The Master List

So I was sitting upon my duff and looking over the collection of RPGs my wife and I have grown over the past year, when I realized that almost all of them require roughly the same items and player counts in order to play. Dungeons & Dragons, Robotech: The RPG, Vampire: The Masquerade, Mechwarrior, and Big Eyes Small Mouth all play best with lots of research/backstory, some key planning, and particular items.

Then it hit me: Why not talk about the bits needed to play a game? Of course, one will need rulebooks, character sheets, pencils, paper, and dice... but what of them? Rulebooks and character sheets change from game to game as do any additional papers (in D&D it's a good idea to keep a running map and a personal inventory, and in any game it's a great idea to take notes), but what about each item's significance? Does your game even require some of these items? This time around, I'll talk about dice and the next time I do a 'requirements' theme pick a different tool at random. Doesn't that sound FUN?

First off, what kind of dice do you need and how many of them will your game require? Of course this is a very general pair of questions, but something to bear in mind is that many of the popular games require the same sets of dice and often involve similar quantities. Assuming you are going to play a game that isn't based entirely upon one die (such as those published by Whitewolf Games or the now defunct Guardians of Order), it's a good idea to have the following dice handy:
d20 x 1
d12 x 1
d10 x 2
d8 x 1
d6 x 3
d4 x 2

Obviously if you play D&D, Battletech, Mechwarrior, Robotech, or Rifts you know that each of these dice see common use (with the exception of the d12, because apparently only D&D Barbarians and some weapons in other games like the straight 1-12 of a d12 instead of the 2-12 of a 2d6 roll). This has been the combination of dice that has brought me the best results in gaming both as a games master and a player. However, most sets of dice you buy in the store come with the following:
d20 x 1
d12 x 1
d10 x 2
d8 x 1
d6 x 1
d4 x 1

Why do they come with a different set, and why do they arrive with what they have? Part of it is the simple fact that in an absolute pinch, one of everything will do; then again, one cannot argue against the fact that we gamers are a stereotypically compulsive bunch and will gladly buy new dice just because they have pretty colors. In absolute truth you only need that basic set per person (or to be willing to share) in order to play, but the moment you have to re-roll a die multiple times it can get tedious. As an example: in the Robotech RPG, a standard Battlepod does 4d10 damage per particle cannon, per shot. These can be dual fired, so every time that pilot hits the target it's time to roll 8d10. Falling or magical damage in D&D is much the same way: at first level your wizard's spell Magic Missile only does 1d4 damage, but by the time you've maxed that spell out it's doing 5d4 damage divided however you like it between up to five targets. Having the extra dice around comes in handy.

Aside from obviously going to the local hobby shop or ordering online in order to purchase dice (which is in and of itself capable of being a hit or miss topic), you will want to think about who manufactured your dice. There are many companies who manufacture dice with slightly different numbering systems depended both on design and intended game. I've been most satisfied with Chessex dice, both because of their clear numbering and vast design selection. Chessex dice have very crisp shapes and angles which I feel allow for a better roll, and their four-sided dice are very easy to read (see die at left of the image).

I must admit that Crystal Caste dice have some very unique materials and designs, but I do not like their more rounded appearance nor the fact that their d4 is read by looking at the bottom for a small upright number, as illustrated by the die to the right of the image above. Also of concern to me is that Crystal Caste seems to have slightly lower quality standards, as I've on occasion bought a bag of their dice only to discover dimples or nicks in the dice which lead to their being unsuitable for fair rolling.

I personally don't care much for 'gimmick' dice as a practical idea: Why do I need a d2 or a d9, and couldn't I just use percentages to determine a random hit location instead of a cube with words on it? The 'bone shaped' dice that look faintly like a vertebrae are interesting at first premise, but they're still just a basic six-sided die. I don't need an eight-sided die that's shaped like some psuedo-crystal and full of glitter when I have a 'standard' octohedron. It comes down to personal choice, of course, but I'm a purist when it comes to shape. Give me small, simple polyhedrons with numbers on them.

The one place where I deviate from this opinion of "small, simple polyhedrons with numbers on them" are the monstrously over-sized dice. The crazy human fist sized dice that are often available at a hobby shop for $20-$50 a piece always intrigued me when I was only a little bit younger. Perhaps it had to do with the idea of placing one in a dirty gym sock and hitting ignorant players over the head with them.

"I'd Buy That For a Dollar!"

First of all, I would like to extend my sincere apologies to any readers I may have left at this point: I've been away for quite a long while, and it's entirely because of everyday life. Between work, preparing for marriage, and having two insane cats, I've very little time to give over to writing a blog. With that said, let's get to the fun stuff, shall we?

Something that can always add some believability and interest to any RPG is procuring supplies; whether you have to forage/hunt for your own food, find a reputable salesman for a vehicle, or keep your activities hidden from authorities, there's always something to be done in finding what one needs for a mission. Often times, a GM can just simply gloss it over: "you purchased X supplies for Y price, with little haggling." Sometimes, it can become a very involved discussion with the seller, with compliments, threats, haggling, even bribes going back and forth. The question is, when do you do one and not the other?

As an example, if the players have reached a new area and will need to establish new contacts (or be given an idea about how the locals operate, true or not), one is better off to role play the encounter; how much and how long is entirely up to personal styles and the expectations of the players. If the seller the characters are dealing with is an old friend or contact, one could be well justified in role playing an exchange of platitudes and then ending the encounter - after all, these folks know each other, and the players will have it in their minds how it went down.

Trying to get access to a place or item(s) one needs can be very interesting if the possessing party is wary, greedy, or even traitorous. Such encounters are best played to the nines, with accents, speech patterns, and full descriptions. Immerse your characters in the situation; let them feel the burn of the sweat in their eyes, the cold steel of the cheap desk that they're leaning on as they argue. One could gloss it over with "you wait around on the corner for about an hour, and finally find someone who will sell you Z for some amount of A," but it's best done only to expedite a lagging story.

What if your heroes need a fast get-away car, and quick? If they're all over the news, no car lot will sell to them, and fences will most likely want to charge triple their usual prices. Do the characters steal a car? Do they even have the ability? Never forget that in a varied group of people, someone is very likely to have the intelligence and skills to come up with something the characters might need, and without their being involved with some trader.

A great example is food in a fantasy setting: you could find a baker in the next town to sell you a loaf of bread, but if you're well equipped you might make your own, or alternatively be wiley enough to steal someone else's from their larder. Often a woodsman might offer to share his kill in exchange for help carrying back what he's just downed. How you play such scenarios is of course entirely up to you, but don't forget the benefits of having the characters scrambling up and down hillsides after a stag they've wounded in the hunt, or their coming to a town for provisions only to find that famine has raised the prices sky-high.

As a framework, many games often have rules and guidelines for GMs in need of some guidance: D&D has a town-building guideline which provides for how many levels or gold's worth of services are available based on the population; Alternity has full listings of what is available at specific places (in published adventure modules). Don't ever forget that as the GM, you determine what happens; if the group absolutely needs that getaway car, provide it for them - just don't be obvious about it without a good reason.

Nest week on Roy's RPG Tactics Blog: Who knows? It might be good.