wordswords

Action and Risk: Core resolution in Grass & Rubble

With my core resolution mechanics in Grass & Rubble, I have two main goals:

  1. I want actions and their impact to be firmly based in the fiction.
  2. I want to minimize negotiation between players and the GM.

You can read about my game in a previous article.

Similar to Into the Odd, Ghost/Echo, and 24XX, actions in Grass & Rubble aren't directly resolved by a roll. Instead, you roll only when there's a risk, which may include failing to achieve your goal.

Actions

Players explore the world by describing what their characters do, how they do it, and what impact they hope to achieve. The GM describes what they perceive and how the world reacts.

Risk Roll

When a player faces danger or attempts to avoid a risk, the GM calls for a Risk Roll using an appropriate stat. First the player answers: What do you fear could happen if you fail? The GM may respond how it's worse than expected. The player can choose to step back and take a more careful approach or follow through with the action. If they follow through, they roll 2d6 and add their stat to the total:

If they have significant Help, they roll 3d6 and keep the highest two results. If they are Hindered, they roll 3d6 but keep the lowest two. If the outcome would harm them, they can Resist to reduce the severity of the consequence.

At first, the Risk Roll had three possible outcomes and was closer to World of Dungeons, but I found that I prefer the clarity of binary resolution. Don't get me wrong, I like it when rolls create drama and conflicts. But at the same time I dislike the “tainted success” feeling they often create for players. In my experience, resolving a partial success often requires significant GM effort, so I shifted the function of creating conflicts to other mechanics instead. That’s where Pushing and Resisting comes in.

Asking, “What do you fear could happen?” helps set the tone and establish stakes. The GM can always escalate the threat to raise tension. I love the clarity this technique brings in Trophy Gold and Carved from Brindlewood games. Opposed to Trophy it asks the acting player directly to answer the question. At this point it's more of a conversation between one player and the GM. If the GM asks for it often, it's an effective way to collaboratively shape the game’s tone and create further conflicts.

Push

If a player's desired impact is a stretch but not impossible, the GM can ask them to Push the action. To do so, they must either mark 1 Dread (a track with six boxes) or accept an unavoidable cost suggested by another player. Everyone can suggest costs. The GM has a veto. If the action is also risky, they follow up with a Risk Roll.

For the cost of 1 Dread or an unavoidable complication, players can achieve a greater effect. Although this mechanic interacts with some character special traits, its primary function is to help the GM moderate the tone of the game. Using it frequently establishes boundaries for what’s possible.

Would throwing a knife to cut a cable and kill the lights be possible? Yes.
Would it be an extraordinary stunt? Definitely.

Instead of setting an improbably high DC, the GM can determine that the action is a stretch but not outright impossible and ask for a Push. Players must then decide whether to create more drama or spend a critical resource. I've never liked haggling for dice in Blades in the Dark or Trophy Gold. I do enjoy the Devil’s Bargain, but at my table, I found that players constantly looking for ways to increase their dice pool slowed the tempo and reduced tension. It takes a lot of practice to get right. That’s why I’m more drawn to simpler resolution mechanics.

That's it for know. I'll get into other mechanics in later posts.