Writing Every Day 01: Success, Failure, Opportunity, and Complication

This post is meant to serve two purposes. The first is to get me writing daily. I'm not particular about the word count of what I'm writing or the particular subject matter of the post. I'll be writing whatever subject occurs to me around the time that I sit down to write. I might write an essay, a bit of fiction, or something I haven't even determined yet. You get the idea.

The second purpose is specific to this post, though I might choose to do more like it in the future. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I enjoy roleplaying games. My job and primary hobby are both RPG-centric, so it seemed like a natural thing to use as the foundation for my first outing. This time, I want to talk about success and failure in RPGs and how, as a GM, I like to approach them. Now, people who play in games where I'm at the helm know that I don't always manage to abide by my own advice, but this kind of thinking is how I intend to approach the outcome of any PCs' actions. That's enough preamble. Let's get started.

First, let's define terms. Broadly speaking, in an RPG I define success as a character doing what they set out to do, failure as when a character doesn't do what they set out to do, opportunity when a character fails in the attempt but circumstances change to favor that PC (or the PCs as a group), and complication as when a character is successful but at some cost or risk. Some games include these concepts as a part of the task resolution rules, while other games give them little—or no—attention. Many games treat success as a binary option; you either succeed in an attempt or you do not. This can get more complicated depending on the system. Sometimes success is part of a longer process, or an extended task/action. A character makes a number of rolls that either bring the character closer to success, or they don't. Generally speaking, those two outcomes are a core part of the game.

While almost all RPGs have rules for successes and failures, and some have critical (or magnified) successes and failures, opportunities and complications are a vibrant way for the GM to run the game. For instance, a PC that attacks his or her target may fail to hit, but by a narrow margin. Rather than only telling the player that he or she missed and moving on to the next player, the GM could say; "Your swing went wide of the target causing him to stagger back, off balance," then grant a bonus to the next attack targeting the character that round. That opportunity can be exploited by another PC, giving the player that failed the roll a sense that he or she still contributed to the overall effort. Similarly, a player that rolls well enough—but just well enough—to hit the target could land the blow, but have their weapon momentarily bound in the enemy's armor, or swing wide and leave themselves open to a counterattack. Such a complication can have consequences for that PC and encourage another player to alter his or her actions to cover the momentary weakness of their ally. Giving a wider range of outcomes for basic tasks gives the GM a more dynamic and immersive scene than treating every successful hit the same, or telling a player that missed an attack by a narrow margin that their turn was spent in vain.

There are countless systems out there with staggering variation, which means GMs will need to decide on their own what would count as close enough for an opportunity or a complication on any individual roll. In a dice pool system a single success under, or passing by a single success, might qualify. In a flat roll system, succeeding or failing by a single point might work. In general, it's up to the individual GM and the way they want to run their game that should determine how such nebulous concepts are adjudicated.

So, this leads to a second thought. I briefly discussed this idea with a coworker who told me that he wants a system where success and failure are clearly defined, and that giving those results shades of gray is the responsibility of the GM. I tend to agree with him; the rules should be clear and easy to understand. However, I think there is a place in any game to go into greater depth about what success and failure actually mean.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your comments.