The Most Unique Mechanics in RPGS

[@chrisbates8906]

A superb mechanic that really does work is the one where in a superb game called "After the Rain" by Desks and Dorks you can suffer a penalty of losing a part of your character as it literally washes away from you... just heartbreaking and also so cool at the same time.

[@thekaxmax]

was mentioned

[@swordsnstones]

our dice mechanics are definitely a bit different, dual facing d20s for combat, using armour class as a modifier to reduce attacker damage, 1D6 for initiative for the pc to determine attack or defense, and some others, maybe not the most interesting but for me it is unique, and in my game its working so far at the table. cheers, Keep 'em Rollin'

[@DesksAndDorks]

Those feel really reminiscent of the mechanics from the dragon age ttrpg and that game RULED.

[@swordsnstones]

@@DesksAndDorks oh hm would be unintentional as ive never played that game or any other with similar mechs

[@DesksAndDorks]

@swordsnstones it's bound to happen to with so many games that mechanics are similar or overlap!

[@chrisbates8906]

Dice and card draws were interesting in the Original Deadlands TTRPG.. card draws would often add additional options and results to actions over and above dice rolls. The use of poker chips too in the same game. These were for a fate mechanic. Drawn from a cup for use and spent to overcome failures or change story lines when needed.

[@DesksAndDorks]

The raising and lowering and bidding of dogs in the vineyard is another version of this I loved

[@Frederic_S]

Blades in the Dark is my most favorite TTRPG.

[@DesksAndDorks]

It is a stellar one even. My only gripe is that at higher levels it seems like the players aren't ever in real danger

[@Frederic_S]

@@DesksAndDorks I hear that often. But why is that? I GMed it for 24 sessions and I don’t feel like survivability scales up like in other games. And don’t forget, you can always let an elite enemy autohit one or even multiple pc‘s. They can then decide they shrug it off with a resistance roll, but it comes at a cost. Most battle hardened Cutters can tank one or even two hits extra, but after that..? I see how it’s hard to challenge a group where everyone has 3 or 4 in skirmish with a streetfight, but if you challenge them 3 out of 4 times with non combat activities they will not come to the conclusion that skirmish is the best investment. And if in doubt throw a daemon at them 😁

[@DesksAndDorks]

@Frederic_S I think the issue is that you can throw harder stuff at rhw pcs liked demons but it feels distinctly like you're trying to kill them and not that the world is leveling in danger alongside them. I didn't get to that part as I've only gmed a few sessions of blads but reading through the rules i can see where that complaint from more expeirenced gms could come through.(though again i havent experienced it myself)

[@Frederic_S]

@@DesksAndDorks I think maybe it is something that is amplified and retold on the internet. Blades in the Dark is a game where a person with a knife can do a level 3 harm. Even a level 4 harm if you are a real mean GM 😁 and the actiondots don't help if the GM thinks the enemy is on even ground with the pc. Than disaster just hits. Sure you have armor and heavy armor is a possibility, but than you soon have nothing else in your load out. Things can get scary real fast on the shattered isles. We used to play a more heroic, epic stile of campaign. But then the evil guys have military grade rifles and then players no longer think it's a good idea to always start a fight. And I have to confess, for me it's not a problem if the pc survive. But if they fail they will have no success, they will gain no money, don't get the information or they angered an enemy that has the resources to just raise their crews heat by framing them until the bluecoats try to arrest them. Thank you for everything you do, greetings from Germany

[@DesksAndDorks]

That would make sense. As it stands I've only ever run a handful of sessions but I've loved it immensely every time .

[@lanxreedalenlum3706]

love bladesinthe darks flashback

[@DesksAndDorks]

It is a superb mechanic for sure!

[@lanxreedalenlum3706]

@@DesksAndDorks out of the ttrpgsd iove tried, i love blades, as a dm and a player, more as a dm, itsa soo easy to run in general i mentioned in nan email randomly, but did you check out othercide for the mechanics i mentioned

[@DesksAndDorks]

@lanxreedalenlum3706 I'm not sure if I got around to it tbh the last few months have kind of been a blur for me if I'm being honest.

[@chrisbates8906]

The most interesting are not always the ones that work best... there are plenty that are interesting but that don't necessarily work.

[@DesksAndDorks]

Fire away the ones that are flawed but interesting anyway!

[@Gregbarlow04]

For the Swords Without Masters "Giving the Dice" mechanic, is the die rolled after given, or is it simply a physical representation of handing a narrative element to someone else? It's a very interesting concept and I wanted to know if it carries a mechanical effect as well as narrative.

[@DesksAndDorks]

If I can remember correctly it is both. The die is handed off to the new player but then they choose (without rolling I believe) the mood for the next scene.

[@eliamorris1619]

For quick context about the rules: The game uses two differently colored d6, one representing a Glum tone and the other representing a Jovial tone. Whichever one has the higher number rolled dictates the tone that the player must hit when performing their action. Essentially, narrative control stays with the Overplayer (or Game Master), regardless of who's holding the dice, right up until the player actually decides to roll them. (Some game phases have the player roll immediately, while others have them wait for an opportune moment) Once the dice are rolled, narrative control goes to the player who rolled, and the numbers rolled simply tell the player what tone they're action must hit, but otherwise, the player can do whatever they please. The full rule book does a very thorough job of defining tone and when a player should roll if you're curious to learn more.

[@thekaxmax]

#!: bell curve dice rolls for resolution mechanics

[@DesksAndDorks]

Is there a system.that uses that well?

[@TwinSteel]

🥳🫂👍🏿 Thank you for sharing - I’m on a quest to collect every houserule on youtube and beyond - I’d love to hear about the other systems you mentioned at the beginning - do you have a playlist of rules or systems worth using in your own game? “Making your game better” has some, but with nearly 500 videos on your channel, it’s easy to miss others while combing thru This video is number 2,286 on my playlist ❤

[@TwinSteel]

13:16 yes, the failure of fair use on youtube is very dumb

[@DesksAndDorks]

A noble quest to he sure! I don't think we have a single video about house rules. If I'm being honest quite a lot of house rules sneak in through all our videos. The making games better had many and low level monsters usually has a handful as well. Best of luck on your quest! Also I may just do a video on all the house rules.

[@TwinSteel]

@@DesksAndDorks thank you very much ❤️ I gave you a sub to watch for more 👍🏿

[@DesksAndDorks]

@TwinSteel it could be a fun idea so I appreciate the feedback!

[@TwinSteel]

@@DesksAndDorks no worries - looking forward to it 🙏🏿