DM Tip:
Sometimes I know whatever you’re going to do is going to succeed, I just ask you to roll to see how well you do/if you get extras. I tend to do this too and then get burned on Nat 1s and hiding needed info behind rolls. So first rule is don’t ask for a roll for info players need.
— Robert Ekendahl (@rekendahl) October 15, 2021
Doesn’t matter what they roll, the baseline assumption in this instance is success, the roll just determines any extra or maybe an unexpected mishap
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) October 16, 2021
The point is to earn more, not less. They will know x and y, no roll needed. I ask them to roll, and if they do well, I give them z. It’s a way to get bonus info.
— Alphastream (@Alphastream) October 16, 2021
I suspect that these rolls feels better for me the DM than the players. I feel smart in only revealing x & y but players being unaware of z simply feel the roll is empty (and suspect we made y up on the spot anyway) I find players like rolling dice. I do it to engage them. “Your wizard may know more. Make me an Arcana check.”
— Alphastream (@Alphastream) October 16, 2021
If you know Gumshoe, it’s a bit like that. You know the important clues. But with a roll, you could get extra hints (like spending a point in Gumshoe).
— Alphastream (@Alphastream) October 16, 2021
Would the same approach work if you knew they couldn’t succeed and just wanted to gauge how poorly they failed? Certainly could!
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) October 16, 2021
DM Tip:
Sometimes I’ll throw a challenge at the players that can only be solved with an ability someone just got for leveling up.
Just to see the joy when they go “OMG YES I JUST GOT THAT ABILITY” That’s the good stuff
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) October 16, 2021
Not sure about this yet.
If they roll bad, do they succeed but a complication arises?
In other words you get a ‘Yes, but…’ result. Depends. And this isn't a thing I do across the board, necessarily.
Say for instance I know they're going to get a piece of lore or information that furthers the plot. They're GOING to get it. But I want them to make an Intelligence (Arcana) check and if they roll well, extra.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) October 16, 2021
And if they roll poorly, consequence?
As you said..they’re getting the info anyway but asking for a dice roll means there must be a success or a failure to move the story forward No it doesn't. If the story moving forward is a foregone conclusion, the die roll can determine degree of information gained that could propel them further, or in other directions.
That said, sure, poor rolls could mean mishaps or consequences or costs.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) October 16, 2021