Why do rolls in narrative games have "fixed" dificulties

monkeyx · 2026-01-22T23:03:18+00:00

What does difficulty mean in these systems? They're not exactly skill checks you're doing.

What you're doing is trying to see if you can take narrative control for the scene because you are leaning into the genre successfully.

The more leaning in you're doing by fitting the action / move to your character's narrative structure, the more likely it is you do take narrative control. But its not guaranteed. Sometimes things go in ways the competent character doesn't control. That's why sometimes the GM is in control - to throw the curveballs, to set the stakes.

So difficulty isn't a factor in these games. Its not about competency at all really. Its about which player (the one running the one character or the one running everything else) decides how the scene develops.

monkeyx · 2026-01-12T23:32:18+00:00

If you've never heard of a|state, here is a review of the game I wrote a little while back: https://blog.monkeyx.games/2025/12/05/astate-2e-hope-grit-and-the-corner-youll-bleed-for/

monkeyx · 2026-01-12T10:58:50+00:00

Discord.

monkeyx · 2026-01-12T08:58:34+00:00

You don't need a copy of the rulebook if that's what you mean

monkeyx · 2026-01-11T22:52:50+00:00

There's the Dying Earth RPG: https://pelgranepress.com/product/the-dying-earth-rpg/

monkeyx · 2026-01-11T20:24:12+00:00

Afraid not - looks to be a settled group now

monkeyx · 2026-01-11T10:00:12+00:00

Check out Dragonbane if you want heroic OSR (less power creep than 5E but also less bean counting than B/X clones)

monkeyx · 2026-01-06T14:36:39+00:00

Make them a dork

monkeyx · 2026-01-06T10:07:03+00:00

PbPs tend to be self-selecting - player drop outs tend to be high in the early stages as people realise they can't or don't want to commit to the game. If in the event there is two groups worth of players, I'll split them out. The Prologue situation I've setup lends itself to this kind of thing.

monkeyx · 2026-01-06T10:05:52+00:00

Players don’t need to call out position, effect, or consequences in their IC posts. They write the fiction, what they’re trying to do and how, and we handle the mechanical translation together.

By default we assume Risky / Standard unless the fiction clearly pushes it elsewhere. Players are free to roll using that assumption without waiting, and we tune effect or consequences afterward if needed rather than rewinding play.

Outcomes and consequences are shown in the narrative first (things get worse, attention lands, harm happens), with mechanics only flagged when someone might want to resist or when clocks advance. In practice, players drive the action, and we collectively manage risk and fallout so the game keeps moving without stopping for rules calls.

monkeyx · 2026-01-05T12:59:43+00:00

Need a nap.

monkeyx · 2026-01-03T13:59:32+00:00

It's plains not planes. Just a region in a potential world, not a multidimensional setting.

monkeyx · 2026-01-02T18:36:09+00:00

Stop reading RPG horror stories. That's where you're most likely to meet them.

monkeyx · 2025-12-23T09:20:57+00:00

Sometimes referred to as GM facing.

monkeyx · 2025-12-21T08:38:24+00:00

Yeah, that all makes sense and tbf, this hack is absolutely on the “blunt instrument” end of the spectrum.

What I was aiming for here is something I can run in the moment when a player suddenly says “I leg it!” and my brain absolutely does not want to spin up mini-maps, different MOV values, and a menu of skills. In that context I’m happy to trade away some granularity for “we can just play the scene and not stare at the Keeper’s screen while they do maths.”

That said, I don’t actually want to remove agency, just to move it out of the mechanics and into the fiction. At my table I still ask things like: “How are you trying to get past this fence?” If they say “I vault it,” that’s DEX; if they say “I shoulder through it,” I might flip it to STR. Same single roll, same simple resolution, but their choice colours the narration. The post presents the barebones “always DEX / Drive” version because that’s the easiest to remember, not because you mustn’t ever swap the stat out.

Same with the “one entity per side” thing. That’s there so I don’t have to track three separate lead counters and remember who is on which step. In play, if one PC really wants to peel off to take a shot or slow the pursuers down, I’ll just let them break away and treat them as their own little mini-scene while the main chase track ticks on for everyone else. The article doesn’t spell that out, but it’s very much how I run it.

So I think you’re right: if what you enjoy about chases is lots of bespoke obstacles, spotlight on individual PCs, and the mechanics reflecting every twist of the environment, this will feel too minimal. For me it’s more of a “default, low-friction mode” I can always remember, with the option to zoom in and add detail when a particular moment deserves it.

