The Best Dice Systems for TTRPGs | Dev Log | Episode Two
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- čas přidán 3. 06. 2024
- Join me on an exciting journey as I create my own tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) from scratch! In this episode, discover the different kinds of dice mechanics used in TTRPGS and what their strengths and weaknesses are!
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⏰ TIME STAMPS ⏰
00:00 - Intro
00:13 - What are Dice Systems?
01:15 - What dice do you use?
01:50 - The D20 System
02:17 - The Percentile System
02:40 - The Dice Pool System
03:07 - D20 System Pros & Cons
03:36 - Percentile System Pros & Cons
03:57 - Dice Pool System Pros & Cons
04:27 - How to Choose a Dice System
04:48 - Patreon
05:02 - Outro - Hry
Which dice system is your favorite??
I like d6 systems they tend to allow you to make varied rule sets like aliens rpg and fate rpg.
@@supermcspottyThe more I look into it, the more I’m loving the D6 system!
Roll/keep system used in L5R and H&H
@@justinchristenson8201 I'll look into that one today!
Ever thought of having a modified d20 + modifier system, basically helping the curve out on the die roll as your characters skill gets better
D20 is a percentile dice system in disguise where each number on the D20 and each modifier equals 5%
*gasp*
What a sneaky little die 😂
Nice observation. Technically speaking nearly every dice system is a percentile dice system. If you're inclined you can reduce all the systems down to a percentage chance of success and whatever other results the system gives you.
A d6 dice pool, as an example has the following chances of rolling a 6 with each number of dice starting at 1
1- 17%
2- 31
3- 42
4- 52%
5- 60
6- 67
7- 72
8- 77
9- 81
10- 84%
Most systems will try to give players a 60% to 70% chance of success most of the time so the real question is how much fun is the dice system to use and how well does it serve the kind of game experience the designer was shooting for?
I disagree with your description of percentile rolling - you are not rolling two numbers and comparing them to a target number, you are using 2 dice to generate a single number from 1-100. Some may find interpreting that process of generating the number tricky, but a percentage chance of succeeding in something is, in many ways, more intuitive to judge chance of success than a random number plus another number versus and possibly unknown target number (D&D style d20 systems).
I highly agree with this. We use percentages intuitively for things like political polls, rotten tomato scores, how much a Kickstarter is funded, and even baldurs gate 3 had to resort to a percentage system to "dumb it down" for new players. Having a 70% chance to hit something is way more intuitive than rolling a 15 and see what happens.
the big question sbout dice is : linear or bell curved?.. everything else is just fluff
THIS x1000 Bell-Curve is much more "natural" in that any given character should "know" what they are generally capable of accomplishing consistently, and should consistently get better at doing that thing as their experience increases. Linear systems may actually be more "fun" at the table but also (imo) result in more random/chaotic results which works fine for heroic or cartoon level playstyles where characters are expected to endure events that would normally kill a normal human. Much less appropriate for a more grounded, gritty, or 'realistic' playstyle where getting stabbed with a 3-foot long razor blade will probably kill you outright, or leave you in recovery for months.
Dicepools are neither of those. I like them for unusual hyperbola curve.
D100, roll under, blackjack style, is my favorite. My second favorite is Greg Stolze's "One-roll Engine", or "O.R.E." for short.
Personally, I don't understand how anyone could find D100 systems unintuitive. When it comes to probabilities and statistics, it's how we intuitively think about chance.
I’ll have to look into the O.R.E. . It sounds like a lot of insight could come from that!
@@swordplaysorcery It's absolutely the best (imo) dice pool system ever devised; for a system that uses it, check out "Reign: A Game of Lords and Leaders". I fell in love with it so deeply that I backed the 2nd edition for a little over $200, and I've been a D100 guy since I found Rolemaster after quitting 2nd edition AD&D back in the day.
I wonder if @swordplaysorcery was referring to interpreting the dice to make the 1-100 number. There are so many threads going over the 00-90 die. I find it easy to comprehend, that it generates the 0-9 value for the tens field, along side the 0-9 die doing the same for the ones field. But many seem to insist on adding the values instead of placing them side-by-side.
