<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: [MUD-Dev] Re: Systems you use --> <!--X-From-R13: Qnyvona Fverfvnf Rnexybpx <pnyvonaNqnexybpx.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 06:36:29 -0700 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 199804231336.JAA10108#relay,mnsinc.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 199804221927.MAA199239#under,engr.sgi.com --> <!--X-Reference: Pine.SOL.3.96.980423131107.13525A-100000@sun-cc203 --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, [MUD-Dev] Re: Systems you use</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg00369.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00387.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00369.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00431.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00378">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00378">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00378">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: Systems you use</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] Re: Systems you use</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Caliban Tiresias Darklock <<A HREF="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 09:36:33 -0400</LI> <LI><em>Delivery-date</em>: Thu Apr 23 06:36:31 1998</LI> <LI><em>Delivery-date</em>: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 06:36:31 -0700</LI> <LI><em>Envelope-to</em>: claw#kanga,nu</LI> <LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI> <LI><em>Sender</em>: "Petidomo List Agent,,,," <<A HREF="mailto:petidomo#kanga,nu">petidomo#kanga,nu</A>></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> On 01:17 PM 4/23/98 +0100, I personally witnessed Ling jumping up to say: > >Out of interest, what system do people use for their randomness and why? > >Linear probability, percentile, 1D100, 1D20: I like using this for most of the actual game-play systems in tabletop, but... >Combinational dice, nDm + c (eg: 3D6 + 1): The bell curve on this sort of roll is good for generating character statistics. >Strange multiple D6 only: I'm also fond of this system, although it's a pain in the butt to do success/fail implementations in online games; I like the White Wolf version, which is very much like Shadowrun's except that it uses d10 instead of d6 and there are several options for what to do on the 'Rule of Ten' (similar to the 'Rule of Six'): my personal favorite of the options is that the ten counts as a success, and the same die can be rerolled for a possible additional success. That option neatly solves the paradoxical concept of both the 'Rule of One' and the 'Rule of Ten' applying to the same die. The Shadowrun style 'add the six to a reroll of the same die' tends to get ludicrous on occasion. >Combat Resolution Table (CRT): I detest these. Really, I do. They're better in MUDs than on paper, but still! They're either almost random or woefully predictable -- see 'Wooden Ships and Iron Men', where the 'Wave Hat' action was either a waste of time, an effective block against most attacks, or an instant knockout for your opponent. What a no-brainer! There's no risk! I saw game after game where people would 'Wave Hat' four and five turns in a row! >Cards and chits: These are good for really strange probability curves, if you ask me, or for 'unique' results. They're also good for presenting appropriate fixes to the 'luck' aspect -- a deck of cards containing the numbers 1-20 which is shuffled and dealt in order until they run out, then being reshuffled, can substitute for a d20. However, there's no chance of rolling multiple 20s or multiple 1s, because once you get the 20 or the 1 out, it's gone. >Other: >Random numbers are dependent upon stats. Eg: Strength of 200 will allow >rolls of 1-200 or variation of. You can get really weird with randomising, but I prefer to use things that represent real-world game constructs to make the game more accessible to gamers. Sometimes this sort of thing is useful, but I'm not overly fond of it. >When it comes down to it, some of the systems listed can emulate the others >so it is all down to a matter of preference. Not entirely. A 3d6 roll is very, very different from a 2d8+2 roll, and TSR has had difficulty with drilling into people's heads that random encounter rolls are on 1d12+1d8, NOT 2d10. The probability breakdown is significantly different. Linear probability is very simple, but multiple dice have a very different probability curve, and systems based on success/failure on *each* die have yet another completely different curve. Cards and chits can effectively emulate dice to some degree, creating an artificial probability curve, and combat resolution tables just... blech. The Alternity dice system is interesting. A bonus or penalty in Alternity changes the linear nature of the roll; everything is on 1d20, but you generally start at a flat d20 (low is better) and each point of bonus or penalty moves you along a table of modifiers which uses more dice; a -1 bonus, for example, is 1d20-1d4, while a -2 bonus is 1d20-1d6. It uses no d10, so you have a table that runs like this: -5: 1d20-1d20 -4: 1d20-1d12 -3: 1d20-1d8 -2: 1d20-1d6 -1: 1d20-1d4 0: 1d20 +1: 1d20+1d4 +2: 1d20+1d6 +3: 1d20+1d8 +4: 1d20+1d12 +5: 2d20 +6: 3d20 +7: 4d20 etc... -- MUD-Dev: Advancing an unrealised future. </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00238" HREF="msg00238.html">[MUD-Dev] Graphical MUD project (Sea Of Blood)</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> J C Lawrence <claw#under,engr.sgi.com></LI></UL></LI> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00369" HREF="msg00369.html">[MUD-Dev] Systems you use</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> Ling <K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00369.html">[MUD-Dev] Systems you use</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00387.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: MUD Development Digest</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00369.html">[MUD-Dev] Systems you use</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00431.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Systems you use</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00378"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00378"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><STRONG>[MUD-Dev] Teamwork</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00395" HREF="msg00395.html">[MUD-Dev] Teamwork</A></strong>, Ling <a href="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</a>, Thu 23 Apr 1998, 15:57 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00441" HREF="msg00441.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Teamwork</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Thu 23 Apr 1998, 17:56 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00238" HREF="msg00238.html">[MUD-Dev] Graphical MUD project (Sea Of Blood)</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Wed 22 Apr 1998, 19:27 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00369" HREF="msg00369.html">[MUD-Dev] Systems you use</A></strong>, Ling <a href="mailto:K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk">K.L.Lo-94#student,lboro.ac.uk</a>, Thu 23 Apr 1998, 12:18 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00378" HREF="msg00378.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Systems you use</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Thu 23 Apr 1998, 13:36 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00431" HREF="msg00431.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Systems you use</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Thu 23 Apr 1998, 17:40 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00458" HREF="msg00458.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Systems you use</A></strong>, Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:adam#angel,com">adam#angel,com</a>, Thu 23 Apr 1998, 19:57 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00462" HREF="msg00462.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Systems you use</A></strong>, Katrina McClelan <a href="mailto:kitkat#the486,bradley.edu">kitkat#the486,bradley.edu</a>, Thu 23 Apr 1998, 21:13 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00475" HREF="msg00475.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Systems you use</A></strong>, J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Thu 23 Apr 1998, 21:22 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>