[RPG] How to get people to play a “diceless system”

diceless

I have a wonderful game that I love very much, “Lord of Gossamer and Shadow” by Rite Publishing, and I loved the idea, worldwalking, and that the game is a spiritual successor to Amber (so it’s an Amber-like setting without being Amber).

I have a few people who are on the fence, but because the game is diceless they automatically assume it’ll be “whatever the GM decides,” with no input from them.

I’ve tried to explain that, while the game lacks the random-dice mechanic, it encourages players to plot and plan and think ahead in some respects. (Your characters may not have the numbers advantage against someone, but there are things that a player & character could take steps towards, to change the outcome.)

But how do you nudge people to games that are diceless? Such as Lords of Gossamer and Shadow?

Best Answer

The way I found works is one step at a time. Get them to role play a "social" scene without dice. Then a combat. Then a one afternoon of adventure. Then a whole game. By introducing things slowly, everyone can get a good feel for how different things work. You could, and should, address any concern they have during those sessions. This is the same steps that you would use to introduce any new and unfamiliar systems.

Of course, diceless does not mean that chance never plays a part...

Another thing is to make sure you and your players are on the same page: Having fun should be the overall goal. If by having fun, it means building an interesting and dramatic story that involves the characters, then diceless (or systemless) will never get in the way. If, however, the goal is to "beat the GM's monsters", then a diceless game is not going to do it.

Finally, what I suspect is the problem is they see the GM as an antagonist rather than a fellow player. Why that might be and how to resolve it, are topics well out of scope of this question.