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Do Dice Rolls Shape A RPG Campaign?

A player once told me that he didn't think dice rolls would really affect a campaign because no matter what was obtained the Dungeon Master would still have things go in a general direction. The only thing could happen would be the death of the character. So what do my fellow Dungeon Masters here think about that? Do dice rolls really have an impact on a campaign?

Campaign RPG Shape Rolls Dice Do

I don't think that dice rolls have a huge impact either. I agree with what the player said to you. A Dungeon Master isn't going to let a campaign go totally off track because of a bad roll or two. You can't control a random dice roll. That shouldn't have a huge impact. A bad roll or two could cause the death of a character though. Bad decisions by the characters however…

Edited: Kyrroeth on 20th Nov, 2017 - 1:25pm

Do Dice Rolls Shape A RPG Campaign? Reviews RPG & Card Board

Yes the dice can make things a bit more interesting on how you get to the end result but getting there with some bad dice rolls can make a campaign much more interesting. In the long run the dice do not effect the outcome at all.

Campaign RPG Shape Rolls Dice Do

I feel the general campaign won't change but lots of details will. For instance trying to bribe the local clan leader and it fails so you call a bluff and it fails so things will turn out very bad for you than if the rolls were different.

Opposite is true too. The Dungeon Master put some big task hoping that you fail so you don't get the answer or treasure too easily when lo and behold you score the best scores ever and even do a hat trick with the dice. *laugh*.

Campaign RPG Shape Rolls Dice Do

Yes, I concur. Dice rolls, while great for the storytelling and the directions the players have to take, are vetoed by Dungeon Master pathing. [in my opinion], RPGs are about developing a story together with the Dungeon Master, and while the almighty [..] of the Universe may have a basic plan in place, even they don't know what the shape of it will be. .

Do Dice Rolls Shape A RPG Campaign?

Dice rolls can cause the Dungeon Master to be more creative and while we may not see an adjustment to the whole campaign I'm pretty sure the Dungeon Master has to do lots of thinking to get everyone back to where they should be in the campaign. So, essentially in a round about way dice are more for the Dungeon Master to know which direction his story is going rather than for the player to carry the story.

Do Dice Rolls Shape RPG Campaign

These are great answers and I tend to agree with you all BUT I think it all depends on how much power the Dungeon Master gives to dice rolls. For instance if the dice are the final say on what happens then nothing will change that. Even more is if the Dungeon Master tends to do a lot of randomly generated encounters and events as the game progresses.

Do Dice Rolls Shape RPG Campaign Board Card & RPG Reviews

Gamemaster, you are correct on that. I have found that most Dungeon Master's have an idea of what they wish to happen. They aren't going to let the whims of [chance] derail their campaign. It might make the campaign take a detour but I feel that it will still end in the same place. I wouldn't really wish to play in a campaign where it was all on the dice. They are quite fickle *wink*.