I brought up a topic on Twitter recently that spawned a number of replies and let to an interesting discussion. I asked if DM’s mostly rolled out in the open, or behind the screen. A good number of DM’s seem to roll their dice in front of their players, which is what I personally do. In combat, all my attack and damage rolls are out there for all to see, as I believe it adds a sense of excitement to combat. I love the groans that accompany a natural 20, and the high fives that accompany a crucial monster attack that ends in a fumble.
Having said all this, the topic of the DM fudging the dice came up. How can you fudge if the dice are being rolled out in plain view? Well, the truth is that I don’t fudge dice. Dice fudging goes back to the very beginning of D&D. It is a tried and true tradition of the game. After all, what DM wants his party to die at the hands of a lucky Kobold rather than the big boss at the end of the dungeon? Not me. But I also think that the element of randomness that the dice bring to the game is crucial, and should be respected. I was asked if I would allow a total party kill due to lucky rolling at the hands of some mediocre enemies. So I tweeted the following:
I’d rather “guide” the story through narration than by fudging. If I smell a TPK, I’ll narrate them out of it, rather than lie about a roll.
It’s very simple. If I see it coming, I’ll get them out of it before I let it happen. I ask you this… what’s the point of rolling if you know that a certain outcome will cause you to fudge the roll? If you know that your party might die due to the breath weapon on the big red dragon, and you plan to fudge this “to hit” roll, why do it at all? Narrate them out of a possible TPK. Reinforcements come in to help them bring down the dragon… a dragon’s old enemy swoops in to attack him while he’s busy with the party, allowing the pc’s some rounds to deal with a distracted dragon… the party has a round to heal a few key members… You can come up with something.
Although it looks tasty, it's not the fudge we're talking about.
All I’m saying is that I’m not in favor of the randomness of the game being played with. You wouldn’t use loaded dice, and fudging is the verbal equivalent of pulling out your loaded d20. Instead, use you narrative control of the game to steer things where you want them to go, while making it feel organic and not too obvious to the players.
I know I’m going to be in the minority with this thinking. I know that fudging is seen by many as a handy DM tool. I get that. But I want to get my point across and get your thoughts on the matter. If a result is so crucial that you are willing to lie to get it, then just skip the step altogether and use your storytelling to get where you want or need to go.
Alright, my flame retardant suit of armor is on. Bring it on!
Oh, and check out Mike’s D&D Blog, where he writes his views on the subject, as he was involved in the twitter debate.
www. Newbie DM .com 
Zorminster
October 31, 2009
“Narrate them out of it” sounds a whole lot worse to me– for me, the players see a deus ex machina DM move from a mile away- fudging rolls is considerably more subtle and leaves them immersed. that’s my group though.
Brent P. Newhall
October 31, 2009
Great topic, and well-written article!
Narrating around it might be an advanced DM skill. A lot of us can’t come up with a plausible explanation besides giving the villain a sudden heart attack, and a lot of us can’t see a TPK coming. It’s just a lot easier and less obvious to fudge the occasional dice roll.
There’s also the question of the dice’s role. It’s an element of randomness in a fun game. If any element is about to make a game lame, I’ll work around it. And the easiest way to do that for a low dice roll is to ignore the roll.
That said, I think games are more interesting if the players and DM go with the dice. TPK? Okay, you’re now playing the rescue party charged with finding the original party and reviving them.
Asmor
October 31, 2009
Fudging cheapens the game, and if you’re going to do it you may as well go play some silly indie diceless game.
Michael
October 31, 2009
@Zorminster, I think the goal should be that the players should have a reasonable shot of not getting themselves into a tpk situation. I’m in favor of the fudge thing because once the adventure is set in motion, it usually always go to hell, and sometimes the luck really unbalances what should otherwise be a survivable encounter.
Turgid
October 31, 2009
The problem comes when it looks like a deus ex machina, which can feel cheap to some players. I agree that fudging is at best dishonest, and I like to avoid it, but at least that way the players can feel like they lucked out rather than getting ‘let off the hook’.
