Why do many people prefer roll-high to roll-under?

[Theory of Games]

There is nothing a roll under system does that can"t be done with a d100 roll-high TN 101, or a d20 roll-high TN 21.

For various reasons, no one has done an RPG using such a system that has become widely popular.

But BRP, RQ, CoC, DoD, they can all be flipped to roll-high with minimal effort.

Uh

 

[aramis erak]

nevermind.

 

[aramis erak]

Uh
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and two more editions of it, plus a retroclone of it...

 

[Thomas Shey]

Though you can make an argument table-based systems are kind of a different beast.

 

[Jaeger]

Uh
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Though you can make an argument table-based systems are kind of a different beast.

True. One could make that argument.

But… one could also flip the math and re-do the chart.

The chart would look a bit different, but in the end it’d just be a roll high d100 system with the degrees of success marked out for you on a chart.

 

[Aldarc]

There is nothing a roll under system does that can"t be done with a d100 roll-high TN 101, or a d20 roll-high TN 21.

For various reasons, no one has done an RPG using such a system that has become widely popular.

But BRP, RQ, CoC, DoD, they can all be flipped to roll-high with minimal effort.

Do you think that there are reasons why that is or may be the case?

 

[Theory of Games]

The most popular d100 roll over system ever is MSH. Loved by many as it was probably their first superhero rpg. The Karma system made it sing.

 

[Thomas Shey]

True. One could make that argument.

But… one could also flip the math and re-do the chart.

The chart would look a bit different, but in the end it’d just be a roll high d100 system with the degrees of success marked out for you on a chart.

That's what I meant about it being a different beast. Once you're using a tabular read it doesn't really matter which way you construct it; the chart is doing the work either way. It tends to make the benefits of roll-low disappear anyway.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Do you think that there are reasons why that is or may be the case?

I do. There's an intuitive quality to roll-low percentile systems that just isn't present with roll high. The handling for most people is different too.

(This is less true with roll-high single dice or total systems).

 

[Thomas Shey]

The most popular d100 roll over system ever is MSH. Loved by many as it was probably their first superhero rpg. The Karma system made it sing.

It was a table system.