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From: dave@uwvax.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Fudging the Dice
Message-ID: <343@uwvax.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 19-Jul-84 10:22:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: uwvax.343
Posted: Thu Jul 19 10:22:24 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Jul-84 03:11:50 EDT
References: <293@daemon.UUCP>
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
Lines: 30

> I fudge the dice only to insure randomness. That is, if an incredible
> streak of bad (or good) luck threatens to make the game uninteresting
> (Yawn. another dragon?) then it seems appropriate to keep the players
> off guard.

Most monsters (we're talking monsters worthy of a party which fights
dragons) have a great deal of non-randomness about them.  Who is to
say what method of attack a minor daemon (like lpd for example :-) will
take.  Most often they'll start of toying with the party.  If this
proves dangerous, the party gets pounded.  Also, dragon breath can
work in the same way (except the dragon may breath first and ask questions
later).  The DM should be impartial, but when s/he is playing the monster,
the monster shouldn't be impartial.  That dragon is out to protect his
treasure!

>            I agree with the person who said that a player's character
> should live or die more by that character's skills rather than an
> incredible streak of rolls. Ideally the players will never know when
> or if you are altering rolls; it should be that subtle.

I couldn't agree more.  In the group with whom I often play (play, not
DM), we've had a couple challenges to the DM's 'die rolls'  in such
cases the rolls have been true (leaving one very red-faced person on
the other side of the screen).  If he has actually fudged his dice, (he
won't admit to this), its been very subtle.

-- 
Dave Cohrs @ wisconsin
...!{allegra,heurikon,ihnp4,seismo,ucbvax,uwm-evax}!uwvax!dave
dave@wisc-rsch.arpa