Ultimately, I prefer rolling in front of the players and generally being open about what is happening. It might be worth discussing with your group ahead of time; how much they value the story vs. following the dice. Some players might prefer to die and take what lessons they can from it, while some might like the DM to save them (either by fudging or narrating). I think asking ahead of time or stopping the game to ask, “Well, you’re in a bad situation. What do *you* think should happen here?” would lead to the most satisfactory outcome for everyone, since the players are then in control (even if they just want the DM to decide for them, they willingly gave you control, so there’s no hard feelings when you kill them or fudge it or deus ex machina their butts to safety). They might even come up with a cool way out that you hadn’t thought of. 🙂
newbiedm
October 31, 2009
I’ll chime in here and say something that should have been written into the article. An obvious Deus Ex Machina should be avoided at all costs… being subtle is a fine art… and I’m not saying I’ve mastered it.
If a player is enganged, and not metagaming like it’s going out of style, a narrated fudge could be forgiven, I’d like to think so anyway.
Turgid
October 31, 2009
If you know your players well enough and know they’ll forgive it, by all means go for it. If you don’t know your players well enough to know, ask first. One of them might be Asmor.
Asmor
October 31, 2009
Consider this:
Ultimately, every strategic decision, tactical decision and roll the PCs make is to try to A: avoid a TPK and B: succeed at whichever goal they’re attempting.
If you fudge the dice to avoid a TPK or to avoid ‘your story going awry’ (whether that means fudging so the PCs fail or succeed), then you’ve rendered moot every single thing every PC has done in the entire game.
Reward can only come from risk. No risk, no reward.
TreacleMine
October 31, 2009
Good post. 4e PCs have enough resources these days to minimize (but not eliminate) risk of TPK. Fudging is all but obsolete.
Michael
October 31, 2009
@Asmor, I wholeheartedly agree, but with one caveat. Sometimes when planning out an encounter, you underestimate how devastating a particular type of attack (say an at-will that knocks people prone) could be, and so with no fault of the players, they’re heading for a bad night. In that particular situation, I’d just tone down the power or have that monster do something else, or change the terrain or some such other solution than mess with the dice. That’s one of the nicest things with how 4e is set up. But at the same time: no party, no adventure. You want to have risk, but the risk/reward should be balanced.
Swordgleam
October 31, 2009
I once saw fudging described as “GM fiat masked by the sound of dice on wood.”
I agree. I am a fan of GM fiat and fudging. It’s like white lies – you’re deluding yourself if you don’t think that even the whitest lie is still unethical, but they make life easier for everyone.
Asmor
October 31, 2009
@Michael I’ve done something similar to that. Was experimenting in a 2-player game with my own brand of ‘tough minions,’ and they turned out to be a little too nasty so I tuned their stats down on the fly. That’s different from fudging dice rolls, though; I still set (what in my estimation were) fair numbers and stuck by what the dice said.
Stuart
October 31, 2009
Either leave it to chance and roll the dice, or use GM fiat an just narrate what happens next.
Dice fudging should only be necessary with emotionally sensitive people… Like children. 🙂
Mik
October 31, 2009
I believe it’s all relative. To say “never fudge dice” is a little draconic, but being too liberal with it is not good either.
Generally, what I do, is gauge the mood of the group. Usually everyone is happy, but occasionally one of the players can feel a little picked on and might not be having fun. If that’s the case, I’ll usually pull the damage dice to stop them from getting killed in a cheap shot, though usually only with a couple HP left, so they know to gtfo of range. This could be seen as coddling, but I believe that since the game is for fun anyways, cheering up one of my players is more important than being completely honest. I usually roll dice behind my screen, but only because I’d have to bend over to roll it in front with our current couch-based setup.
Personally, I’d like to see some tips on ways to give the PCs another chance without it seeming like deus-ex-machina. Perhaps, for boss fights you know could TPK, you should set up some story element beforehand that could come in?
