System grab-bags:Diceless

System_grab-bags > Diceless Resolution Systems

Audience judgment

As used in Shreyas Sampat's Mist-Robed Gate: the participants describe their actions, after which the other players vote on whose description deserves to win. Can be a straight vote, or as in MRG, in which every player places stone representing their vote in a bag. One of the stones is then drawn at random to determine the winner.

Cards

There are a number of conflict resolution mechanisms that revolve around the use of cards, whether a standard 52 card deck, a modified version of such a deck, an extended (Tarot) deck, or some custom built deck.

Playing Cards

Draw

Each individual involved in a conflict draws a single card from a deck. Highest card wins. Generally this system is a substitute for dice and behaves much like a dice-based resolution system.

Example system; nWoD MET.

Poker hands

Conflicts are resolved through playing one or more hands of a particular poker game. Frequently the rules are modified based on the stats of the characters involved in the challenge. For example, traits or abilities might cause hand-size to be increased.

Play to Stakes

Each participant sets out a victory condition. The participants then play a full, possibly multi-hand, game of poker until one participant or group with compatible victory conditions hold all the chips. A player's stakes (initial pool of chips to play with) can be altered based on the character's features.

Example system; Texas

Play to Pot

Each conflict is resolved with a single hand of a given poker game. At each stage of betting the players offer a single event they are willing to risk- subject to opponent's approval. At the conclusion of the hand the winner chooses which risked events take place.