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General Tabletop Discussion
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Simple rules for sea travel (feedback wanted)
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<blockquote data-quote="NotAYakk" data-source="post: 9073531" data-attributes="member: 72555"><p>I said why I did it -- so that any PC who takes the officers job of commanding the cannons has use -- but it is just an option.</p><p></p><p>In my case, the officers check/10 gave a bonus to the crew check. You'd roll (skill check) + (character level), divide by 10, and apply that to the crew check.</p><p></p><p>Crew in turn has a proficiency (2-6 depending on how elite) and morale (from 0 up to proficiency) bonus. Having an untrained crew really sucked. Broken morale really sucked.</p><p></p><p>Professional officers would auto-add +1 to +3 without a roll. (with +3 being "best officer corps in the entire world, and best ship"). So slotting in a (heroic) PC for an officer's job was worth it, regardless of the PC's skill levels.</p><p></p><p>This was a design goal; it isn't really needed.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>My point is don't make a multiple PCs make checks that adds +1/-1 to another roll every day.</p><p></p><p>(a) roll for an event on a table.</p><p>(b) have that event produce <strong>higher stakes</strong> checks.</p><p></p><p>So if you roll a mutiny? <strong>Only the captain</strong> would make a check.</p><p></p><p>Storm? Only the navigator.</p><p></p><p>Etc.</p><p></p><p>The <strong>single</strong> high-stakes check made would decide which of 2 outcomes would occur. The <strong>single</strong> event roll determines what <strong>single</strong> check to ask for.</p><p></p><p>When you make a good check on "strong blow", you ... reduce travel time. When you make a bad check on "strong blow" you ... increase travel time. (Maybe that isn't high stakes enough: maybe it should be "reduce travel time" vs "become shipwrecked")</p><p></p><p>The goal is to make each roll have more impact. Your system results in 4 rolls by 3 different people to produce 1 result, which is sometimes "nothing happens".</p><p></p><p>I'm suggesting 1 roll by you (determine the event, if any), then 1 roll by 1 PC (determine the result of event).</p><p></p><p>And, rather than 1/4 of your table be "nothing", roll for how many days between events and roll for the event that happens. This also reduces the number of "roll and nothing happens".</p><p></p><p>Like, 1d4 determines how many days pass, and 1d20 determines what challenge happens after that many days pass.</p><p></p><p>You then call for the check the challenge asks for -- usually 1 officer PC making 1 roll -- and see the result.</p><p></p><p>Under that system, each and every roll moves towards something happening. The d4 and the d20 you roll can happen in parallel. There is no "d20 11 nothing happens, d20 13nothing happens, d20 12 nothing happens, d20 12nothing happens, d20 14 nothing happens" possible. And in your case, "Ok, captain roll, navigator roll, you roll as well, and I roll... nothing happened. Next day, repeat... nothing happens. And again... nothing happens".</p><p></p><p>There is "d4 3 d20 11 - after 3 days at sea, X happens. PC Y make a Z check."</p><p></p><p>An attempt to provide a bounded number of rolls per unit of narrative produced!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="NotAYakk, post: 9073531, member: 72555"] I said why I did it -- so that any PC who takes the officers job of commanding the cannons has use -- but it is just an option. In my case, the officers check/10 gave a bonus to the crew check. You'd roll (skill check) + (character level), divide by 10, and apply that to the crew check. Crew in turn has a proficiency (2-6 depending on how elite) and morale (from 0 up to proficiency) bonus. Having an untrained crew really sucked. Broken morale really sucked. Professional officers would auto-add +1 to +3 without a roll. (with +3 being "best officer corps in the entire world, and best ship"). So slotting in a (heroic) PC for an officer's job was worth it, regardless of the PC's skill levels. This was a design goal; it isn't really needed. My point is don't make a multiple PCs make checks that adds +1/-1 to another roll every day. (a) roll for an event on a table. (b) have that event produce [B]higher stakes[/B] checks. So if you roll a mutiny? [B]Only the captain[/B] would make a check. Storm? Only the navigator. Etc. The [B]single[/B] high-stakes check made would decide which of 2 outcomes would occur. The [B]single[/B] event roll determines what [B]single[/B] check to ask for. When you make a good check on "strong blow", you ... reduce travel time. When you make a bad check on "strong blow" you ... increase travel time. (Maybe that isn't high stakes enough: maybe it should be "reduce travel time" vs "become shipwrecked") The goal is to make each roll have more impact. Your system results in 4 rolls by 3 different people to produce 1 result, which is sometimes "nothing happens". I'm suggesting 1 roll by you (determine the event, if any), then 1 roll by 1 PC (determine the result of event). And, rather than 1/4 of your table be "nothing", roll for how many days between events and roll for the event that happens. This also reduces the number of "roll and nothing happens". Like, 1d4 determines how many days pass, and 1d20 determines what challenge happens after that many days pass. You then call for the check the challenge asks for -- usually 1 officer PC making 1 roll -- and see the result. Under that system, each and every roll moves towards something happening. The d4 and the d20 you roll can happen in parallel. There is no "d20 11 nothing happens, d20 13nothing happens, d20 12 nothing happens, d20 12nothing happens, d20 14 nothing happens" possible. And in your case, "Ok, captain roll, navigator roll, you roll as well, and I roll... nothing happened. Next day, repeat... nothing happens. And again... nothing happens". There is "d4 3 d20 11 - after 3 days at sea, X happens. PC Y make a Z check." An attempt to provide a bounded number of rolls per unit of narrative produced! [/QUOTE]
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