TreacleMine
October 31, 2009
To expand on my brief comment (had to change a diaper);
If you can subtly finesse the narrative, that should be the preferred option. Fudging the dice ought to be your last resort.
It’s fairer, and funer 😛
Greg
October 31, 2009
i used to roll behind the screen and fudge on occasion, but i found it sucked the fun out of the game. i was left thinking, why am i paying attention to any of the dice rolls if i merely fudge them if they don’t go the way i or the players think they should.
so now i roll in front of the screen. i even let the players roll the to hit and damage dice of the monsters attacking their character.
tpk, meh if it happens it’s an opportunity for players to create new ones, and that is fun for our group too.
Stuart
October 31, 2009
Last time I played Arkham Horror (at the local Con) we “lost” at the end, and one of the other players was quite vocal about how much he didn’t like this and how he wouldn’t be buying AH now.
I’m sure he would have liked some sort of dice fudging added to the game…
Stu Venable
October 31, 2009
I fudge die rolls and monster/NPC stats all the time, but it is virtually always in favor of the players. Any GM/DM who is fudging *against* the players needs to stop and ask himself why.
Why do I fudge? Simple. It moves the story along and speeds up combat. Combat in DnD4E is damn long. I have a large group of players (8-10) and a balanced combat encounter can last 2-2.5 hours.
I believe that PC death should be rare and poignant. I’d much rather have a PC lay down his or her life facing a Goristro than the last few remaining Orcs in a raiding party.
If the player experiences their PC’s death in a desperate struggle against the big baddie, perhaps at nearly unwinnable odds, the player will at least have solace in the fact that the death was meaningful — especially if the party is ultimately victorious.
I refuse to let the game rules get in the way of an exciting story. Don’t get me wrong, I love the unexpected critical hit, or anything that throws my story into a tailspin.
So, yeah, I roll behind a screen, unless it’s a pivotal fight campaign-wise. Then I’ll roll out in the open, and yes, you’re right, the groans and cheers from the players are awesome.
John
October 31, 2009
I fudge. It isn’t cheating. This isn’t a competitive game, the dice are guides not arbitors. The DM is the arbitor.
My players are well aware that their characters can die in the game. But they can also be sure that their PC dieing will matter. It will not just be a “life is cheap” lesson, it will be exciting and important, and build the fun of the campaign.
juddthelibrarian
November 1, 2009
Could you give a concrete example of “narrating them out of it?”
Softrope
November 1, 2009
I don’t fudge dice rolls, I roll out in the open. It terrifies my players and helps get them into that “near” TPK feel.
I do fudge monster HP though if I need to alter the difficulty of a battle on the fly.
newbiedm
November 1, 2009
@Softrope: That I fudge as well…. but that’s a different story. That’s not the randomness of die being ignored.
newbiedm
November 1, 2009
@Judd: I think the best way to do it so it doesn’t feel so abrupt and gimmicky, is to plan it out ahead of time. Using the dragon example, if you’d really want to avoid a tpk in this encounter, have a plan b in your pocket from when you are prepping your encounter. If you feel the tide of battle swaying towards a tpk, start to roll out your plan… in one round, the dragon “senses something, and completely ignores you, like if he hears it also… make perception checks…” maybe the dragon can hear an enemy approaching… reinforcements… a perception check let’s a pc hear something approaching as well… use this round of distraction to allow heals or further attacks… that sort of thing, don’t just barge the door open in one round with a “Surprise! We’re here to rescue you!” but rather build up to it organically, although the most jerky of players will always call you on something, you can’t help that.
juddthelibrarian
November 1, 2009
Gotcha.
I’m a no-fudge, no save’em type of GM. I am fine with the epic tale being a tragic cautionary of lives lost during a dungeon delve.
Let the dice fall where they may.
