the final character with the lowly score of lvl1...has a 3% chance to pass this test.Now, there's still SOME uncertainty to your rolls in this system. But basically - if you're 1 or more levels over the required level you can't fail, and if you're more than 1 level below the required level you are going to fail. I like the simplicity of the system. You know what happened when you see what you rolled. At least if the GM is announcing the difficulty level prior to the check. You COULD get the same psychological effect in a d20 game by announcing the difficulty level prior to the roll, in which case the only difference is the math goes well beyond 6...Has anybody actually played Grimm? I've just read the rulebook. Initially I was impressed with the "linear d6" mechanic, but now it looks like absolute predestination. If I write an adventure using this system I need to have my character's sheets in front of me and figure out what they can, will, should fail and which challenges they're going to HAVE to work together to have any chance at succeeding and/or which specific character is going to be responsible for each action. It feels like "okay Player A is going to break open this door because only he can do it, Player B will talk down the pixie on the other side from jumping out the window because only they have a high enough social stat, and Player C has the sword so they're the only person who can beat the lvl DC for cutting through the bars of the owl's cage - I guess I'll set a low DC for the next challenge so that anybody can autopass it and feel good about showing up..."FYI - this is all geared toward finding a system mechanic that's easy enough I won't have to keep explaining it to my kids [aged 4, 7] during the game and which can handle both checks and opposed rolls as well as a minimal amount of combat. I think I'll be writing my own d6 die pool mechanic until they can d20 on their own [requiring both ability & inclination].</blockquote>

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