Never heard of ORE so I had to look it up! Thanks for bringing it to people's attention.
wow, thank You Malcolm in the middle!
I liked that Edge of the Empire system with the dice that added player agency to the DMing process
I'm absolutely LOVING all of the different suggestions in these comments. Can't wait to look into this one!
@@swordplaysorcery If you're looking for the more generic system, it's called Genesys. It's made by Fantasy Flight Games. It uses what are called narrative dice. While the dice are dang near impossible to get, they do provide a chart in the book and there is an online die roller.
Great video. The dice system I am finding more interesting atm is called Monad Echo, it is used in Broken Tales and instead of increasing the number of dice in your pool, skills etc. remove dice. Players only fail when rolling a 1 so lower dice means higher chance of success.
I like the system in Ironsworn. Easy for beginners, great for story development.
I find that the best systems for deciding in games (i.e. what dice systems are for) are the ones that set both the pace of play and the feel of consequece discovery that best describe the experiences the game wants to capture.
Like the way the Jenga tower in Dread assures every player of impending doom, or how exploding dice systems can encourage desperation in play which a more steady THAC0-and-attacks-per-round minded tradition would discourage.
D20 is a percentile system. It's just a %ile system by increments of 5%
My favorite is dice pools, like World of Darkness.
Drink when he says "dice".
One really cool system I found is using a deck of cards. Having a deck keeps the randomness, but you can use the cards in your hand to affect results and add a strategic level to the "rolls". Malifaux does this, and it's extremely interesting, it might be worth checking out as an alternative!
I like the idea of a deck of cards because it lets the player or GM manipulate the odds of success. Increasing skill could result in additional good cards added. This could apply to so many different scenarios/mechanics.
That is a fascinating concept! I'm definitely going to have to look into this. I originally wanted the game to feature what I was calling a "Dice and Deck" system!
Castle Falkenstein is phenomenal and uses a normal card deck for all its entropy
What does each card mean?
#1 fan! Right here! Honestly though I loved this. It had made me think of ways of using different dice systems in a hybrid way for my campaign! I think I will start by added some percentile rolls!!
Do it! I’d love to hear how it goes!
My dice system has dice work like spells slots, you have a number of dice and when you roll you can use a d4 (like a cantrip) or spend one of your higher dice (d6, d8, etc) if you still have those left.
The average attribute has 1d6 and 1d8 or 3d6
Good luck to you fellow ttrpg creator.
My system uses solely d20's, but optional d2, d4.
I've never thought about prioritizing the d4, let alone the d2. That sounds awesome!
How does it work?
I'm a dicepool girl lol. WoD is great, FATE is great, but I understand the % systems pretty well.
My own system is an accumulated dice pool giving the number of successes in 10s added up on the roll. So on average each 2d10 equals to 1 success, and the more one tries to add for extra swing, the more that rule gets enforced by odds.
A single die system gives an equal chance of getting any number on the die. A two die system allows for a range in which the numbers on the end of the scale are rarer allowing for a greater range of results good or bad. I like two D6 with 6 7 8 being the most common results possible and 2 3 or 11 12 being the less common results good or bad. BUT it works best with tables of results prepared in advance.
What about FATE/Fudge dice?
Interesting, idk what would be best for your game tbh, but i like the way the Dice Pool system works.
(Btw, i'm actually thinking about making a pokemon inspired ttrpg instead of pokemon homebrew for dnd 5e. I wanna use something i've thought of called the Decadice system, which is like procentile but with all sorts of dice, so for example 1d10 & 1d6 for 1-60)
That sounds like a lot of fun! Your dice system sounds really intriguing! I would love to hear more about it!
I know Dimension 20 when doing the Misfits and Magic explored some different takes on character development with a non-D&D adhered dice setup, which I thought was interesting. If you might be looking for more inspiration or diversity in your dice breakout.
I’ll be looking into that ASAP! Could inspire some interesting mechanics!
WOD D10 pool was one of my favorite.
Currently doing a single die system of my own. Sometimes I think people make things too simplistic like some of these D6 systems or just using so many variation of die and unique dice that the games become overly complex and, to be honest, if a unique die is lost or rolls under furniture, most other players do not have back ups.
