Fudging

This episode is (unfortunately?) not about the delicious sugary treat, but instead the DM tool of "fudging dice"; changing the outcome of a roll behind the screen. For this discussion, I'm joined by Bart Wynants, a.k.a @critographer, author, historian, and all-round inspiration machine. Off the back of Bart's extensive, seven-part Twitter thread, we discuss the finer points of this particular incarnation of DM fiat, and how it's a bit of an iceberg of unseen issues. Firstly, it's not limited to just altering the result of a dice roll in secret, and it's pervasiveness can take many forms: dice tables, magic items, difficulty DCs, etc. I go through my personal realisation of how public rolling completely changed the game for the better, with no drawbacks! We come to the conclusion that fudging is less a DM tool, and actually a symptom of a deeper problem - seen as an exceptional occurrence. Through the use of the "five-whys" methodology we can get to the bottom of why the need for fudging has manifested, and fix it at the root, which is easier than you might expect!

02:32 - Transparent rolling: the silver bullet?
09:19 - Improvising/fudging DCs
18:46 - Single points of failure and the 'rule-of-three' cure
26:20 - Finding peace in the absolution of responsibility
32:13 - Fudging dice table results - why bother & how to remain flexible
38:04 - Tier 1 life support - a failing of the framework?
43:48 - Miscellaneous fudge
53:26 - The Five Whys - how to get to the root of your fudging habit

Follow Bart (@critographer) on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/critographer

He’s done some recent work for:

Raging Swan Press: https://www.ragingswanpress.com/
Hansor Publishing - The Gaia Complex: https://thegaiacomplex.com/hansor
Nightfall Games - The Terminator RPG: https://nightfall.games/terminator

Follow me on:

Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danilo_DnD
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD

References:

Bart's "THOU SHALT NOT FUDGE" Twitter thread: Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7
Gloomhaven
The Alexandrian
Agency episode of Thinking Critically

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod

Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod

Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod