[UA] "Take 20!" (was Dicey Incompetence)

[Patrick Joynt]

The system I came up with was that I set a minimum score to any important 
event as GM (notice, for example, you're being followed on a crowded street. 
Say, 55).  I had the PC role.  If he succeeded, great. Based on measure of 
success, I give him info.
If he fails and his skill is *under* the number I gave the task, he failed 
utterly. Tough.  If he fails and his skill is over/equal (or an obsession, 
what have you) then he would still succeed, but not necessarily right off 
the bat - ie, you might not notice you're being followed until you're a 
block away from where you dropped the bag - it comes flashing back. That 
same light haired man, the blue sun glasses, slight paunch, block after 
block - as the PC goes hauling ass back a block.
It means that someone with a certain level of skill (ie, notice in this 
case) will almost always at least come through, but tough tasks are still 
that.
Anyways, that worked with a group that a) was Mostly OK with my totalitarian 
style and b) didn't know I was doing it:)
Patrick
<<hi players!>>


>From: Brian Nisbet <lir at lspace.org>
>Reply-To: ua at lists.uchicago.edu
>To: ua at lists.uchicago.edu
>Subject: Re: [UA] "Take 20!" (was Dicey Incompetence)
>Date: Wed, 23 May 2001 18:07:02 +0100
>
>On Wed, May 23, 2001 at 12:54:53PM -0400, holycrow at mindspring.com wrote:
> > >>That's one good thing that D&D 3E did by implementing the
> > >>"Take 20" rule.  Pretty much, if a normal person can
> > >>accomplish the task given enough time, then why bother
> > >>rolling?
> > >
> > >In UA, it's pretty easy to take the result of your failed roll and
> > >use that to determine how long the task takes.  Success = immediate
> > >(or nearly so) success.  Higher failures fulfill the task quicker than
> > >lower ones, but not as quick as a successful roll.  Kinda like
> > >initiative.
> >
> > Hm... I wonder if a failure roll might not act as a very rough gauge
> > for how long it would take to perform a non-combat action?  Let's see
> > here... one minute per percentage?  So if I try my "Computer Hack" skill
> > at 30% and succeed, I get in the system fairly quickly.  If I roll a 45,
> > it's going to take me 45 minutes to get in?
> >
> > Maybe... maybe not.  Discussion?
>
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