Fantastic point!
Are there only 3 dice systems?
I know how important interaction is in the YT algorithm so here’s a basic comment. Good luck I’d love to watch your channel grow.
YOU ARE SO KIND THANK YOU!!
Each die.
One die. Five dice.
Honestly d20s and d6s just feel good to roll. Percentile dice are fine but i might as well be rolling 1d10 every time for the difference that extra 1-9% (almost never) makes. Ive toyed with d12s and multiple d8s but planning and understanding the challenge ratings became awkward when dealing with 1-12 successes or worse 2-16
Scale system
Like Savage World
D4
D6
D8
D10
D12
Target 4
Bigger dice higher chance of success.
Actually making a video about Savage Worlds possibly influencing the game!
TTRPGs are the best
Tis seems more like just the basics systems. There are more dice system's, and ive grown to like ones that arent just binary results (succes/fail). The Wrath & Glory is a d6 pool system, but has 1 die a dif color that could cause complications or boosts to your roll.
I'm working on my on ttrpg as well and I'm currently doing a pretty big rework at the moment shifting my game from a d20 system to a d6 Dice Pool system because somehow, using the Dice Pool system works better for the dynamic combat of my system. Also, I like the idea that at any point throughout the campaign, my players can be taken out pretty easily if they get careless.
Good Luck with your game!
Love to see other people making games! Part of the reason I haven’t made a video update is because of a rework as well!
At GenCon, I got to Playtest a game called DC20 and it was EXACTLY what I wanted with a TTRPG. Had to rethink what I wanted the game to be after that 😂
@@swordplaysorcery Similar situation here, lol. I have a friend whos also working on a very different ttrpg and he had this one idea that just fit into my system so well that I had to rework things.
Triumph and despair! Edge of the Empire!
My most disliked is d100 and d20. It is too wide of a range compared to a character's skill bonuses. I want my character to determine how good I am, not how well I roll.
I also really like systems with levels of success, and a fail with benefit or succeed with a negative result possibilities.
I would love to find a way to dive into the fail with a benefit and such. That sounds like a really engaging and dynamic edition to have with the TTRPG
Been working on my own system for a few months now. Honnestly I prefered to use the Dice curve system which felt more balanced.
I was sick of D20 being mainly based on luck rather than your character's skills and I never liked D100 systems where you need to do less than x% I always found these less intuitive. Dice pools are nice but my ttrpg friend group prefers big damage rolls rather than making a small number of wounds according to a number of successes and I mostly needed to convince them to play with my system...
I also liked the dice upgrade system from savage world and used it for spellcasting damage.
I really love the idea of the Savage Worlds mechanic being used for spells! That's incredible
What's the dice curve system?
Meh.. the percentile system is very intuitive, you just have to read the number and not adding up any weird stuff unlike the famous D20 system or any system thst asks to make additions...
I say this as a person thst has problems with math especially adding or subtracting or muliplying 😂
I don't see this video. I think the best role-dice-system for trpg this is use every dicy
What did I just watch? As another commenter already pointed out those three are essentially the same. And then at the end he's just like "I'm gonna use all three... Which one would I use?" What are you even saying?
d20 is still just decimalized in 5 point increments on a flat distribution. It's a "luck die" in that there is always that five percent chance of a 20.
Yawn.
Give me the bell-distribution of 3d6. It makes epic successes and failures less likely, and pushes more results to the middle.
The TT is not necessary.
Just call them RPGs.
I've always been disappointed with d20 systems. The d20 is too dynamic to properly model a skill. It's not fun when your 5th level Dwarf Barbarian completely misses several times in multiple combat scenes. I know; it happened to me in a recent Gen Con tournament. Dice pools are too messy and require too much mental overhead. Percent-based systems are a phycological let down. It's not very fun or heroic knowing I only have a 40% chance to hit. Abstracting the actual percent is a very important part of roleplaying games. In the game I'm designing, bell-curve is the only sensible option.
Only an American would thimk percentile dice is confusing, the rest of the world (or 95% of all humans) are very used to using decimals. It's by far the easiest system.
