Fu Options is an occasional feature where I share hacks, mods and optional rules for you to try out in your games of FU. They have not been tried or tested in any way, so use them at your own risk!
Alternate Dice Rolling
There has been some talk over at the FU Yahoo Group about alternate ways of rolling dice in order to change the probabilities of rolling “Yes, and” results (among other things). What follows is an alternative way to determine the results of actions that I think is still quite simple and straightforward. Both seriously reduce the number of dice players roll, and even out the steep curve to success that can occur if players have a lot of advantages and very few disadvantages to a roll.
2d6 Method
Rather than rolling multiple dice, players roll 2d6 and compare the result to a resolution chart:
| 2d6 Roll | Result |
| 2+ | No, and… |
| 4+ | No… |
| 6+ | No, but… |
| 8+ | Yes, but… |
| 10+ | Yes… |
| 12+ | Yes, and… |
- Any descriptors or gear that improve the character’s chances add +1 to the die roll. Any descriptors or gear that reduce the character’s chances of success subtract -1 from the die roll.
- Every 2 points below 2 adds an additional “and” to the “No, and…” result. Every 2 points above 12 adds an extra “and” to the “Yes, and…” result.
- Spend a FU point to roll 3d6 and discard the lowest die.
This resolution method puts most of the results around the “No but / Yes but” region, and reduces the power of descriptors.
1d12 Method
This is pretty much the same mechanic as the above 2d6 resolution, but has a flatter roll, as it uses a single 12 sided-die rather than a pair of d6.
| 1d12 Roll | Result |
| 1-2 | No, and… |
| 3-4 | No… |
| 5-6 | No, but… |
| 7-8 | Yes, but… |
| 9-10 | Yes… |
| 11-12 | Yes, and… |
- Any descriptors or gear that improve the character’s chances add +1 to the die roll. Any descriptors or gear that reduce the character’s chances of success subtract -1 from the die roll.
- Every 2 points below 1 adds an additional “and” to the “No, and…” result. Every 2 points above 12 adds an extra “and” to the “Yes, and…” result.
- Spend a FU point to re-roll the die. You must accept the new result.
So, there it is. Two simple alternatives for action resolution in FU. What do you think?
![Design Diary [Neon]](http://nathanrussell.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/NEON-440x264.jpg)
Hi,
The problem with those alternative methods is that it becomes impossible to get a “no and” if you have more than 2 bonus etc. while with the original rules, you can still roll three 1.
Yeah, both of those remove “No, and” completely, which is no fun. (IMHO).
The d12 method could easily be hacked to
1 = No, and
2,3 = No
4,5,6 = No, but
7,8,9 = Yes, but
10,11 = Yes
12 = Yes, and
Then add bonus or penalty dice as usual. You still have a curve that goes up quickly, but it is a bit slower than the normal d6, and it puts emphasis on the “but” region.
In which case, for the 2d6 hack, simply return to the mechanic in the original rules about rolling extra dice and choosing the best/highest roll, but check the result against this span of numbers.
So, in this case, your default number of dice you roll would two and you tally up the bonus and penalty dice as before. Say you end up with one bonus dice you roll three and choose the best two, e.g. 2, 4 and 5. You keep the 4 and 5 for a result of 9 Yes…
Or you could still roll appallingly and get three 1s. Ditch one of them and you end up with a result of 2 No, and…
I suggest to use d4 instead of d6 when the character is not that good at doing the task.
In case he has bonus he can still throw 2d4 and choose the best result.
But it means he will never be able to do better than “yes, but” which reflects the fact that he is no expert but can be given a chance.
For instance a weak wizard who wants to attack an ork might have a chance to do it, but should only have a maximum result of 4=”yes, but”
1d4 will be: 1- no,and, 2-no, 3-no, but, 4- yes, but
That’s the rule I use when I don’t want to say “impossible” but still want the task at hand to be limited in scope regarding the potential “best” result.
Another good suggestion. I guess you could also introduce “dice caps” or “result caps” where you say “A result of 6 counts as…” or similar.