Twists are a fairly simple mechanic from The Wildsea - if your dice pool rolls any doubles1, there’s a small extra effect of the roll.
Unlike, say, a “critical hit” in a D&D inspired game - these aren’t necessarily positive effects. They can be negative or unknown. The table can decide what is most interesting, and because they’re small - they’re not creating a new success or failure, this isn’t a huge threat.
The chance of doubles rises pretty quickly as the pool increases - so they’re most likely to happen on big decisive rolls.
| 1d6 | 2d6 | 3d6 | 4d6 | 5d6 | 6d6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any Doubles | — | 17% | 44% | 72% | 91% | 99% |
This high likelihood of having twists to improvise is simpler in The Wildsea - a less traditional game in a more whimsical setting and somewhat more adventurous genre. A suggested houserule for infrequent twists gets a lower rate if twists only happen if the doubles are also the highest value:
| 1d6 | 2d6 | 3d6 | 4d6 | 5d6 | 6d6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chance of a Twist | — | 17% | 24% | 31% | 37% | 43% |
The likelihood still climbs pretty high on larger rolls, but much slower.
In The Death of Arthur
I’m undecided about keeping in Twists. I’d certainly keep the more infrequent rates of only-on-the-highest-roll, but even that feels like it might be too often, and too tilted in favor of big dramatic rolls2. I’m also wary of the added cognitive load, since I’ve added other things to keep track of during the roll itself3.
I’m considering maybe adding them back in as class-specific rules.