04.25.09
Posted in Game Design, Gameplay at 9:43 am by Christian
(Continuation from the WATO posts below)
A six-sided die has six possible outcomes, each of which has a probability of 1/6. In order to determine the probability of an event, simply add together the probabilities of the outcomes that constitute the event.
For example, if you want to determine the probability of rolling an odd number on a D6, you add the probability of each odd-numbered outcome together. In this case, you have three odd-numbered outcomes (1, 3, 5). Adding their probabilities results in a probability of 1/2 for this event (1/6 + 1/6 + 1/6 = 3/6 or 1/2).
You can also calculate in percent, if you find this to be easier or more meaningful to you. In that case, each outcome of the D6 has a probability of 16.67% (you can figure this out by dividing 100% by 6). Adding three outcomes together results in a probability of 50%. Of course, 50% is equal to 1/2 of 100%, which shows that both ways of expressing probabilities are the same. However, percentages need to be rounded and can therefore lead to slightly false results. Three times 16.67% actually results in 50.01%, but that is only an artifact of the initial rounding to two digits behind the period when dividing 100% by 6.
As another example, you may want to find out your odds of rolling at least a 16 on a D20. Each outcome (i.e., specific number) on the D20 has a probability of 1/20, or 5% (no rounding needed in this case). There are five numbers on the die that are at least 16: 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20. Five times 1/20 equals 5/20 or 1/4. Similarly, five times 5% equals 25% (which is 1/4 of 100%). As a result, you have a chance of 1/4 or 25% of rolling at least a 16 on a D20.
So far, calculating the probability of events has been quite easy. But it gets a little more tricky when we consider multiple dice, something that is a part of most gaming systems.
Multiple Dice Events
Unless you roll two D10 to achieve a percentile outcome, gaming systems usually add the numbers of multiple die rolls together for a sum result. 2D6-based systems are quite prevalent in strategy and role-playing games. The sum of such a roll is the event that we are concerned with in this section. Each possible outcome of such a roll is a combination of the two (or more) dice. The most important point to keep in mind is that an outcome of 1+6 is different from an outcome of 6+1. It matters that the resulting sum of 7 (with 2D6) is achieved in two different ways, depending on whether the first or the second die rolled the 1. Both of these are different outcomes, and each of them adds a possibility to the event of 7.
In order to figure out the amount of possible outcomes, one has to multiply the number of outcomes of each die with the others. For example, 2D6 has 36 possible outcomes, because each die can show 6 different numbers (and 6×6 = 36). We can display this through what I call mapping of the outcomes. In this example, the list of possible outcomes would be mapped out as follows:
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1+1
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2+1
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3+1
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4+1
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5+1
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6+1
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1+2
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2+2
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3+2
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4+2
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5+2
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6+2
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1+3
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2+3
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3+3
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4+3
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5+3
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6+3
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1+4
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2+4
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3+4
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4+4
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5+4
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6+4
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1+5
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2+5
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3+5
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4+5
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5+5
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6+5
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1+6
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2+6
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3+6
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4+6
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5+6
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6+6
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Each of these outcomes has a probability of 1/36.
Now, in order to find out what the probability for a certain event is, we need to figure out how many of the above-listed outcomes produce the event. Rolling a sum of 12 with 2D6, for example, can only be achieved through the outcome 6+6. Therefore, the chance of a sum result of 12 with 2D6 is 1/36, or 2.78%.
An event of a sum of 7, however, is produced by 6 different outcomes: 1+6, 2+5, 3+4, 4+3, 5+2 and 6+1. Therefore, the odds of a result of 7 with 2D6 added together is 6/36, which is the same as 1/6 or 16.67%.
Interestingly, every event higher or lower than 7 has one less outcome associated with it. This means that there are 5 outcomes each that produce a 6 (1+5, 2+4, 3+3, 4+2, 5+1) or an 8 (2+6, 3+5, 4+4, 5+3, 6+2), 4 outcomes each that produce a 5 (1+4, 2+3, 3+2, 4+1) or 9 (3+6, 4+5, 5+4, 6+3), 3 outcomes each that result in a 4 (1+3, 2+2, 3+1) or 10 (4+6, 5+5, 6+4), 2 outcomes each for a sum of 3 (1+2, 2+1) or 11 (5+6, 6+5) and one outcome each for a result of 2 (1+1) or 12 (6+6).
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Posted in Beast Hunters, My Games at 12:02 pm by Christian
It’s been two years since we published Beast Hunters. Many people have played it, and I’ve received feedback and made my own observations over the past 24 months. While I think that the original Beast Hunters is a great game, some of my personal preferences have changed. After discussing it, Lisa and I have determined that we wouldn’t make a whole new edition just to change something that’s preference-based; instead, we’re issuing this “unsupported” patch for the game. Use it if your preferences fit, ignore it if they don’t.
