15/08/21

Notes from lecture:

Introduction To Dice Mechanics

Why should we use dice?

1. Assume fair dice - mechanics they are based on can be tested in hour/days rather than weeks/months
2. Dice combinations can be used in a variety of ways (linear and non-linear combinations) resulting in different gameplay experiences
3. We are familiar with dice

Terminology - dX where x is the number of sides on dice e.g. d20 = 20 sides

5 types of dice checks

Rolling over: Target number is 3, rolling over would succeed e.g. 4,5,6 etc.

Rolling under: Target number is 3, rolling under would succeed e.g. 1,2

Rolling equal: A specific value must be rolled. target number is 3, rolling 3 would succeed

Rolling not equal: Roll anything but the number provided, target number is 3, rolling anything else but a 3 would succeed

Values as success: rather than having its difficulty number represented by a number range on available dice, it instead represents the number of successes that must be met in the roll

Design Questions

What should the difficulty numbers be? Average roll of any dice is: number of sides+1 / 2 using a d20 un-aided No challenge = 0 Simple challenge = 5 Average challenge = 10 Tough challenge = 15 Challenging = 20

Using a d12 No challenge = 0 Simple challenge = 3 Average challenge = 6 Tough challenge = 9 Challenging = 12

What about modifiers to the rolls?

In a linear dice system, each modifier represents a flat amount of probability shift In a d20 system that amount is ±5% In a linear system we are adding (or subtracting) flat rates We have design intentions that define our difficulty numbers - there is a sense of what is hard and what is easy If you design a modifier that would change the rating of a difficulty number, then you must be prepared to deal with the consequences

What about combining dice?