Dicey Dungeons
A roguelike where players roll dice and assign them to attacks.
Where Dicey Dungeons comes up1 episode or test
- Dice rolled before player acts
- Player assigns each die
- Luck shapes the plan
- Player commits to a plan first
- Dice resolve after the choice
- Bad luck can wreck the plan
Input randomness supports strategy; output randomness draws most anger
From Game design source comparing FTL and Into the Breach
What was said about Dicey Dungeons
Dicey Dungeons rolls dice first, then lets players choose where to spend them. Dicey Dungeons is cited as an example of input randomness: the dice are rolled before the player acts, so luck shapes the plan instead of breaking it. The player then picks which attacks or actions get each die.
The contrast is output randomness, which happens after the player's choice and can wreck a plan through bad luck. Output randomness draws most of the anger. The source compares Subset's FTL, which was full of swingy output randomness, with Into the Breach, which almost exclusively uses input randomness and is fairer and more strategic. Quote: "the fundamental difference between randomness that supports strategy, and randomness that undercuts strategy".
The Two Types of Random in Game Design
An example of input randomness: dice are rolled first, then the player chooses where to spend them.
Dicey Dungeons rolls dice first, then lets players choose where to spend them. Dicey Dungeons is cited as an example of input randomness: the dice are rolled before the player acts, so luck shapes the plan instead of breaking it. The player then picks which attacks or actions get each die.
The contrast is output randomness, which happens after the player's choice and can wreck a plan through bad luck. Output randomness draws most of the anger. The source compares Subset's FTL, which was full of swingy output randomness, with Into the Breach, which almost exclusively uses input randomness and is fairer and more strategic. Quote: "the fundamental difference between randomness that supports strategy, and randomness that undercuts strategy".
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