Minimal roleplay logo
Play storeApp storeLogin
Back to minimal blog
dices in minimal roleplay
Logo

Everything
about dices in
Minimal Roleplay

@illuday · Nov 27, 2023 · 12 minutes read

In this article, we will provide you with a detailed explanation of how dice work in Minimal Roleplay. From their usage to the features we imagine, you will be amazed by it all.

Throwing dices on a table

In Real life

In traditional role-playing games, before rolling the dice, a back-and-forth discussion takes place. First, the player explains what they intend to do.

The game master then explains the type of dice roll required, its difficulty, bonuses, and penalties. Occasionally, game masters also clarify the expected outcome.

The player then rolls his dice, and the game master resolves the action according to the result.

Marc —

Marc open the door.

Game master —

Roll 1d20.

Marc —

1d20 = 1

Game master —

The door falls on you and crushes you, you have a broken arm...

In Minimal Roleplay

In Minimal Roleplay, you'll be able to roll a dice directly in your game interface.

By clicking on Dice roll, a dedicated interface will appear, allowing you to choose all the options for your dice roll. All the classic dice are available: D100, D20, D12, D10, D8, D6 and D4. You'll be able to choose the number of dice you want, as well as a modifier. A modifier is simply a number added to your roll, often used in role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons to add a fixed value to your damage roll, for example.

A message can also be linked to the dice roll. This will justify the dice roll according to the rules set out on your game table.

We won't hide the fact that the dice can be customized one by one according to the dice sets you've unlocked! We know that some people like to mix and match their sets. We'll come back to customization in another article.

Once validated, the dice roll will appear directly in your player column and its result will be INVARIABLE - no cheating, of course!

We invite you to take a look at the overall operation on our mock-up below:

Play with

Basic dice rolls

Open fullscreen

Sequencing problems

As you can see from the demonstration above, the gymnastics between game master and player can be a bit tedious.

Several methods are possible, the one described in the model above is just one example, but it's also possible to play with visibility (we'll come back on it in the next article), to offer a simpler dice system where players don't need the game master to throw... In short, it's up to you to find the formula you prefer.

However, our inspirations can solve some problems, and that's the subject of this next section.

Inspirations and future developments

These developments are not planned, but may be programmed into the post-launch roadmap. These are ideas that we have or that players have given us!

Keep in mind that we want to keep Minimal Roleplay simple and accessible. Adding lots of features dedicated to this or that role-playing game risks making our interfaces heavier and less ergonomic. We're thinking about a lot of features and are ready to hear your suggestions, but we'll integrate these new features sparingly.

Pre-creation of dice rolls by the game master

The aim of this idea is to reduce the friction caused by dice throws and thus limit ping pong. The idea is to give more power to the game master, so that he can program dice throws for a player instead of telling him to do so.

In addition to the classic interface, the Game Master can also add resolution messages. These messages will be displayed automatically, depending on the player's result.

All the player has to do is click on his predefined throw to obtain the result of his action.

We invite you to take a look at the overall operation on our mock-up below:

Play with

Predefined dice rolls

Open fullscreen

Table freeze

A feature we're planning for messages, it could also be applied to dice rolls. The aim is to block the table until one or more players make their dice rolls.

Simultaneous dice rolls

Although difficult to implement on the mobile version, we're thinking about allowing simultaneous dice throws between players. This could make it possible to organize contests between players for the resolution of an action.

Multiple dice rolls, advantages and disadvantages

A mechanism well known to Dungeons & Dragons players, the advantage/disadvantage system forces players to roll two dice at the same time. In the case of an advantage, only the higher result is kept, and the opposite for a disadvantage. This is a mechanic that could easily be developed, although it would make the interface more cumbersome.

Integration of dices in the character sheet

We'll come back to the character sheet in another article, but we'd like to allow the game master to decide on player character sheet stats based on dice rolls.

Any ideas?

Do you have any ideas to add to these features? Don't hesitate to join us on Discord to propose them. Many of the ideas we'll be presenting come from our community, from each other's experiences and from our own games.

I know that many of you are waiting for us to talk more about the customization and collection of items you'll be able to do in Minimal Roleplay. We've got a lot to tell you and show you, but that's for another article!

Here's a small example of the dice we've developed. They're still in development, but I hope you'll be able to wait for the rest!

Enjoy the read?

Minimal Roleplay alpha is open! Register now to start roleplaying and write stories with your friends.

Register
rewards minimal roleplayrewards minimal roleplay
Footer image

Start your
new journey

play in your browser minimal roleplayplay playstore google android minimal roleplayplay ios appstore minimal roleplay
Minimal Roleplay logo

Role-playing ecosystem