dice rolling

Dice are often used for determining outcomes of various decisions. In our games, it allows for characters to succeed or fail in skills, especially when the player is not particularly skilled in that area (Persuasion) or it is just not possible to do this at the table (Acrobatics). However, these checks can become distracting to the game if called for too often.

If every move a character makes requires a die roll, it will become daunting to do anything. This will slow down the game and often discourage players from trying different things. Also, if the actions should be natural for the character, leave those dice on the table. Logically, if he fails the roll, it becomes even more frustrating for the player.

Calling for checks among the group can also cause some issues. When one member of the party begins to sneak around, the others should have a general idea where they may be (especially if they have traveled together for a while). If one character thinks another may be hiding a secret, no insight should be rolled, just give them time to have a conversation. If you call for those rolls, and they fail, the player now has to pretend they do not have the knowledge that they derived through roleplaying.

For example, Angelica acts weird in a situation and draws the attention of Brigham. He asks Angelica if there is anything wrong. When Angelica says “no,” the DM calls for Brigham to roll insight. He gets a 6. Now, the player for Brigham has to play as though he is ignorant of what the player naturally feels about the situation. The issue will be dropped and he will assume how she acted was natural. In reality, the player for Angelica may have wanted to explore a little of her backstory and have a good character interaction with Brigham.

Personally, if a player is skeptical of actions or information from another player, or even an NPC, I let them run with it. If they ask me to roll, I’ll have them do so and either confirm what they are thinking, or put them at ease. I don’t tell them to roll for things like that unless they are completely missing the clue.

I have heard other GMs disclose their rule when calling for rolls, and I like it. If there is a chance for failure, then ask them to roll. Do not take this too far though, because that chance is always there, but keep it logical. Also, if there is no chance for success you do not need a roll either (you cannot jump to the moon). Most importantly, do not let dice rolling bog down the flow of the story.