So many people hate secret rolls. So many people feel like they remove agency from them.
But that’s what the dice do. They’re agency-revoking machines.
One reason people may dislike secret rolls is you can’t be sure the GM isn’t just lying to you. Though if that’s the case, you should probably find a GM you trust.
On the other hand, I prefer systems where dice aren’t the sole arbiter. I want to be able to spend a fate point or inspiration, or succeed at a cost.
Question. I’ve never DM’d obviously, but outside of combat I assumed the success threshold was something the DM made up on the spot based on how hard the task/situation should be and does not explicitly communicate that to the players. Is that what happens?
I would rather know my roll so I can imagine for myself how much of my character’s capability went into the attempt. Failing a check after rolling a 2 vs rolling a 19 affects how I play from then on, similar to how I think it would affect my character psychologically. If you try to climb a wall and fail without knowing the roll, would you try again? I hope that made sense.
The book gives you examples of how DCs should translates to the world. Is this vaulting a head high wall, climbing a crumbling 2-story building, or scaling the outside of a tower in a storm? That need to know the number is only a problem when the table lets numbers replace story.
“You back up to get a running start and trip on a misplaced cobblestone just before you reach the wall.” = you rolled a 2 and failed
“You latch into the crevices between bricks and skillfully clamber up until the window is within sight. There is only a one, last leap to make, when the brick beneath your anchor leg crumbles and gives way. You landed winded, but someone else might now chart a better route.” = you rolled an 18 and only just failed
“You built as much speed as you could and manage to launch up against the rain-slick tower but your fingers fail to find any purchase, and you scrabble helplessly back to the ground.” = You rolled a 19 and weren’t even close to a success
I like that, great way to hint at the roll without revealing it. I would like if my DMs did this, but I’ve only played in very combat-focused campaigns so rolls outside of fights were rare and narrative was scant.
Gamang
