DM Fudging

[Argent]

This was inspired by reading the tail-end of the stat generation thread...

As a DM, do you fudge rolls or do you let the dice fall where they may? What I mean is, if it is useful to the story to let the players accomplish something or not accomplish something, do you just roll a die and announce the result you want, or do you let the dice dictate plot?

I'm just curious, and I'll hold my answer in reserve...

[Karui_Kage]

Never fudge. Whether or not it's useful to the story, if a roll goes astray, there will be a way to make things work in the end.

That said, I also use a "Fate Point" system so that the PCs have a couple chances before being permanently penalized by a bad roll. Still no fudging though.

[Moritz]

As a DM, the die falls where it does. As a player, "OH MY GOD, I ROLLED ANOTHER 20!"

Really though, there were games way back when, that I (as a player - and in my teens to 20's) that saw a little fudge. Now that I'm an adult and almost into my 40's, it's a different animal.

As Karui notes, I too have a 'fate point' situation going on every now and again. The mulligan or re-roll from time to time for my players.

Edit Note: I normally don't have the need to fudge a roll, since I often roll very well. As NikoONeil may recall me wiping out half the party with a few "OH MY GOD, I ROLLED ANOTHER 20" 's.

[NikoONeil]

As a DM I reserve the right to fudge to roll. Hopefully, I wont have to but if it is a difference betweed a TPK and someone surviving I will fudge it.

[Ed Zachary]

As a DM, do you fudge rolls or do you let the dice fall where they may? What I mean is, if it is useful to the story to let the players accomplish something or not accomplish something, do you just roll a die and announce the result you want, or do you let the dice dictate plot?

As DM I cheat like hell... because I'm the god of the story and can get away with it.

I don't let the dice dictate direction, plot or encounters, those are all planned in advance or spur of the moment with sadist intentions. During combat and saves I usually roll the dice and let fate happen. But sometimes I want to smack around a character who deserves it, or I want to preserve a character a bit longer to kill them later on.

[Karui_Kage]

choo choo?

[Ed Zachary]

choo choo?

That's highly recommended when eating.

[Skunkape]

I'll make decisions as to where I want the story to go, then roll dice to make it appear that I'm allowing chance to have a hand in what happens. I will consider the roll when I carry out the story decision, but I prefer the position of Storyteller over just being a GM any day.

So far, I’ve still got happy players, so I must be doing something right.

[Argent]

I admit to a combination of both when I'm GMing. As Skunkape said, I prefer to be a Storyteller than a DM, so while I will let the dice have their sway 90% of the time, I do intervene if I think we'll have more fun with the story going a certain way. It is, after all, a game. If we aren't having fun, why do it?

As a player, I never fudge die rolls. Because, a) cheating and b) much more fun to let chance have a hand in the character's situations. Especially since I usually chose the heroic (read: stupid) action over the safe one, every time. And sometimes it is just as much fun to fail at those as it is to succeed.

[starfalconkd]

I do when necessary. As much for the pcs benefit as for my bad guys.

[Moritz]

As DM I cheat like hell... because I'm the god of the story and can get away with it.

I consider it part of my channeling some other reality. Dice are not random, but fated and are linked into the whole psychic experience.

Nah, not really. I just wanted to try and be mamby pamby. Did it work?

[Inquisitor Tremayne]

I have a couple of players on these boards but here it goes anyway...

I would say 75% as the dice fall vs 25% GM cheating.

Sometimes the players just need to be taken down a notch and realize they aren't ALL powerful.

On the flip side, I've disregarded natural 20s to "save" PCs on occasion. They still get hit though.

Oh, and as someone mentioned a long time ago on the Wizards boards, the major NPCs (Elminster and Darth Vader for example) don't have the stats that they have been written up with in any of the books. So if a PC does try to take them on they have whatever stats I decide to give them at that particular moment! MMMWWWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

[InfoStorm]

In my old age I've been more fate'ist and have just been letting the dice roll where they will, especially when the PC's are earning a thwomping from just plain bad choices. I have, on occation, fudged my bad guy's rolls in order to allow them to escape. It's SO HARD to keep reoccuring villians alive, while not having them so much higher in level they can kill the party in 1d4 rounds.

[Brian Vilarino]

Nope, I never fudge rolls. In fact, I have an open rolling policy. Everyone, including me roll our die right in the middle of the table where everyone can see. This way no one can fake their rolls. It also lets the players know that I'm not purposely trying to kill them. ::evil grin::

[Grimwell]

Players should never fudge rolls. Never. Ever.

GM's have the right to fudge when they feel it's necessary.

Personally, I rarely fudge as a GM - I like the random factor that the dice bring to my otherwise iron grip of doom on the story. I have, on more than one occasion, told specific players to reroll when they are having a horrible night and need some stress relief - but my rolls are mostly in public, and rarely fudged.

Caveat: There is no hard and fast rule for this, or a 'right answer' as to how it should happen. It's the GM's decision and should change from game to game depending on the GM's needs.