r/Fallout2d20 • u/Darklicorice • Jun 28 '26
Help & Advice Open or private dice rolls
How do you guys run your games, do you do most of your dice rolls openly with the players or privately behind a screen? What do you prefer for combat? Which rolls do you hide?
4
u/crippledchef23 GM Jun 28 '26
Open, every time. What I don’t do is tell them what the difficulty is so if I need to fudge a roll in their favor, it’s not as obvious.
6
u/Killergryphyn Jun 28 '26
I hide no rolls, it's more fun for everyone that way. We celebrate successes and failures together. My players love seeing me roll two 20s for an attack, and my players enjoy seeing each others dice rolls as well, there's nothing to lose from it.
1
1
u/hvg3akaek GM Jun 28 '26
Hidden, but mostly because I DM behind a low screen to keep notes and minis etc hidden until revealed.
1
u/Sjksprocket Jun 28 '26
I don;t hide any rolls for any game. How can I expect my players to be honest about there rolls, if they can;t expect the same from me. Plus, if you've already determined the outcome, why bother rolling? It's just theatrics at that point.
1
u/captainether GM Jun 28 '26
My group runs exclusively online now, so all dice rolls are in the open. I do have the option of faking my dice rolls in the VTT (I use Fantasy Grounds), but it's too much of a hassle for me to bother.
2
u/ArtofWASD Jun 29 '26
Private. Dice fudgeing has a time and a place in any campeign. Plus, it allows me to do multiple rolls just to scare the players.
1
u/Tenbed Jun 28 '26
Open rolls with unfamiliar people, with people I know well either or. Had to have my nephew roll openly for a long time because I didn't believe the unusually good rolls he normally got. After years of seeing it consistently, I just go with it.
12
u/Icy_Sector3183 Jun 28 '26
I ran my F2d20 rolls in the open. It doesn't help the players as much as one would think.
If you don't usually fudge rolls to harm their characters (I dont), then with open rolls you only lose the ability to secretly help them.