James George writes beautiful OSR games. One of them is Diceless Dungeons, an old school fantasy game that does not only not use dice, but no other randomizers, at all. Based on those rules, I'd like to present to you the following, generic rules for diceless games. I call them DiME, for Diceless Method of Entertainment.

The heroes have three skills (one of them can be unique). Write them down, along with a name and some equipment.
Heroes have 10 Might Points. Monsters and other npcs have a Damage Rating.
Referees guesstimate the ability of characters to do things – this is not covered by the rules, and is in the referees' hands exclusively.

Combat:

a) Every monster/opponent has a Damage Rating between 2 and 20 (or even higher), with 10 being average. DR 2 are minor monsters like orcs, goblins, underqualified security guards, etc. DR 10 are giants, really strong trolls, cyber-enhanced bouncers, stuff like that. DR 20 are dragons, a pack of ambushing kobolds with crossbows, move-by-wire solos with built in targeting systems, and so on. The ref NEVER tells the players the DR of the enemy.

b) Any actions undertaken by the heroes that have the potential to diminish the DR do so, and the ref subtracts a certain amount of points (2 for a ranged attack, 5 for really devious tactics involving ambushes, and so on) from the DR.

c) The ref determines how many rounds the fight will last. The fight is narrated by the ref and the players, preferably in a frantic back-and-forth: they roleplay it. The enemy deals damage whenever it fits the narration. This damage, expressed in Damage Points taken from the Damage Rating, can be as high or low as the referee wants (even zero). Damage Points are directly subtracted from the heroe's Might Points. The heroes' job is to survive till all Damage Points have been dealt. All parties involved are free to describe what they're doing. The ref may describe wounds and injuries freely. The enemy will fight till he has dealt all his DR.

But where's the fun in that?

Everywhere. The players have no idea what Damage Rating any opponent has. All they have are their sensory impressions – that's the reason the referee has to describe very well. Who is doing what, how, to whom and when?

An example.

In a dark alley, Three-Finger and Darkens-the-Sun ambush a man they think is old and fragile. He's not – he's Dances-with-Blades, an infamous fighter, known and feared in the streets of Djangoor.

Three-Fingers: "I swiftly get behind the old man and hold my dagger against his throat."
Darkens-the-Sun: "And I jump out of the shadows, sword drawn, pointing it at his face. I bellow: 'Hah! Empty your pockets, and no funny business, or you're dead!"

Ref (playing Dances-with-Blades; if the two thugs had ambushed a hapless victim, this move would have reduced the victim's Damage Rating by 3 or maybe more, but Dances-with-Blades is well-versed in street fighting, he knows all the tactics. Dances has DR 20): The old man raises his hands, coughs, and, with a burst of astonishing speed, grabs Three-Fingers' hand with both hands and twists it, turns slightly to one side and throws him against Darkens' blade. Swooosh!

Fingers: Ahhh, I try to resist!
Ref: He's too fast, and darn, he seems to have a good amount of strength!
Fingers: Aaaaaaaa!
Darkens: I lower my sword, I lower my sword!
Ref: Well done, Darkens! Fingers, sailing through the air, misses your blade by an inch. Fingers, you lose 3 points as you crash into the wall.

(Dances' DR is now 17. Fingers has 7 Might, Darkens still has 10.)

Darkens: I leap at that bastard!
Ref: How?
Darkens: My sword high in the air, I'm going to cut that sucker in half!
Ref: With a loud "clang!", your sword hits the ground. The old man has sidestepped your blow.
Darkens: Dammit!

Fingers: I pick myself up. Do I still have my dagger?
Ref: You must have lost it while you were, er, airborne.
Fingers (mumbles): Sh... I lower my stance. That man, he's unarmed, right?
Ref: You don't see any weapons on him.
Darkens: I grab the handle real tight and swing my sword horizontally, aiming at his belly.
Ref: He jumps out of reach and draws a dagger.
Fingers and Darkens: Shit.
Fingers: I... I try to find a stone or some trash lying around.
Ref: Yep, you could grab a handful of horse shit, if that's what you mean.
Fingers: God, I'm glad people have horses! Damn sure I do!
Darkens: I yell at the old man, and make a feint, like I'm stabbing him!
Fingers: And when Darkens does that, I throw the shit in the old man's face!
Ref: Good thinking!

(This tactic reduces Dances' DR. The ref subtracts 3 from his DR; it now is 14).
Ref: The old man can't duck soon enough, and you hit him! He frantically tries to wipe the manure off his face, and...
Darkens: I hit him with my sword, in the leg!
Ref: With a sickening crunch, your blow lands. Blood gushes from the man's thigh.
Fingers and Darkens: Yeah!
Fingers: I take a wild swing at him, I want to suckerpunch him!
Ref: Somehow, he blocks your blow with his elbows, and now he seems to have get rid of the, er, shit in his face. This costs you 2 points, Fingers.

(Fingers' Might is now 5, Darkens' still is 10. Dances' DR is now 14 minus the 2 for the hit against Fingers=12).