Tyson J. Hayes
November 2, 2009
I used to be a fudger but the current game I’m running I decided to roll in front of the players, I don’t fudge the dice and I haven’t killed anyone yet. I can’t decide if it’s that my players are lucky or if it’s the proper challenge rating I’m giving them.
wanderingclover
November 2, 2009
I haven’t had a chance to actually DM yet, (still waiting on the books to get here) but fudging the dice will probably be something that I will do. At least for a while.
I’ll be DMing (for the first time ever) with a group that has never played D&D before. Actually, none of us have played before. So for me, fudging is just a way to keep us from possibly getting frustrated if we’re dying all the time.
Maybe the practice of fudging the dice is situational? I wonder how many DM’s out there fudged the dice with new players vs seasoned ones. Or fudging more as a rookie DM compared to a seasoned one.
Colmarr
November 2, 2009
A year or so ago, I would have disagreed with you NewbieDM.
However, I’ve been fortunate enough to play under a DM for that year who has proven that there are other ways to fudge than to deliberately ignore the dice. Time and again he has ended fights early by secretly lowering monster hit points. Or made fights easier by not rolling for recharge on powers that should, or making them encounter rather than recharge.
And the only reason I know is that he and I discuss meta-game issues after the game.
I have to say that his practice seems much more effective than my old attempts at fudging.
newbiedm
November 2, 2009
@Colmarr – That’s what I’m saying. The randomness is the only thing in the game you can’t control, so it shouldn’t be messed with. It adds something to the game.
Everything else, every stat block, every npc or monster, everything else is there for the dm to play with. There is no need to fudge dice in D&D.
Thunderforge
November 2, 2009
Role-playing games are first and foremost about having fun. I fudge the dice if not doing so would put the players in a situation that they aren’t going to have fun. That’s not to say that I fudge the dice every time it will turn out badly or kill a player. But I will fudge them if, say, the players have been rolling poorly and the Dragon’s breath attack will kill them all in one shot. Nobody has fun in a situation like that. I think that such a philosophy is more important In systems that aren’t as structured and “safe” as D&D, but applies to it as well.
Dixon Trimline
November 5, 2009
While I like the idea of “full disclosure” in a game, rolling right out in the open, there is a psychological toll which can very easily knock otherwise engaged players right out of the game. That’s when the DM throws a 7 (causing the players to momentarily celebrate), and then announces, “19! Hit!”
While I don’t boast an advanced mathematics degree, even I can determine that this freaking monster has a +12 to hit. What?!? That’s outrageous! This encounter is too hard! You’re trying to kill us! You have a bad haircut!
Players can be mean.
Anyway, while the derived bonus may SEEM big, it’s typically no larger than what the players are getting. Building your encounters through XP buying, it’s pretty easy to set the battle difficulty, which means the characters and monsters would have roughly similar hit points, defenses, and damage dealt.
Logically, those players are getting the same bonuses as the monsters, but does logic really enter into the discussion when there are players who insist they have lucky dice? 🙂
Namtaws
November 7, 2009
I must admit that DMing without a screen is quite freeing. I feel I am more part of the game and have more fun myself, and the players don’t mind at all. In fact they as well were more entertained by the fact that I was able to prove that my luck is better as a DM. Fifteen or so nat 20s a night lucky, when as a player I can’t even roll above an eight. I am going to continue to DM without a screen because we’re all having a great time. And that is what it is all about.
by_the_sword
December 13, 2009
I don’t fudge die rols and i try my best to keep the ‘deus ex machina’ to a minimum. One way I do favor the players when I see them getting their asses kicked, is to use bad monster tactics or not use, or under-use monster abilities. Bear in mind, in the old days there were certain beasties that could TPK a party without any effort on the DM’s behalf (the basilisk and the beholder come to mind) but I suspect that with the save-or-die effects removed and the players character’s classes more balanced in power and their combat roles more clearly defined, TPK’s will become much more rare.
As a player, I would want the DM not to fudge and I would take my lumps. But I am an experienced gamer and I know what it is like to sit on either side of the screen.