My “own” solo RPG rules – Oracle
As mentioned in a previous post, the Oracle is heavily inspired by Firepit RPG, in the particular sense that its start point of using a six sided die to represent each of the six outcomes of a yes/no question:
- 1: No, and … Not only you failed the task, you failed so misarably that things got worst.
- 2: No. The plain and simple no. You don’t get what you asked for.
- 3: No, but … Okay, you failed, but it wasn’t a complete loss.
- 4: Yes, but … Yes, you succeeded, but at what cost?
- 5: Yes. The plain and simple yes. You do get what you asked for.
- 6: Yes, and … The best outcome, not only you suceeded in getting what you wanted, but you also got some extra rewards.
It is a simple idea and it fits well with the most common die.
So taking a step further, by going back a die size, we can use a d4 (four sided die), and only have the middle yes/no answers.
- 1: No.
- 2: No, but…
- 3: Yes, but…
- 4: Yes.
It is basically removing the extremes.
Going further still by increasing the die size to eight (d8), we no longer have a one-to-one relationship between die number and answer.
In this die, I imagine a bigger focus in the middle No-but and Yes-but:
- 1: No, and…
- 2: No.
- 3 or 4: No, but…
- 5 or 6: Yes, but…
- 7: Yes.
- 8: Yes, and…
Another step further lead us into d10:
- 1: No, and…
- 2 or 3: No.
- 4 or 5: No, but…
- 6 or 7: Yes, but…
- 8 or 9: Yes.
- 10: Yes, and…
It is kind like the d4, a focus in the middle answers but with the possibility of extremes.
And finally, the d12 would give us:
- 1: No, and…
- 2 or 3: No.
- 4, 5, or 6: No, but…
- 7, 8, or 9: Yes, but…
- 10 or 11: Yes.
- 12: Yes, and…
A bell curve. A much greater focus in the middle answers.
In all honesty, only the first three options – d4, d6, and d8 – are likely to see any use. d10 and d12 I made just because, well, just because.
One last alternative is using a d6, but removing the extremes:
- 1: No.
- 2 or 3: No, but…
- 4 or 5: Yes, but…
- 6: Yes.