Timeline for How to deal with the differences in perception between group characters?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
8 events
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| Sep 10, 2015 at 17:37 | comment | added | alc | Having been on both sides of the screen, I admit I sometimes cheat if it will make the play experience better for my players...and as a player, I trust my DM's to only cheat for the same. We have different tacks on this, but at least both sides are represented now. :) | |
| Sep 10, 2015 at 17:32 | comment | added | Dan B | From a different perspective, I've been the player who watches the DM roll dice secretly behind the screen. I find I don't like the experience. It makes me feel like the DM is cheating to make me lose. (I know the DM isn't actually cheating to make me lose, but the feeling is still there.) | |
| Sep 10, 2015 at 17:30 | comment | added | alc | Doesn't that devalue the agency of your players? By taking away the element of uncertainty re: missing skill checks, you're making those skill checks less valuable investments on the parts of the players. Over time, this ends up punishing players who invest their limited resources into advancing those skills. | |
| Sep 10, 2015 at 17:25 | comment | added | Dan B | I agree that the low result leaks meta-information. But I don't care. If an NPC has useful information about the plot, I want the party to learn that information. In order to learn the information they have to succeed at the skill check. So, from one perspective, I'm deliberately leaking the meta-information "you have failed at this skill check" to encourage them to try again. | |
| Sep 10, 2015 at 17:11 | comment | added | alc | The only problem I have with your example is that the rolls aren't secret. In this case, the presence of a low result is leaking meta-information about the subsequent description. For that reason, I prefer to roll for the players (behind the screen) and ask them for their relative bonus. This prevents "Um, 7" from having a chance to turn into "Maybe we should have someone else sense motive, too" and spoiling any chance of surprise. | |
| Sep 9, 2015 at 20:37 | history | edited | Dan B | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Sep 9, 2015 at 20:12 | history | edited | Dan B | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 24 characters in body
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| Sep 9, 2015 at 20:02 | history | answered | Dan B | CC BY-SA 3.0 |