Darkens: I kick him first, and then swing my sword against his head! Dieeeee!
Ref: Your kick connects, and sends him flying backwards, but now your sword is out of reach. He's trying to get up.
Fingers: No, no, noooo, not on my watch! Can I see his dagger?
Ref: He must have lost it.
Fingers: He's still on the ground, right? Then I run to him, and soccer kick his head!
Ref: He ducks under your kick and tackles you against the non-kicking leg. You crumple to the floor. Lose another 2 Might.

(Fingers' Might is now 3, Darkens' is 10. Dances' DR is now 10)

Darkens: Okay. That's enough! 'ENOUGH!', I scream, and I hack into his injured leg!
Ref: You hit him, and for the first time in those few seconds, he screams in agony!
Darkens and Fingers: (celebrate)
Ref: Fingers, he's trying to draw something from out under his doublet.
Fingers: I kick him in the face! We're still on the ground, right?
Ref: That's correct.
Fingers: So I kick him again and again!
Ref: Wow, good! You hit him once or twice in the face, and his movements seem to become slower.

Darkens: When Fingers is kicking him, I hack away at his legs!
Ref: He manages to roll out under your wild swings.
Darkens: Noooo!
Ref: ...and now he's standing.
Fingers: Aaaaaah! I jump at him from behind!
Ref: He somehow sensed that coming and takes a step to the side. You crash headfirst into Darkens face. Darkens, take 5 Damage.

(Fingers' Might still is 3, Darkens' is now 5. Dances' DR now is 5)

Darkens: I probably stumble backwards...
Ref:...yes, and your nose is gushing like a fountain. And you can't see properly because you're tearing up.
Darkens: Sh...
Ref: And then you see the old man flicking his wrist.
Fingers: Flicking? How flicking?
Ref: A throwing dagger. And it buries deep into Darkens' chest, for 4 points damage.
Darkens: ... shit, I play possum, man.

(Fingers' Might still is 3, Darkens' now is 1. Dances' DR now is 1, as well)

Fingers: Does that piece of... flick his wrist again, or what?
Ref: No, but he's fumbling around under his cape now.
Fingers: How far away is he from me?
Ref: Two meters or so.
Fingers: Before he can pull another dagger, I run, RUUUUUN, grab him by the shoulders and headbutt him!
Ref: Hahaha, I like that! You run to him, he's sees you coming, no, flying almost, and tries to backpeddle, away from you...
Fingers: And? And?
Ref: He isn't fast enough. You hit him square in the face with your headbutt, and you feel him getting heavier... You hurt your head, though, for 1 point of Damage.

(Fingers' Might is now 2, Darkens' still is 1. Dances' DR is now 0. Time to give the players their hard-earned victory)

Fingers: I don't care! I give him another headbutt! BOOOM, sucker!
Ref: With another wet sound, you land the second headbutt, and the man falls to the ground, lifeless.

A near replica of an early Amber encounter I once did. I subtract Endurance as your DR. Fun stuff.

Yeah. The reason I didn't like Amber Diceless is how much load it put on the GM to arbitrate details.

QuoteEverywhere. The players have no idea what Damage Rating any opponent has. All they have are their sensory impressions – that's the reason the referee has to describe very well. Who is doing what, how, to whom and when?

For example. Others may be good with that, but Amber burned me out really bad. I wouldn't want to try a system like that again, unless it had a system to manage the work the GM has to handle.

Huh... I never felt the load. Your description of DiME was how we traced our fights and encounters.

I'm super fond of Diceless Dungeons and have run it a few times to pretty good success.  I'm interested to see how others experience has been, as it is not often discussed.

Quote from: Ratman_tf on September 06, 2022, 02:38:31 AM
The reason I didn't like Amber Diceless is how much load it put on the GM to arbitrate details.

Does freeform action storytelling put a load on the GM's shoulders? All he has to know is, who's higher, who's using dirty tactics, and does anyone have good or bad stuff. That's all.

Quote from: Matausch on September 06, 2022, 08:55:52 PM

Quote from: Ratman_tf on September 06, 2022, 02:38:31 AM
The reason I didn't like Amber Diceless is how much load it put on the GM to arbitrate details.

Does freeform action storytelling put a load on the GM's shoulders? All he has to know is, who's higher, who's using dirty tactics, and does anyone have good or bad stuff. That's all.

Alls I have is my experience. Any GMing puts a load on the GM's shoulders. Amber Diceless mechanically felt like too much for me.

Quote from: Ratman_tf on September 06, 2022, 09:19:30 PM

Quote from: Matausch on September 06, 2022, 08:55:52 PM

Quote from: Ratman_tf on September 06, 2022, 02:38:31 AM
The reason I didn't like Amber Diceless is how much load it put on the GM to arbitrate details.

Does freeform action storytelling put a load on the GM's shoulders? All he has to know is, who's higher, who's using dirty tactics, and does anyone have good or bad stuff. That's all.

Alls I have is my experience. Any GMing puts a load on the GM's shoulders. Amber Diceless mechanically felt like too much for me.

I get it, but I'm wondering how is it that Diceless Dungeon has less "load" compared to AD?

I like Diceless Dungeons, but it definitely puts more work on the GM's shoulders than THE diceless game, Amber. Ultimately, what DiME does is the same: compare total Damage Rating to total Might Points, higher side wins.