Ars Arcana: Getting Dicey

Three Rule Resolution

Travis Joseph Rodgers

I’m seeking a fun rolling system that uses few dice, can be quickly applied, but that allows for scalability to more complicated combat/interaction options. I’ve come up with the three-rule system. The rules are simple: 1s, 6s, doubles.

Roll the dice from your pool.

Pool = relevant Gimmick +/- situational modifiers.

Here are three examples. They’ll use 4 dice, as that’s the highest initial Gimmick for a character.

Example 1:

Rule 1: Isolate the 1s

1^st are not good. Move them to the left of your rolling area.

Resolution: if after you apply Rule 1, you have no dice left, that’s a critical failure.

We have three remaining dice, so this is not a critical failure.

Rule 2: Isolate the 6s

6s are good. Each 6 represents a success.

There are no 6s, so that’s no successes. Dice remain, so proceed to Rule 3.

Rule 3: Count Doubles

Doubles are good. Each double counts as one success.

Note: we’ve already counted 1s, so double 1s are irrelevant at this stage. We’ve already counted 6s, so double 6s are irrelevant at this stage. We have no doubles, so we have no successes. Consulting the Resolution chart, we have a simple failure.

Results

All 1s: critical failure

No 6s or doubles: simple failure

Each 6 or double: one degree of success

Column 1 has no doubles. It had no 6s. So, it’s a simple failure.

Column 2 has no doubles. It had one 6, so it’s a single success.

Example 2

Rule 1: No 1s.

Rule 2: One 6. That’s a success.

Rule 3: No doubles.

Consulting the resolution chart: that’s one total success.

Example 3

Suppose all 8 dice were one roll from a character with a Gimmick of 8. Those dice were 6-5-5-4-3-3-2-1.

Rule 1: ditch the 1. This leaves 6-5-5-4-3-3-2. Dice remain, so go to Rule 2.

Rule 2, count the 6. That’s one success. This leaves 5-5-4-3-3-2.

Rule 3: count doubles: 3/3 and 5/5. That’s two doubles.

So, that’s a total of three successes.

Scalability

Now you can do what you want with your critical failure. Maybe it’s a complication.

E.g., Frolon fumbles his longsword. It skitters across the ground.

Your simple failure can be a succeed at a cost or fail in an advantageous way.

E.g., Frolon cuts the beast, but his blade become stuck in its tough hide. He’s now weaponless.

Your simple success is a minimal success, perhaps.

E.g., Frolon deals standard longsword damage.

Your multiple successes (critical successes) allow you to insert all those cool game/system features you want.

E.g., Frolon deals double damage or rends the beast’s armor, lowering its Armor Class to future attacks.