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The Dumbing Down of RPGs
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<blockquote data-quote="ThirdWizard" data-source="post: 6364477" data-attributes="member: 12037"><p>You are quite incorrect on this score.</p><p></p><p>The concept of fail forward isn't "the PCs move forward even if they fail." Fail forward is "things continue to happen even if the PCs fail a roll." Oftentimes those things moving forward are <em>bad</em> for the PCs, but <em>good</em> for gameplay.</p><p></p><p>Fail forward means that the game does not stop because of a failed roll. If a rogue tries to open a lock in D&D and fails the roll then nothing happens. With a fail forward mechanic, this might mean that the rogue fails to open the door but the time it took to try leads to the PCs being stumbled upon by guards, forcing a new interaction in gameplay. Basically, the game never stops because of player rolls. There is no "nothing happens" concept in a game like this.</p><p></p><p>Dungeon World would be a post boy for this, as a roll of 6- means that the DM is free to use any DM move he wants, regardless of the circumstances of the roll. Any time a PC attempts to do something and rolls less than 6, the result is something really really bad. A roll in Dungeon World can never be nothing happens. </p><p></p><p>There <em>are</em> mechanics in some games where on a failure a PC can take a penalty to turn it into a "success, but..." However, those are "success at a cost", and are not considered "fail forward" rules, as the decision is PC based so there is still the possibility of failure with no plot movement. Fail forward's purpose is to remove stagnation from play.</p><p></p><p>What games have you actually played that use fail forward, and can you give examples of how it worked in play? Because I see a lot of theorizing here, and not a lot of play experience.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ThirdWizard, post: 6364477, member: 12037"] You are quite incorrect on this score. The concept of fail forward isn't "the PCs move forward even if they fail." Fail forward is "things continue to happen even if the PCs fail a roll." Oftentimes those things moving forward are [I]bad[/I] for the PCs, but [I]good[/I] for gameplay. Fail forward means that the game does not stop because of a failed roll. If a rogue tries to open a lock in D&D and fails the roll then nothing happens. With a fail forward mechanic, this might mean that the rogue fails to open the door but the time it took to try leads to the PCs being stumbled upon by guards, forcing a new interaction in gameplay. Basically, the game never stops because of player rolls. There is no "nothing happens" concept in a game like this. Dungeon World would be a post boy for this, as a roll of 6- means that the DM is free to use any DM move he wants, regardless of the circumstances of the roll. Any time a PC attempts to do something and rolls less than 6, the result is something really really bad. A roll in Dungeon World can never be nothing happens. There [i]are[/i] mechanics in some games where on a failure a PC can take a penalty to turn it into a "success, but..." However, those are "success at a cost", and are not considered "fail forward" rules, as the decision is PC based so there is still the possibility of failure with no plot movement. Fail forward's purpose is to remove stagnation from play. What games have you actually played that use fail forward, and can you give examples of how it worked in play? Because I see a lot of theorizing here, and not a lot of play experience. [/QUOTE]
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