Using skill based resolution

[herrozerro]

Most tabletop games use the standard dice or other random based resolution. There are exceptions, Hell for Leather and Dread are some exceptions. The former used dice towers and sliding dice within a circle with out knocking over the tower and the latter uses a Jenga tower.

I can see the reasons for this though, in general dice are fair to everyone involved. No skill beyond maybe tactics and knowing the GM are involved. But what about alternatives? Puzzles in RPGs can be either a die roll or a puzzle that you have to figure out. Picking a lock could be represented by one of those separate the pieces puzzles. There is a cool reddit thread about using puzzles for traps too. Another one for replacing intelligence checks.

Obviously the biggest con for these alternatives is that the skill falls on the player, a sneaky thief character with a player that has stubby uncoordinated fingers would be at a disadvantage in a situation where a game of operation is replacing a trap disarm.

Is the idea to radical to implement on a wider scale? To replace skills altogether? or at least compliment the dice?

 

[Umbran]

Often times, you'll see live-action play replace skills (including combat skills) replaced with some amount of action on the player's part. In a live-combat larp, no die roll to hit is required - whether you, the player, hit the NPC player with a foam sword determines if you hit.

I played an engineer character in a campaign larp. Building things was represented not with a die roll, but by my *actually* building something. I assembled a human-powered airplane out of old bicycle parts, for example. I did have skills defined in the game system, and those got me assistance on the tasks I was doing.

And yes, the main issue is what you note - you wind up using the player's skill, rather than the character's. If the player isn't good at fighting with a sword, then he or she really cannot manage to play a really good combat character. If the player isn't good at a type of puzzle or other activity, they just can't play characters that use those puzzles.

And, alternatively, if the player is good at the activity, they can cheese out, and play a character that is good at the skill, whether or not the stated character concept is good at it. If, for example, solving mystic formulae is represented by doing a Sudoku puzzle, then my fighter can be excellent at it, even though, really, he shouldn't.

There are ways to get over these hurdles, partially, but the general issue can't be fully eliminated.

 

[herrozerro]

Perhaps a solution is to not let it totally replace the die roll, but allow it to give a bonus. Like giving a player a puzzle when they start the task and if they complete it by the time their next roll is made they get a bonus.

 

[Umbran]

That can work... if the player is into puzzles.

The thing about die rolls are that they're fast. The player doesn't really have to be engaged by the activity of task resolution, because it is trivial and quick. As soon as you inject mechanics that take more time and effort on the part of the player, the player's engagement can become an issue.

 

[howandwhy99]

Playing the game of D&D well is advancing in the game through player skill. Like any game it's a test of each players' ability.Ours is all mental ability rather than physical prowess, but it's nothing to mock. The game is hard.

D&D isn't supposed to rely on player skill when the dice are rolled.

 

[herrozerro]

Playing the game of D&D well is advancing in the game through player skill. Like any game it's a test of each players' ability.Ours is all mental ability rather than physical prowess, but it's nothing to mock. The game is hard.

D&D isn't supposed to rely on player skill when the dice are rolled.

Well while I agree with you about D&D, this thread really isn't about D&D. And besides old school D&D has a long history of testing the players with puzzles.

 

[GMMichael]

Is the idea to radical to implement on a wider scale? To replace skills altogether? or at least compliment the dice?

Two extremes:
1) Only dice are used. I expect a game like this to be boring, since the player has nothing to contribute but a shaking hand.
2) Only player skills are used. This definitely makes things more interesting, but puts limits on the players who lack certain skills.

And the middle:
Dice are used in addition to player skill. The goal is to hopefully keep players interested (with player skill) while enabling unskilled players to contribute (with dice).

Wide implementation? As mentioned, L.A.R.P. goes all the way. But I wouldn't exactly call it widespread.