The main changes in preferences that I’m talking about are related to intensity and investment. The original Beast Hunters requires a significant amount of creative investment up-front (including strategic choices during character creation). For example, you have to create 10 freeform traits and 6 freeform resources. That’s a lot of investment; but it results in well-fleshed-out characters with lots of hooks and personality. Nowadays, however, I like to be able to start a little more quickly and be more flexible during the game, even at the expense of having characters that are not as complex and require less creative investment from the players.
This update has four main goals: make character creation faster, with reduced creative burnout; streamline adversity creation; allow players to use traits more flexibly, with added tactical potential; and rework the goals system to make it more suspenseful and rewarding.
A System Reference Document (SRD) will follow shortly. That means we’re going to actually post the complete rules sections from Beast Hunters (How to Play, Character Creation and Development, Negotiation, and Conflicts) in updated form. Half of this information is already contained in the free sections and the demo on our web site, but this will be the first time that all of the rules become publicly available–which also is more in line with my current preferences.
The following patch notes contain all of the changes. If you’re familiar with Beast Hunters, you’ll be able to grasp them really quickly. Again, this is an optional patch; check it out and see if it would work for you.
Character Creation
- Create just 1 trait for each step of character creation. Assign them a domain each and distribute the following ratings: +4, +3, +2, +2. Traits are no longer offensive or defensive per se; those assignments happen during conflicts and are changeable.
- Create only 1 resource for each step of character creation. Assign them a domain, determine whether they’re offensive or defensive, and distribute the following ratings: +4, +3, +2, +2.
Adversity Cost
- The rating for resources bought with adversity points is changed to a simple +2 per adversity point spent, just like traits.
- The initiative rating is changed to starting at 0, with +2 for each adversity point spent. With traits, resources, and initiative now all following the same simple progression (+2 for each point), Challengers won’t have to worry about referencing the table anymore.
- Adversity no longer is able to buy more damage boxes. They are always 1/1/1/1/1. If you want more protection for your adversity, buy defensive resources, which are now cheaper. The only exception to this is the last conflict of an adventure, for which the Challenger can buy damage boxes at the old cost.
Conflict
- The cost for Strikes is now 4 AP per D6. This replaces the strike cost chart completely.
- There are no longer limits on how often you can preactivate a trait within an adventure or Hunt.
- You can now use traits of any domain within any kind of conflict. For example, you can use a Mental trait in a Physical conflict. However, they only give half their rating as a bonus to your rolls if their domain is different from that of the conflict.
- Traits no longer carry an offensive or defensive designation. When you activate a trait, determine whether you’re activating it for your offense or your defense.
- As a result, there is no limit on having only three traits of any one type anymore. However, during a conflict, you can only use three active traits for offense and three for defense.
- When one Hunter aids another (see Multiplayer Rules, p. 126), the aiding Hunter’s trait can be in addition to the three active traits of the acting Hunter.
- A new action, Reassign Traits, allows you to change the designations of any or all active traits from offensive to defensive or vice versa.
- You can use a new action called Switch Target to turn advantage points against one enemy into advantage points against another. This works on a 2:1 basis (i.e., 10 AP against target 1 translate into 5 AP against target 2) and does not require a roll.
- There are no more Defensive Maneuvers.
Achievements
- Special effects are now simply called goals.
- Instead of an AP cost, a goal has a difficulty rating. Every goal starts at difficulty 1 by default. When the goal is created, each Hunter can add 1 to this difficulty, if they wish, and the Challenger can add 1 to the difficulty for each Hunter in the conflict. For example, a goal in a conflict with three Hunters is established as difficulty 1, then the Challenger could add 0-3 to that, and each of the three Hunters could add 1 to it, for a difficulty range of 1-7. Once the difficulty is established, it can’t be changed anymore.
- Achievements allow the players to add dice to their side of the outcome roll for a goal. The cost for this is 4 AP per D6, which is the same cost as for Strikes.
- Goals are resolved when both sides agree to roll the outcome dice. The Challenger rolls the difficulty rating in D6 plus any D6 that the adversity added with Achievements, and the Hunters roll any D6 they bought with Achievements, with the higher sum determining the outcome of the goal. Ties go to the Hunters.
- Any leftover goals are resolved at the end of a conflict. If the Hunters won the conflict, any Hunter who has AP remaining can use them to buy more dice for the leftover goals before they are resolved. Leftover AP from several Hunters can be added together for this purpose.
- The Hunters gain bonus reward points for any goals they achieve according to twice the difficulty of the goal (e.g., 4 reward points for difficulty 2), split up among those Hunters who bought dice for the goal.
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