[RPG] the term for a game where only the players roll the dice

semi-dicelessterminology

We've got questions about who should roll the dice and how or why a GM might give up rolling the dice. What is it called when that happens, though?

Some people use to mean "only the players roll the dice," but the tag's info page has a much broader definition, so I'm thinking if I used that phrase it'd cause confusion.

Is there a term to describe systems (like Apocalypse World, Great Ork Gods, Lady Blackbird, and Lasers & Feelings) that have a GM, but only the players roll dice?

Best Answer

Such systems are called "player-facing"

I don't know how ubiquitous this terminology is, but it certainly exists. I first came upon it in tremulus (p. 4):

All rolls of the dice are “player-facing,” meaning that all the rolls in the game are done exclusively by the players.

A quick search reveals the term being used in blogposts and forum discussions. Here's a slightly expanded definition from one such post:

Of all the innovations in roleplaying over the years my favorite is the concept of “player-facing” mechanics. For those unfamiliar with the term, player-facing refers to game elements that require the player to roll dice, react, or make decisions instead of the gamemaster. Most every game out there features a majority of player-facing elements such as attack rolls, skill checks, or saving throws along with several gamemaster-facing elements such as NPC attack rolls and damage rolls.

As the term may not be well-known, perhaps describing such games as having "player-facing rolls" would be better.

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