User:Spazalicious Chaos/Freedom to Roleplay - The DM Rolls All The Dice

This enforces the golden foundation upon which much good roleplaying is based on- character knowledge. Your character can and should be a separate entity from you, as anything less is little more than group masterbation over the same fantasy. However, there seems to be a really non-distancing factor when dice are envolved. A classic example of this is the failed Listen check. Let's say you rolled a 1 on your Listen check. You know you did, you rolled it and winced when that vile number 1 was on the surface. Your character is blissfully unaware of what is sneaking up on him, but you know that something bad is going to happen. This creates unneeded anxiety in players that manifests in various ways, from weasels who try to justify their character having "a bad feeling" to hardcore roleplayers who are left sweating, waiting for the giant block to fall.

Gm Rolls All Dice
The solution is painfully simple- all rolls are secretive. In fact, I highly reccomend (though it is never necessary) that the GM confiscate all character sheets at the beginning of the game and only return them to players so they can level. If player find this ditressful, don't do it. However, I find that it creates one less thing for the players to worry about, freeing up focus to be placed on their actions. However, always answer honestly when the players need reminders about their capabilities, though it is recommended that you answer in general rather than statisticial terms, like "stealth is a strong point in your character" rather than "you have +10 to Move Silently and Hide." In order to work well and leave everyone satisfied this variant relies on several factors:
 * 1) NOTES!!!: It is vital that EVERYONE take notes. Players must take notes on their character capabilities, changes their character underoges, and things their character learns or finds so that they can match them up to their character sheets. GMs must also take notes on everything, as they are updating the players sheets as well as everything else.
 * 2) GMs need to Listen: Even more vital than notes is for the GM to listen to his players. If you can not do this, do not use this variant under ANY circumstances! This is beacause since the GM must make ALL rolls, they have to have a clear understanding of what the players are doing. Take every concievible cue from every players every statement. If the party theif says he is going to pick the nobles pocket while the bard is distracting him and the cleric is assisting the bard, that is a cue that there are at least three rolls you must make now, and they all influence each other.
 * 3) Players need to Talk: This only works if players describe everything they do. Everything. Never, EVER assume that things are "obvious" or "expected" in this variant, as you must communicate clearly and effectively with your GM whenever you want to do ANYTHING. If you are just walking into a room, never assume that the GM is going to roll a Spot for your character as he does so; if your want to look around the room as you walk in, you need to SAY SO. I encourage GMs to take a "never declared, never happened" approach to GMing under this variant, provided they always remember rule number 2 and adhere to it like Gospel.
 * 4) Everything is Described: GMs and players alike must be clear and concise on what is going on, what they are doing, and what is happening around them. GMs are free to use the players perseption skills constantly to give a basis for how much they notice, and should always keep in mind how actions are modified by description. If you descibe a wet dungeon floor covered in mildew with an orc on the other side and one of the inobservant player declares he charges across, you know tha you need to roll Balance, Attack and Damage for that player. If the player wants to leap across, switch out Balance for Jump. Finally, since the players don't always know how many hit points thwey have, ALWAYS describe combat in fine detail, from how injured enemies and players look to how they are attacking. Thios is important, as everything act differently when injured and threatened with death, but the player won't act that way unless they know to, and doing so avoids the stupid "how was I to know I had only 3 hp left?" arguements that result from anything different.