What to do about a run of bad luck making A New GM I know look like he's fixing the rolls?

marshalljames1

Someone I know that has only been A GM since January The 3rd has a problem and wants advise

He's dosing 2nd edition WFRP and he's using random tables for both loot and rewards that another GM I know made

They've done 6 adventures and he's made 9 loot rolls and 6 reward rolls

The thing is that those 15 rolls have all been on 1D100 tables and despite the odds all of the rolls were A 40 or lower and over half, 9 out of 15, most of them were A 26 or lower

The worst thing is that even though the reason tha of the 15 1D100 rolls all of them were A 40 or lower and over half, 9 out of 15, most of them were A 26 or lower his group have accused him of fixing the results

So what should my mate whose only been A GM since January The 3rd do about the fact that him that he even though he's not fixing the rolls he makes on tables for both loot and rewards he's had the misfortune to make enough low rolls on the tables for both loot and rewards he's using for his group to think that he is fixing the results

Comments

  • Abersade
    Abersade
    Posts: 417

    Well, the easiest thing I suppose would be to flub it. You know, fudge the rolls a bit in the player's favor. D&D would refer to this as an example of the "Golden Rule", in that fun trumps the rules (or rolls in this case). Multiple ways to go about it, but the GM rolling for the loot table (obscuring the roll) and then just picking the result that fits best (and thus only actually rolled for the sake of making it look random) is likely the easiest. As long as the GM keeps the rewards fair the players aren't likely to get upset.

    Heck, I tend to under-reward treasure and whatnot because I view basically everything in the books as a suggestion for the GM and not a mandate, and frankly I'm kind of bad at math. One of the ways I have found to get around that being unfair to the players is to do a bit of a reset where some faction that the characters works for allows them each to pick something(s) from the armory or whatnot up to a certain value. Removes the emphasis on the randomized rewards. To be honest though, I only rarely reference randomized treasure hoards anyways, usually only when the characters get some loot that is particularly poorly organized.

    GM of Rise of the Durnskald: Wrath of the Fallen Goddess - February 2016 CotM

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  • ElMuggs
    ElMuggs
    Posts: 61

    So the problem with random rolls is that basic probability means it won't be fair - because your rewards are being assigned based on random luck vs 'effort'.

    I only ever use random rolls for low-value items like trinkets or gold, wheras genuine rewards will be given out based upon the players roleplay and interests.

    or.. more often then not because it feels like the right thing to do in the moment. 

    This may seem 'less random' but means you have direct control over the power of the rewards, timing and number so you can balance them out to ensure everyone gets a fair share.

    Otherwise if you DM and players really want to stick to random rolls consider letting the players roll - then at least they know that the numbers are not fudged.

    DM of The Domains of Dread Council Meeting (...a Comedic Misadventure though the mists of a re-imagined Ravenloft! ) - COTM Feb 2023! 

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