To be honest, I never paid much attention to the BECMI reaction table.
I'm usually more interested in B/X and I thought that the BECMI table was just a needlessly convoluted version of the B/X table I liked, requiring multiple rolls to achieve the same result.
I was completely wrong, of course.
The part I overlooked is the asterisk. It explains in a succinct manner a number of questions I had with B/X reactions:
- When do you use Charisma for reaction rolls?
- What happens in an "uncertain" result?
- What happens if the NPC is still uncertain after several rolls/actions?
It doesn't answer all questions of course, nor does it address all the issues I have with encounters, but it is a great starting point - probably much better than B/X.
It could probably be simplified to two rolls instead of three. Or to a single table with pone roll affecting the next, such as the Rules Cyclopedia (which also has a tendency towards hostility that I find appropriate for most monsters):
And as much as I dislike the number of rolls you need to create an encounter, I have to admit this "roll again" part has an interesting risk reward dynamic:
"The NPC is obviously hostile, so what do we do?"
If we have something to offer, or a charismatic PC who can talk to him (in the same language), maybe negotiating is our best bet. Even if we do, however, there is a chance the NPC will suddenly use this opportunity to attack us!
And, of course, you only need one roll to start the encounter - further rolls depend entirely of the PCs actions.
So you have cool "social mechanics" or even "roleplaying minigame", which is as interesting as combat - since it can also involve initiative, intimidation, role-playing AND "roll-playing" (or player skill AND character skill), languages, alignment, spells, etc.
And you can use this table regardless of your preferred D&D edition or OSR game.
These "social mechanics" are often and unjustly maligned in OSR circles - "just role-play it!" - but IMO these are great rules from a game that definitely has old school cred (Mentzer red box).
And, of course, this is just a refinement of a rule that was contained in the original D&D.
Social mechanics are here from the start.
Additional reading:
Yeah, I love that table. I don't always need to follow it to completion. Often one roll is enough, even with an Uncertain result. But it makes encounters more interesting.
ReplyDeleteI also gave variations of results for different intended effects in Chanbara. The bell curve spread and options for future rolls make it a lot more satisfying than a d20 system single d20+skill roll.
Agreed!
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