The Order of the Stick: T-Rex, Troll Sex and Will Checks

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > BSS: Bisexual Super Son > The Order of the Stick: T-Rex, Troll Sex and Will Checks

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girl dick energy: Sep 30, 2009; You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

Exactly. In this extended metaphor, Rich has character sheets behind the DM screen, but says nothing while the players write up their own speculative ones, because it's easier than getting into an argument with them about whether or not retconning one of Belkar's feats is a war crime.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 10:16

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# ? Apr 26, 2024 20:10

NihilCredo: Jun 6, 2011; iram omni possibili modo preme:
plus una illa te diffamabit, quam multæ virtutes commendabunt

World Famous W posted:

That is why I roll behind a box and they just have accept what I say, because I have one of those in my group.

DM screens are good and IMO mandatory even if you don't have one of those.

Knowing your DM will fudge some rolls or ignore some NPC's attributes is fine, but knowing that this one specific roll was fudged can completely ruin the fun of a high-stakes moment.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 10:39

World Famous W: May 25, 2007; BAAAAAAAAAAAA

Can't afford a screen, they get an upturned shoe box.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 10:50

reignofevil: Nov 7, 2008

gently caress it don't fudge rolls.

Definitely roll behind a screen though.

Edit:

I just started remembering a few rolls I fudged. :ohdear:

reignofevil fucked around with this message at 13:05 on Aug 15, 2017

# ? Aug 15, 2017 12:56

Gwyneth Palpate: Jun 7, 2010; Do you want your breadcrumbs highlighted?

~SMcD

wait there are DMs/GMs who roll dice in front of players? what the gently caress

half the point of being a DM is to roll dice for no goddamn reason behind your screen to freak out the players

# ? Aug 15, 2017 13:04

Brony Hunter: Dec 27, 2012; Motherfucking Mannis

They'll bend the knee or I'll destroy them

Rolling arbitrary dice during a quiet scene, saying "interesting..." and scribbling some random notes is the most fun part of being a DM. Even better if you then ask a random player to make a Will Save for no reason as well.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 13:12

reignofevil: Nov 7, 2008

Brony Hunter posted:

Rolling arbitrary dice during a quiet scene, saying "interesting..." and scribbling some random notes is the most fun part of being a DM. Even better if you then ask a random player to make a Will Save for no reason as well.

*Rolls dice, a player nearby gulps visibly and audibly.*

Looks like you just failed your will save.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 14:04

ZearothK: Aug 25, 2008; I've lost twice, I've failed twice and I've gotten two dishonorable mentions within 7 weeks. But I keep coming back. I am The Trooper!

THUNDERDOME LOSER 2021

Gwyneth Palpate posted:

wait there are DMs/GMs who roll dice in front of players? what the gently caress

half the point of being a DM is to roll dice for no goddamn reason behind your screen to freak out the players

I've ran RPGs for 13 years and have always done open rolls. AMA

It doesn't stop me from rolling for no reason and laughing to myself.

It does stop me from being merciful to players when Nuffle decides their time has come, and it is not rare for an enemy that has been hyped up to flunk roll after roll and end up more like a comedy routine than a climatic boss fight, but our group rather likes the stark honesty of it.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 14:12

GlyphGryph: Jun 23, 2013; Down came the glitches and burned us in ditches and we slept after eating our dead.

I usually do open rolls. At the very least the players get to roll their own dice, so the high stakes moments I'd most want to fudge aren't really fudgeable, like Saves and stuff.

I did play one game where I had to hide all the dice rolls, but that's because one of the NPCs had the ability to adjust dice rolls on the fly and figuring out who he was and that he had that power (and then how to actually beat him, by engineering situations where he'd straight up roll himself into inescapable trouble) was a core aspect of the campaign.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 15:28

Cat Mattress: Jul 14, 2012; by Cyrano4747

GlyphGryph posted:

I usually do open rolls. At the very least the players get to roll their own dice, so the high stakes moments I'd most want to fudge aren't really fudgeable, like Saves and stuff.

I think this is the entire reason why systems with opposed rolls exist. That way the DM always gets to fudge one half of the situation.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 15:38

Colonel Cool: Dec 24, 2006

Open rolling lends more gravitas to the game, in my experience. It's one thing for you to be at 1 hp and the DM to roll some dice and then announce that your enemy missed. It's quite another thing for the DM to roll the die where everyone can see and everyone being able to see that you, in fact, did indeed survive by the skin of your teeth.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 15:51

Venuz Patrol: Mar 27, 2011

well if we're talking about gravitas, letting the players know that you'll be killing them IRL if their characters die is the way to go

# ? Aug 15, 2017 16:11

Shugojin: Sep 6, 2007; THE TAIL THAT BURNS TWICE AS BRIGHT...

