Page 29 - GM EBOOK
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or negative if not predetermined), Even numbers are events of the ever changing combat experience. It is
in favor of the opposite, and the number cast is the the responsibility of the GM to make quick and fair
decision maker. Often times the die to be rolled is decisions without letting the game get out of control.
predetermined. However, in the instance that this is Do not let the players push the pace of a combat sce-
not the case, the GM may determine which die is to ne too fast for sensible control.
be cast (ex: 1D4) and which numbers represent which The GM is also responsible for knowing all the
outcome (ex: positive vs. negative). The following damage types, status effects, critical hits, and rules of
are some of the situations when O&E may be em- the game being played. That is not to say that a GM C
ployed . h
cannot keep the Ninja vs. Samurai RPG Guidebook a
Status Effect- To determine whether a status effect near for reference (in fact it’s recommended). Com- p t
will effect a character using Odds & Evens a roll is to bat will be the reason for most of the die casts wheth- e
r
be done after the attack. When a character is at- er it is for Control, Action or Defensive rolls or Sta-
tacked successfully, that character needs to determine tus Effects and Odds & Evens outcomes.
if a status effect occurs. To do so, the controller of The GM must follow the rules of engagement for
the character being effected must roll a die.
Ninja vs. Samurai RPG, but they must also govern
NPC Walking- When walking an NPC the GM the action that is taking place and provide efficient
shouldn’t just determine which direction a character description of the action that is taking place. There-
turns. Instead they should roll the die using Odds & fore, a step-by-step description of what is involved
Evens for left or right designating Odds and Evens for the GM is provided.
for either direction. this makes for great suspense STEP 1- Control Roll
when the character is guarding something.
In this roll PCs and NPCs alike are to determine if
Guarding/Searching- When an NPC is guarding they are going on the initiative. The combatants are
something and another character is attempting to in- rolling the 1D12 to determine the attacking order.
filtrate. The GM need to remain in the situation and PCs who decide to play from a defensive stand point
not abuse the omnipotence they have when managing are not involved in the rolling process and, the GM
a game. Odds & Evens can also be used when the should make note of that to ensure that the PC plays
GMs character(s) are guarding in the event of them accordingly. During this step, the GM should also
looking around. When the character comes to a perform these tasks in no particular order:
point, the GM can call for an “Awareness Test”.
During this test, the guard looks around. Employing Verify the attributes and Ki Energy- for each
Odds & Evens for any reason (ex: curiosity or a character (PC and NPC) this step is done in
hunch) can make the character(s) look around or find this stage and not during the attack roll or
things before the PCs are ready to spring into action when players are actually using techniques
adding another aspect of game play. because techniques have requirements that
should be fulfilled before they are used. To
Yes and No Answers- Odds & Evens can help deter- keep the game fair it is a best practice of man-
mine answers such as Yes and No for NPCs. Simply aging a Ninja vs. Samurai RPG game to
rolling a die determined by the GM can add to game maintain the stats of a character. This keeps
play. Not only can this be used for the characters but GMs from arguing with players about availa-
also using Odds & Evens to settle arguments between ble Ki Energy, Stamina Points or any other
players and GM to make game play continuous.
statistic, and maintains the continuity of game
The GM’s Roll During Combat play.
Combat responsibilities for the GM is a lot differ- Die cast management- keep PC die casts fair and
ent than that of the player. As the player only has to visible as well as any die cast that the GM
control their character, the GM must control all other needs to perform that needs to be observed by
characters, animals, and Yokai as well as describe the the players. Also, making rules that define
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