Something from my rpg circle, wondering instead of d6 can story cubes be used? And the golden rule, writing cannot be blocked.
Originally shared by Ovy Ortega
Does anyone have any idea how to resolve combat using story cubes? I have been trying to break my head on this one. Feel free to post below.
I would use story cubes in combat like I do story cubes in conversation: roll three dice and interpret. From the pictures, you should be able to get how the battle went and a little flavor on to how it occurred.
ReplyDeleteSo why would a +3 on a story cube be better than. +1?
ReplyDeleteChris Stieha you're a symbolist like me; offhand I would say with three you have more chances of a good resolution like getting 6's
ReplyDeleteBeing an experienced Tarot reader, I know that there are no yes or no answers and symbols no absolute yes or no absolute no. So I am stumped.
ReplyDeleteI find it easier to interpret three dice than just one.
ReplyDeleteMaybe what you could do is break apart the combat and roll one die for each component.
Considering that you want something fast:
first die: outcome, ie who wins, who lose, if there is a tie
second die: how the fight occurred
third die: repercussions or damage from the combat
Chris Stieha like how I read Runes, curious. Perhaps pluses can be rerolls?
ReplyDeleteI think if I were to use this for combat, it would definitely involve rolling three dice for each of the component I presented above. Yeah, more dice rolling, but more symbols allows for more interpretation, so not just who won, but by how much they won. This gets away from your absolute yes, absolute no.
ReplyDeleteWhat are stay pluses? I don;t know anything about reading Runes.
Care for a "playtest"?
ReplyDeletePerhaps you could be looking at them as a form of tokens, rather than as dice, then as a form of interpretation.
ReplyDeleteSo basically start diceless, using up your resources against your opponent (actual dice as tokens) for winner/loser, then rolling those resulting dice and dictating the result based on those.
I'm afraid I'm not a diceless sort of bloke, so can't help you down that rabbit hole, but that's a very basic outsiders understanding.
Chris Stieha forget the stay, just pluses.
ReplyDeleteSteven Lincoln brings up a good point about using the story cubes as a game mechanic versus story cubes as offering an outcome/solution.
ReplyDeleteOvy Ortega Do you want it as a game mechanic or as a solution? Or do you just want ideas?
When you say pluses, do you mean things that are good? So if there is something good, then you reroll that icon and interpret the new icon to the good as well?
ReplyDeleteI don't see most of the icons on story cubes as inherently good or bad. Although I did roll a poison icon last night.
Ovy Ortega Perhaps pluses can be rerolls? If you mean that a +X modifier would be best handled as "roll 1+X" and choose the most favorable, I think this makes sense. One cannot add 1 to an icon, but one can chose one of a set of icons. Same for -X: roll 1+X and chose worst icon.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to write up a game mechanic, I would base it on fast improv. You get X number of cubes based on your skill level, add cubes for advantages, and subtract cubes for hindrances (with a minimum of one.) Roll the cubes and integrate them into your resolution/action, one give yourself a few seconds to do so. Each die that you effectively use earns you a success. [Effective is a judgement call, you'll know if the usage is BS or not.]
ReplyDeleteNo successes, failure.
One success, partial completion or completion with a consequence.
Two success, action completed as you described it.
Three or more, action completed and an additional boon.
Example, Rex Wonder is fighting on the rooftops versus the Gargoyle, the notoriously ugly but cunning burglar. Rex has a 4 in boxing. The previously mentioned slick tiles puts him at a -1 so he rolls three cubes and gets skyscraper, owl, and a keyhole. The player immediate quips about the dizzying heights and how night birds scatter as the two battle away. The player stumbles on using the keyhole and that ends the roll. Two success means the details happen and Rex lands a punch on the Gargoyle's ugly mug.
[Of course, this is all out of thin air and has not been play tested. Try it and see if it works for you.]
Let me provide an example based on no particular diceless system, just something I'm plucking out of the air based on FU so you get an idea of what I mean:
ReplyDeleteJoe is trying to climb a town wall. He's a THIEF and AGILE for 2 Bonus dice, it's a DIFFICULT climb in WET conditions, with GUARDS at the top reducing it to 1 Penalty dice, and a failure.
I could spend a point of Fate/Effort/Luck/Whatever and even it out, but I'll leave it for the purpose of the example.
I always roll 1 die plus my 1 Penalty die, I pull 2 random dice and roll Cave and Bee (the first 2 cube icons I can remember!).
I interpret this as stinging wound from a hidden source, a spring fired trap. I now suffer a consequence could be FALLEN or HAND INJURY, and so on.
I was even thinking of using the familiar, Yes, but ... then use the story dice.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, story dice are really just abstract writing prompts, so it'd be like reading sea shells to find out what happened in a combat. If you want less interpretation, I think you'd need to assign hard, combat-specific interpretations to each icon. You might even treat symbols as more sophisticated versions of rock/paper/scissors.
ReplyDeleteOvy Ortega This is one of the most thought-provoking ideas I have read recently: thank you again for sharing your idea. Being very interested in both skirmish and story-telling games, that's kind of a soft-spot for me :)
ReplyDeleteevandro novel I started a game concept in another thread on this, and even started testing. The writing is so good that the mechanics fall secondary. I guess that is a good thing and be careful what you wish for!
ReplyDelete