Venuz Patrol posted:

well if we're talking about gravitas, letting the players know that you'll be killing them IRL if their characters die is the way to go

Ah, the Jack Chick school of DMing.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 16:18

World Famous W: May 25, 2007; BAAAAAAAAAAAA

The last campaign (pathfinder) I ran had the first encounter go horribly wrong when the monk disarmed the doppelganger's dagger and the rogue grabbed it up. Problem was the dagger was being used so the natural weapons wouldn't flay the group alive. If I couldn't fudge numbers behind mah box then we would have had a team wipe on the first battle and I don't need that headache.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 16:36

Whybird: Aug 2, 2009; Phaiston have long avoided the tightly competetive defence sector, but the IRDA Act 2052 has given us the freedom we need to bring out something really special.

https://team-robostar.itch.io/robostar; Nap Ghost

The trick is to run systems where something dramatically satisfying will happen whatever the player rolls.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 17:07

a kitten: Aug 5, 2006

Gwyneth Palpate posted:

wait there are DMs/GMs who roll dice in front of players? what the gently caress

half the point of being a DM is to roll dice for no goddamn reason behind your screen to freak out the players

# ? Aug 15, 2017 17:37

tokenbrownguy: Apr 1, 2010

Whybird posted:

The trick is to run systems where something dramatically satisfying will happen whatever the player rolls.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 17:41

RC Cola: Aug 1, 2011; Dovie'andi se tovya sagain

I had fun last session. Fought a roc as a shadow monk. Fought him, had readied action to teleport to his back if he flew away. Did so, he flew up 120 feet. Chain stunned him until he hit the ground and exploded. Very satisfying.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 17:50

girl dick energy: Sep 30, 2009; You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

I want you to know that I imagined that as a Rider Kick, and nothing will ever convince me to do otherwise.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 17:57

Eifert Posting: Apr 1, 2007; Most of the time he catches it every time.; Grimey Drawer

Whybird posted:

The trick is to run systems where something dramatically satisfying will happen whatever the player rolls.

Yes, Paranoia IS the best game. You are correct.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 18:05

girl dick energy: Sep 30, 2009; You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

Failing Forward is a key part of most PBTA games, Fellowship being the best Tolkien-esqe fantasy one.

# ? Aug 15, 2017 19:10

Dolash: Oct 23, 2008; aNYWAY,
tHAT'S REALLY ALL THERE IS,
tO REPORT ON THE SUBJECT,
oF ME GETTING HURT,

I think it was this thread where I picked up a suggestion to listen to The Adventure Zone, and I want to say thanks for the recommendation, it's good.

Looking forward to the big ol' vampire throwdown we're hurtling toward.

# ? Aug 17, 2017 04:22

Zoe: Jan 19, 2007; Hair Elf

Rich is...okay? But this looks tiny for some reason. Maybe it's on my end though.

# ? Aug 17, 2017 22:14

Venuz Patrol: Mar 27, 2011

elan continues to be very good and very bad at wordplay

# ? Aug 17, 2017 22:15

sebmojo: Oct 23, 2010; Legit Cyberpunk

Zoe posted:

Rich is...okay? But this looks tiny for some reason. Maybe it's on my end though.

has he just done like five strips in two weeks? or am i imagining that?

# ? Aug 17, 2017 22:26

Gwyneth Palpate: Jun 7, 2010; Do you want your breadcrumbs highlighted?

~SMcD

bold new eyebrow art being used in this strip

# ? Aug 17, 2017 22:36

Soup du Jour: Sep 8, 2011; I always knew I'd die with a headache.

sebmojo posted:

has he just done like five strips in two weeks? or am i imagining that?

There've been five strips this month, yeah. Rich is Very Okay.

# ? Aug 17, 2017 23:06

DoctorTristan: Mar 11, 2006; I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave, like this. Can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?

Rich is about to give himself carpal tunnel and need six months to recuperate.

# ? Aug 17, 2017 23:30

Raenir Salazar: Nov 5, 2010; College Slice

I love Roy's "Well actually..."

# ? Aug 18, 2017 00:15

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

I lost it a little bit at "Oh, he's right here."

# ? Aug 18, 2017 00:41

Dolash: Oct 23, 2008; aNYWAY,
tHAT'S REALLY ALL THERE IS,
tO REPORT ON THE SUBJECT,
oF ME GETTING HURT,

ultrafilter posted:

I lost it a little bit at "Oh, he's right here."

Gotta be honest, "Squat" sounds like a fantasy-setting slur for halflings and gnomes. Do better, Elan.

# ? Aug 18, 2017 00:51

Johnny Aztec: Jan 30, 2005; by Hand Knit

Squats are Fantasy Warhammer Dwarves.
Or at one time

# ? Aug 18, 2017 01:12

DoctorTristan: Mar 11, 2006; I would look up into your lifeless eyes and wave, like this. Can you and your associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?

They were the space dwarves, genocided for being insufficiently grimdark.

# ? Aug 18, 2017 01:51

Pope Guilty: Nov 6, 2006; The human animal is a beautiful and terrible creature, capable of limitless compassion and unfathomable cruelty.

Dolash posted:

Gotta be honest, "Squat" sounds like a fantasy-setting slur for halflings and gnomes. Do better, Elan.

I like Rat Queens' "Smidgens".

# ? Aug 18, 2017 04:53

Zoe: Jan 19, 2007; Hair Elf

OotS and only OotS is suddenly showing up tiny and blurry for me. The rest of the internet is fine. I am annoyed.

# ? Aug 18, 2017 22:16

Bongo Bill: Jan 17, 2012

Zoe posted:

OotS and only OotS is suddenly showing up tiny and blurry for me. The rest of the internet is fine. I am annoyed.

Could be you accidentally bumped your browser's zoom setting, which is per domain. Hit ctrl-0 on the affected page to reset it.

# ? Aug 18, 2017 22:58

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

New KickStarter update.

# ? Aug 19, 2017 16:41

girl dick energy: Sep 30, 2009; You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

I wonder how many backers have straight-up died since the Kickstarter.

# ? Aug 19, 2017 18:39

Rygar201: Jan 26, 2011; I AM A TERRIBLE PIECE OF SHIT.

Please Condescend to me like this again.

Oh yeah condescend to me ALL DAY condescend daddy.