Diegetic Randomness

Diegetic Randomness in RPG is the technique of determining random results from fiction, that is, from the diegetic elements of the game. Thus, we can, instead of rolling the dice (that, at first, remove the participants from the immersion) extract the results of the fiction.

Here are examples of this technique:

• Calton Caolho is fighting a bandit and they both use knives. The master considers the combat balanced. He describes to the player that the first moves of the fight signal to Calton that it will be an equal fight. At this point, both the player and the master know that the chances of their characters by default is 50%. Previously, the master established that during a combat some keywords must be used by the player in his narrative to define his success in the event of uncertainty, in this case, a blow or a manouvre. Let's say the words for 50% chances are flank and belly. The master mentally chooses the word flank and says: "Calton, the bandit has the knife in his left hand, his eyes are wide, watching for a blow from you. Suddenly, he tries to hit you. What do you do?" "I deflect it, preventing it from hitting my side while trying to insert the blade into its trough" - says the player. The player got the master's word right, then he resumes the narrative: "He didn't expect his speed, a scream coming out of his throat. This time, he makes a rocking motion with the knife, while trying to get away from you. .. ".
• The master wants to determine if the creature that chases the character can climb the rock wall. It would be a 50% chance, so he chooses the right word. "So, you're going up as fast as you can, looking for the recesses in the rock. You look down for where to put one of your feet, and then see that the creature has reached the bottom of the rock. You turn up again and see two cracks in the stone, one on the right and one on the left. Which one will you lean on first? "
• Imagine a situation where the group is facing very dangerous enemies and has hired an assassin to kill them. Our group is in an inn. They are at a table and are waiting for drinks. The hired killer intends to put a poison in one of the mugs that are on the counter waiting for the attendant to take them to the table. What is the chance of the characters seeing this in a busy environment and still talking to each other? Probably low. The master imagines a probability and how it might appear on the scene. The idea that comes to mind are playing cards. He then considers that the chances are 3 in 13 of seeing the moment when the subject applies the poison in the drink. He then chooses card 5. "Alonso, you can see that there is a very noisy table next to it. They are playing some card game. You can see 3 cards in the hand of one of the players. What are they?"
• The master considers that the player's seductive chat was very convincing but still has doubts. He puts it as two chances out of three to seduce her right now. And he chooses the girl's lock of hair to decide the issue. Chances are: the player says he will put the lock behind his ear, he will tell the girl or he will not do anything. The master chooses to put the lock and do nothing. "My friend Don Juan, while you watch the girl's lips, see that a lock of her hair falls on the pretty face. What do you do when you see this?"
• You can prepare a scene and write down triggers for different events. For example: if any of the players go to the tavern counter, there will be a fight at the establishment that will involve the players; If mead is asked, a bloody man will enter the tavern, falling to the ground next; If one of the players flirts with a waitress, a thief will try to steal one of the players, etc.
• The example above can be used for random encounters, depending on what the players do in the predetermined space and time and without this choice being a consequence. It would be more of a kind of synchronicity. For example, if someone smokes, the encounter could be something connected to the fire; forgetting to supply a canteen could be connected to water; hunt an iguana, they would have a date with kobolds, and so on.

Butterfly Effect

Develop techniques on the use of synchronicity to extract future narrative courses.

Attention: page under development

🇧🇷 Original in brazilian portuguese

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diegesis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity