“I am convinced that God does not play dice.” –Albert Einstein
“Not only does God play dice, but... he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen."- Stephen Hawking
Lets say you and three friends get together for a Friday night of gaming. All chip in for pizza. After a quick run to the store for beverages, you all sit down and start character creation. Going through the necessary steps, you finish your character just as the pizza arrives. Everyone gets out his or her dice, someone turns on some background music, and the game master begins the story. The players are the GM, you, Joe [JC], and Vanessa [VR].
***The following is a sample from Legion: URPG v1.5 End of Days, bear in mind that the GM is actually called a Judge***
GM: It is a dark and stormy night, the brisk wind blows vagrant newspaper about in a whirlwind dance of excitement. The air smells like mud, but the undertone of rain brings a lifting resonance to the normal disparity. Downtown is close to being under military duress and martial law will most likely be announced soon. That doesn’t keep people from rioting any less, and as you walk down the streets; keeping close together for safeties sake, you see the city erupting about you. Broken glass crunches under your shoes, the smells of sweat and smoldering wood fill your noses and will be eventually cleansed by the rain. Would you all please roll an Observation check.
You: How do we do that?
GM: Look for your Wits Attribute…if you see the Observation skill, then you need to add both Wits and Observation together. If there is no Observation skill then just roll Wits. The difficulty is 3. You need to roll 3 dice each [d6 or six sided dice] and if your roll is under you target number then you succeeded.
(All roll)
You: I failed.
JC: I made it …barely.
VR: I made it!
GM: The two of you who made it dodge swiftly out of the way, too fast for [You] to register as a huge oak desk hits the cement less than a foot from you all. All of you feel the velocity and wind of its descent. It lands with a solid crack, sending debris flying [rolls dice], there is no damage to anyone. Sirens can be heard in the distance, as well as gunshots and screams. You, roll me a dodge please. Agility and Dodge, Diff of 3.
You: [rolls dice] Whew… made it!
GM: And just in time as a rather large man of approximately 300 pounds slams into the desk and debris with a severe thud!! He is a mangled mess and his clothing is splotched in crimson wounds that are now smearing thanks to the rain. Above you someone yells down something incoherently. What do all of you do?
TC: I look around… with a grimace check the dead guy’s pockets for money and jewelry.
VR,You: (in unison) That’s just cold!
GM: (smiling) You find nothing of real value, save for the seeping blood and a shredded tie. He smells bad, but the sirens getting louder and closer distract you almost as much as some young kid wrenching one of the legs from the desk and smashing the nearest window of a bakery. Someone barking into a megaphone can be heard in the distance, but the words are indiscernible. Your clothes are getting fairly drenched and I want everyone to make another observation roll please. (a 4 players roll)
All but GM: We made it.
GM: You all notice through the haze of another fire that just broke out, approximately 30 yards away, an elderly lady in a new Nissan Skyline being accosted by 4 punks. They are all dressed in some schizoid fashion with nothing matching, and nothing the same length. Right behind the three of you a pay phone rings…
bravenet.com