Author Topic: The difference between diceless and LARP  (Read 15818 times)

Offline TheMouse

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 733
    • View Profile
Re: The difference between diceless and LARP
« Reply #15 on: January 09, 2009, 04:18:58 PM »
Diceless just means you play the story out through story telling without using numbers and dice to determine the outcome.

That's not quite true.

Taken most literally, diceless just means that it doesn't involve dice. Diceless games may or may not involve other randomizers, and they generally involve some sort of numbers. Everway, for example, involves no dice, but it does use a tarot-like deck, and characters have numeric traits.

Sometimes people say diceless when they mean randomless. Randomless games involve no chance, but they often involve numbers and resource management. Nobilis has four numerical traits and each has a pool of miracle points. You don't succeed or fail based on chance, but on how willing you are to spend your resources, and how clever you are in bringing any conflict into an area in which you dominate.

What you've described above I would call freeform. The closest I can get from my game experience is Puppetland. Characters are defined by what they are (tall, strong, etc), what they can do (run very fast, climb moderately well, etc), and what they cannot do (fit through small spaces, shout loudly, etc). Players state their intention, and the GM tells them what happens.

A note on freeform RPGs: They often involve sharing narrative authority around the table to a degree not seen in "traditional" RPGs. I cannot recall the name of the game, but in one if your character is, for example, a knowledgeable biologist, you get the narrative authority to resolve any situation related to biological science information.

Offline Uilos

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 3537
  • The Snark Side of the Force
    • View Profile
Re: The difference between diceless and LARP
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2009, 06:54:45 AM »
I've always been interested in LARPing, just because, hey, I've been swinging swords at invisible S*$! since I was 2. Never got around to it.

However...I would consider a Dresden LARP...hmm...
Quote from: Shecky
It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning. It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion.

Offline Soulless Mystic5523

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 4748
  • Icon lovingly crafted by ButMadNNW
    • View Profile
Re: The difference between diceless and LARP
« Reply #17 on: January 13, 2009, 01:57:48 AM »
The new Mind's Eye Theater rules have gone from an R-P-S system to a card or d10 system. Have a set of cards, 1 thru 10, and when ever you have a skill check against someone, you draw a card from each others deck. 1's are epic fails, and 10's explode. We found it easier to just get a nice d10, put it in a little clear case and shake it to get your results. Made it a little more random, and harder for people to cheat (had some people bring marked cards).
WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT FOR THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN.

Death    Reaper Man   Terry Pratchett

DV SoullessMystic5523 V1.2 YR7 FR5 BK++ RP+++ JB++ TH++ WG CL++ SW+ BC+ MC---- SH[Murphy++, Molly+]

Offline KeyMasterOfGozer

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 179
    • View Profile
Re: The difference between diceless and LARP
« Reply #18 on: January 13, 2009, 08:06:05 PM »
Nice.  dig up a year old thread to tell me I'm an idiot.   I'm sure you could have found something much more recent for that.  :)

That's not quite true.

Taken most literally, diceless just means that it doesn't involve dice. Diceless games may or may not involve other randomizers, and they generally involve some sort of numbers. Everway, for example, involves no dice, but it does use a tarot-like deck, and characters have numeric traits.

Sometimes people say diceless when they mean randomless. Randomless games involve no chance, but they often involve numbers and resource management. Nobilis has four numerical traits and each has a pool of miracle points. You don't succeed or fail based on chance, but on how willing you are to spend your resources, and how clever you are in bringing any conflict into an area in which you dominate.

What you've described above I would call freeform. The closest I can get from my game experience is Puppetland. Characters are defined by what they are (tall, strong, etc), what they can do (run very fast, climb moderately well, etc), and what they cannot do (fit through small spaces, shout loudly, etc). Players state their intention, and the GM tells them what happens.

A note on freeform RPGs: They often involve sharing narrative authority around the table to a degree not seen in "traditional" RPGs. I cannot recall the name of the game, but in one if your character is, for example, a knowledgeable biologist, you get the narrative authority to resolve any situation related to biological science information.

Offline TheMouse

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 733
    • View Profile
Re: The difference between diceless and LARP
« Reply #19 on: January 14, 2009, 05:50:22 PM »
Nice.  dig up a year old thread to tell me I'm an idiot.   I'm sure you could have found something much more recent for that.  :)


No need for the hostility, man. I just saw that there was a new post and that I hadn't read anything in the thread. Didn't even check the dates.