Not sure what being American has to do with preferring one system over another. Do you mean it's because Americans invented TTRPGs?
@@lattetown ever heard of the metric system? I'm sure you figure it out now.
I get the metric joke, but adding more zeros in front of a one doesn't make for a better system. Also this relies on the assumption that base ten is the superior system of counting when from a maths standpoint the base doesn't actually tend to matter. Arguably you want to hit a sweet spot where the number isn't too low as to be easily manipulated nor too way where numbers begin to feel meaningless (number bloat). Here's a scale of probably using common die types from 25% - 1%:
D4 = 25%
D6 = ~16.7%
D8 = 12.5%
D10 = 10%
D12 = ~8.3%
2D4 = ~6.3%
D20 = 5%
2D6 = ~2.8%
2D8 = ~1.7%
2D10 = 1%
You can go a step further by creating a table to compare concepts like advantage/disadvantage as well to see how it impacts your chosen die type. Another area to look at is bonuses/penalties; which typically are more balanced with high scaling systems. There's also things like the explosion system from Savage Worlds where your reroll on a maxed die and add the results for the role. Finally, is the matter of just rerolling.
Dice are just the degree of of precision you're comfortable with and should be dictated by the mechanics you intend to interact with them and the ease of use for both.
@SkepticalCaveman The metric system has a major flaw that humans don't usually consider. A base 10 number system does not deal well with numbers divisible by 3. In fact, one might argue (I am arguing) that there is an error in the form of the elusive decimal 0.999..., of course they rationalized it because they had to, but no such error occurs in a base 12 numeric system
@@Ethan-hl3rf needing to round numbers is not a "major flaw" it's a small in convenience at most. There are much worse numbers like 7 that is a *prime* number and yet weeks have seven days. Base 12 will never happen, but more than 95% of humans already use the metric system, and if the US people finally realise that their countryalready officially switched to metric over half a century ago we could all stop using unnecessary and expensive conversions because this tiny minority refuse leave the dark ages. Using "%" is is not magic, even elementary students are able to do it easily.
Every d20 is also a d10 and a d100. Why would you need anything else?
D20 and D100 are, for all practical purposes, the same.
Each number on a D20 has a 5% of being rolled.
Each number on a D100 has a 1% of being rolled.
Is the D100 more nuanced? What's the practical difference between a 37 and a 38? Will players rejoice when they get a mere +1 to their D100 roll?
How nuanced can you get with D100? If you have a random table with 100 possibilities every check in a game, then D100 is great but no one is going to put that much work into it.
Is there is a nuanced difference in a check between a 35 and a 40, well , that's the same as a 7 and an 8 on a D20.
D100 are totally fine, but they're not really more nuanced, just a bit more confusing to new players.
Go for the D20.
Hi ladies and gents.
I agree 100% (pun intended) if you're comparing, say, BRP / Call of Cthulhu/ RQ (percentiles, roll under your skill) to Pendragon = same skill based roll under system (and same company) but on a d20 scale (effectively BRP streamlined and divided by 5). You could play RQ or CoC on a d20 and it would work the same. The 1st and 2nd editions of Runequest used only 5% increments anyway. I still prefer percentiles because I grok an odd of 75% better than a 15 on a 20 range (which I have to convert to percentile in my head), but that's me.
I don't feel you can compare between the d20 and d100 systems with regard to dice used because that's secondary, what really sets them apart is their approach.
Also part of the confusion with reading d100 to me seems to stem from the use of that 100% absolutely useless tens die (the one with 00 to 90 numbers), it complicates reading with zero benefit. Can't fathom what tortuous mind could invent this. Simply use 2 normal d10 of different sizes or colors, read them side by side and you're done (00 is 100).
Anyway, just my two cents. Whatever your preference, happy gaming guys.
@@stephaz659Interesting you brought up CoC. My friends and I recently played a short campaign. I noticed that during character creation EVERYONE added points to the abilities they wanted in 5 point increments. No one had 57% in anything, it was either 55% or 60%. Which is the same math for a d20.
I agree with you, d100 can be confusing, but you have to learn it. The only stat in CoC that wouldn't always conform to a d20 was Luck because you spent a point or two here and there to improve your checks.