Dethklok
First Post
Hello all; I've been wanting to find a good rpg forum for some time, and generally I've found a good way to see what things are like is to make a controversial statement and see where it goes. (Mods - sorry if I'm posting this in someplace it doesn't belong!)
My position is that any percentile rpg ever designed would be better once converted to d20, d10, 2d6, or some other system using smaller numbers.
I do realize that it may be appealing to have more precision. But there is a difference between genuine and false precision, and the precision found in percentile-based rpgs is always going to be of the false kind. For example, I have yet to see any GM ever take into account humidity, the coriolis effect, or even rain or wind when applying modifiers to long range shooting. There is a clear reason for this - no one knows quite whether shooting a crossbow in the rain should be -10% or -20%, let alone whether it should be -10% or -11%. Once we realize the numbers are abstractions, it becomes clear that any pretense of precision is useless, beyond making us feel good about the idea of being really, really precise. (Even when we aren't, actually, precise at all.)
Now, this isn't to say that big numbers aren't fun on their own. Maybe you feel that dealing 50 hp of damage is much more satisfying than 5 damage. But if so, I'd like to suggest that you still don't want to use percentile dice. What you really want to do is use a d10, and then add a zero to all quantities. Better, add two zeroes. You'll never look back.
My position is that any percentile rpg ever designed would be better once converted to d20, d10, 2d6, or some other system using smaller numbers.
I do realize that it may be appealing to have more precision. But there is a difference between genuine and false precision, and the precision found in percentile-based rpgs is always going to be of the false kind. For example, I have yet to see any GM ever take into account humidity, the coriolis effect, or even rain or wind when applying modifiers to long range shooting. There is a clear reason for this - no one knows quite whether shooting a crossbow in the rain should be -10% or -20%, let alone whether it should be -10% or -11%. Once we realize the numbers are abstractions, it becomes clear that any pretense of precision is useless, beyond making us feel good about the idea of being really, really precise. (Even when we aren't, actually, precise at all.)
Now, this isn't to say that big numbers aren't fun on their own. Maybe you feel that dealing 50 hp of damage is much more satisfying than 5 damage. But if so, I'd like to suggest that you still don't want to use percentile dice. What you really want to do is use a d10, and then add a zero to all quantities. Better, add two zeroes. You'll never look back.
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