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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aenghus" data-source="post: 7341049" data-attributes="member: 2656">I did say "sometimes", there are lots of acceptable resolutions I didn't discuss, precisely because they are acceptable. I'm interested in failure modes and how to avoid them, so I tend to focus on stuff going wrong. The stuff going wrong in this case is generally when the players and GM's view of the gameworld differ significantly. In a conventional game, the GM has the overwhelming advantage, but if the players actively dislike the resulting game it's a lose-lose scenario for everyone concerned. As a player, nowadays I'm much less likely to play through extreme frustration, boredom or misery.I was actually imagining disappointment over a "success" that was fiated into a state the players saw as an unfair failure.This wall is potentially a lot shorter or even non-existent in player-driven games.In some systems the players are allowed access to these probabilities either as players, PCs or both. Your preferred style isn't an universal rule and may not apply to other people. In some systems the assassin could be a resource on the character sheet of one of the playersI find strangely attractive the idea of resolving the whole task with one dice roll, again in the case where this was  a side show and the main business of the game rested elsewhere. Amateur PCs would probably fail badly, experienced ones would likely have a better chance.One way of doing it. Depending on how ruthless and professional the PCs are, they could set up a false flag operation and kill the assassin afterwards if he survives.I don't see meta-knowledge as necessarily forbidden or unthinkable. As a GM I have to constantly handle meta-knowledge, some players can do so as well if they are willing and able. And as I wrote above, the failure modes I was most concerned about is apparent success turned by the GM into what the players saw as failure, or changing the gameworld to something unfun for the players.e.g. state of emergency and martial law closes down much of the nation and prevents the players from pursuing any of their goals. They could hide in a hole for an extended period, but if the GM forces them to play through their confinement one day at a time I can see good reason for player unhappiness.Extended periods of meaningless boredom is possibly the worst type of game, at least PC death allows new PCs.In D&D for instance there are a bunch of spells and items for long range sensing and communication.But the competence and loyalty of the assassin could inform a single die roll that indicated the result in non-procedural systems. In some games this might be a secret GM roll, in others it could be open with pre-negotiated stakes determining the outcomes.</blockquote>

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