2.1.2 When To Roll

Technically, a check could be employed whenever a character tries to do anything that carries an element of risk. However, the purpose of play is to have fun. There is nothing inherently fun about rolling a die. The fun arises from the moment of tension, when the fate of the characters rides on the outcome of that roll. In determining when to call for a check, Bullseye uses the “significant indeterminacy” test. That is, the situation must be important and it must involve an element of uncertainty as to future events. If the act of making a check is either futile or superfluous, it should be eschewed. If the impact of the result—in success or failure—is trivial, there is no impetus to call for a check.

However, one of the unique features of the Bullseye system is that spread (the amount by which a check exceeds or falls short of the target) indicates the degree of success or failure. In this way, the result of the check, beyond its mechanical impact, serves as a guide for the narrative element of the game. If spread would serve the narrative in both success and failure, a check is appropriate. In this way, the GM must call on her judgment in deciding when to make a check or when to simply say “yes” or “no” and move on.

Most resolution mechanics in RPGs are either distinctly task-based or conflict-based. More simply (indeed, overly simply), they either resolve what the character attempts to do or what the character desires the outcome of a situation to be. There is nothing inherently better about one system or another. Indeed, in many instances, the difference is semantic. For example, it is immaterial whether the character is trying to “climb the castle wall” or “infiltrate the castle.” The end result is the same in both instances. Indeed, in some circumstances, the task and the conflict might be the same. For example, a character might try to persuade the guard to let them pass. The act of persuasion is essentially the same in both types of systems.

I use the term “conflict” generally to signify any point in the story where the events to follow are indeterminate. I do not intend to evoke a particular type of system, and participants would be well served to avoid acting on preconceptions based on experiences with other conflict-resolution systems. Participants should not evaluate the existing state of the story to determine if a check is appropriate; it is the check’s usefulness in driving the story that determines when it is appropriate. In short: “Roll in service of the goal.”

Players should not concern themselves with what will or won’t trigger a check. Only the GM can call for a check. A player may suggest a check, perhaps noting a potential outcome the GM has failed to appreciate, but even this should be avoided. The players should concern themselves only with what their characters are trying to do in the game world. The GM determines if and when a check is necessary.

More advice and direction can be found in the Game Moderator section on “Calling for Checks”.

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