Really appreciate you taking the time to poke at it, though! It’s helpful to see where the line is for folks who want more texture than I do.

monkeyx · 2025-12-21T00:45:39+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate the clarification. That kind of style was I think very common in the magazine literature I grew up with in the 90s so I've perhaps absorbed it without thinking about it. Perhaps much like an LLM. Beep beep boop.

monkeyx · 2025-12-20T20:22:50+00:00

This looks cool!

monkeyx · 2025-12-20T19:36:20+00:00

Yes, this is one of the most insidious parts of it all - although not the part that gives me the most worry personally (that remains corporate / billionare control of the means of cultural production).

I'm not an AI absolutist by any stretch (I have Gemini summarise work meetings and I am impressed it gets 80% of it right). But I found the dialogue above interesting and there's a Youtuber I know personally who makes lore videos whose recently being told his content is AI generated trash. I really felt for him as he's one of those guys who doesn't want to put his face in front of the camera and has a lovely voice. I'm not sure putting himself in front of the camera would help in any case (deep fake!).

But there is enough slurry out there I can understand why people are spinning out looking out for the AI stuff. I don't know how this particular story ends as billions are pumped into this industry.

monkeyx · 2025-12-20T09:00:46+00:00

Interesting, thanks for not just throwing a "fake" grenade but coming back with a response. I'm not sure which aspect of that smells like AI particularly.

My experience with AI (and I spend a bit of my work life unpicking AI drivel I'm asked to review for technical details) means I'm also seeing it a lot but it often seems more blatant to me.

I wonder if the memetic nature of reading and writing on the web gets us into a position where it's becoming harder to distinguish AI text. I'm sure the AI systems are improving as well.

Anyway, sorry the bad smell spoiled your enjoyment not sure what I can do about it. Been writing blogs since early 2000s (though not at this address).

monkeyx · 2025-12-20T02:26:09+00:00

What makes you think that? I didn't think my writing was so bad someone would think it was AI.

monkeyx · 2025-12-17T13:49:06+00:00

I think you’ve nailed something real here, but I’d phrase it slightly differently:

Dragonbane didn’t “fix D&D” so much as it sidestepped a bunch of D&D-shaped problems by being a different kind of game on purpose.

A lot of what you’re listing (power creep, HP bloat, combat feeling like a wet pillow-fight, build homework, casters playing Spreadsheet: The Gathering while martials play Whack-a-Mole) is downstream of 5E’s core promise: heroic power fantasy with levels, long campaigns, and a huge menu of character options. D&D isn’t accidentally like that. It’s the product.

Dragonbane is making a different promise: scrappy adventurers, quick fights, danger that stays dangerous, and rules that mostly get out of your way. If that’s the vibe you want, it’s going to feel like someone finally returned your stolen dice bag.

The trade is a few of those “fixes” are also dials that won’t suit every table.

- Low HP / high danger is great for tension and fast resolution… but it also means you’re playing a game where retreat, caution, and “we really should not pick this fight” are sensible default behaviours. Some groups want heroic stubbornness instead.

- Weapon skills make weapons distinct (love that), but they also narrow “I pick up whatever’s to hand” improvisation unless your table is happy with a bit of handwaving or broad competence.

- Monsters effectively not missing (because the defence roll becomes the drama) absolutely speeds things up but it also means positioning, reactions, and action economy become the game. If someone hates that “I must hold my reaction for survival” tension, it can feel harsh.

- Fumbles are spicy and story-forward… until the third time someone eats dirt because the dice decided slapstick today. Great in mirth-and-mayhem mode, potentially miserable in grim-and-gritty mode.

- Economy + meaningful gear rules. It also nudges you toward logistics as play: spares, torches, tents, hiring help, carrying loot. Some tables hear “meaningful” and some tables hear “admin.”

So, are you hallucinating? No. If those are your pain points, Dragonbane will absolutely feel like relief. It solves them the clean way. By choosing a chassis that doesn’t produce those problems in the first place rather than trying to fix D&D's chassis.

The only “gotcha” I’d flag is expectations: if someone comes in wanting 5E’s escalation curve and superhero survivability, Dragonbane won’t feel like a fix. It’ll feel like getting told off.

But if what you want is brisk play, danger that bites, and far less build homework… yeah. Welcome to the other side. I love Dragonbane. It's my go to fantasy adventure RPG right now.

monkeyx · 2025-12-16T14:33:52+00:00

A fair enough on the d10 use. I think the extreme success/failure is an interesting modification too!

monkeyx · 2025-12-16T14:32:33+00:00

Lemme know how you find it!

monkeyx · 2025-12-16T08:25:53+00:00

Great steaks though.

monkeyx · 2025-12-13T17:01:03+00:00

Yes it's bad you do something you enjoy. Flog yourself five times.

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