The hidden math behind old-school DnD

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[NikozBG]

It's really amazing how you and Dungeon craft each released a video today that tackles the underling idea that a d20 systems are fundamentally a way to work with 5% increments of chance.

[DocFleg]

This definitely made me want to play Knave even more, and not just pilfer it for tables! Thanks for this.

[manybubble]

This is invaluable. The maths is the backbone of an RPG of this style, so it's really useful to hear it spelled out clearly by someone who has done the crunch, and it is interesting to seed how you have taken its principles and transmuted them into a different but still compatible form. Would love more designer ideas and thoughts from you.

[freethrall]

This is what i love about Knave. It answers all my whys about old-school rules.

[dmlife]

Love to hear design choices even though I am not an OSR guy. Streamlining ttrpgs while retaining uniqueness is always a plus.

[thechaotimagnet]

I really like the knave characters are about as tough 2nd or 3rd level bx characters. Level 1 felt like somewhat of a slog to push through before you could make real calculated risks with your character.

[mightystu]

Glad to know you are actually looking at the math behind it. It's not glamorous but it is core to making sure a game is designed well and that probability is mapped out to some degree. I think too many game designers, especially in the OSR/NuSR/Indy scenes neglect it because they just want to focus on a gimmick or vibe, but the probability breakdown section of the original DMG is really useful as a tool for running the game and understanding likely outcomes. This video is a great demonstration of how you can use that to create tweaks or even big changes that can be compatible through similar math, where lots of people make what seem like smaller changes that are worse for compatibility because they didn't consider the foundations of the mechanics.

[emarsk]

For anyone interested in converting to roll-under: (d20 + modifier) ≥ 16 is equivalent to d20 ≤ (5 + modifier).

[mattkincannon]

Ben--had to comment due to an eye-opening moment in this video for me. I've been setting up my own campaign for a while now, and I must have read and re-read through the K2E Kickstarter Preview document several times. But it wasn't until watching this video that I caught that the ability scores chosen to increase during level ups must all be different!

I was fully prepared for LVL 2 PCs to be strutting around with (up to) 6 STR (or DEX, WIS, etc.) because I continuously missed that one damn keyword! I know I'm just a random guy on the internet, so big grain of salt, but that word might really benefit from being boldened/italicized/something so that others don't make the mistake I nearly did.

Thanks for your content and all the work you put into the hobby. Cheers

[Alex-txih]

This is a fantastic breakdown and comparison between the rules sets, and a great thing to consider when it comes to balance when shifting between two systems.

[McLainOppy]

Level progression distills down to 5% improvement per level, starting with 25% at level 1 and ending with 75% at level 10. Knave locks this in by setting standard difficulty of roll over d20 at 16 and adding ability score (each point improving success chance by 5%).

[DylanMixable]

Absolutely Awesome 💯😎👌 Can't wait for 2e!!!!

[bonkposting]

I love this channel and am so pleased to see Knave 2e take off so strongly—very much deserved! Whenever possible, my work day starts with a new Questing Beast video and a cup of coffee as I schedule and organize my tasks. 🙂

I went from feeling like I would forever be stuck playing 5e to combing through the blogosphere for advice, running Knave for the people I love, and building small games and hacks of my own. I wouldn't be doing ANY of it without your channel, your videos, and your games.

Thank you for everything you do!

[steelmongoose]

I came in late as a Knave 2 backer. Looking forward to having it in my hands.

[PyramKing]

Thank you for your detailed and succint explanation. I am always fascinated by the math in RPGs and you continue to demonstrate the elegance of a clear and concise system.
I have Knave 1 and Maze Rats, looking forward to Knave 2.

[RedDiceDiaries]

An interesting look into your thoughts when designing it, looking forward to getting my hands on Knave 2E 🙂👍

[LutherGary]

In my homemade game D20 Dungeons, everything is on a 5% scale. The d20 is the only dice used. Bonuses and penalties adjust the roll.
Knave inspired Ability scores, except there are 10 of them.
Your dice roll result depicts the range of success you have in an action. A 1 = 5% all the way to 20 = 100%.
Combat is crazy fast.
Knave continues to be a HUGE inspiration for me, and I can't wait for my new materials.
Love it

[alexgreychuck]

Great game. Super pumped to get my hands on it.

[jarydf]

This is cool. I have been homebrewing a simple version of DnD that only uses advantage disadvantage as modifiers and using the ability scores to attack and defend. The prpbability math worked out similar.
It all seems to come down to the GM being able to reliably choose an appropriate probability in the moment at the table with 5-10% feeling very hard, 25-30% feeling hard but achieveable and 65-70% feeling reliable.
Players then progressing through how reliably they can attempt an action.

[ianollmann]

I was all ready to hear an explanation that the 3-18 skills are not useful — these numbers are never used for anything. It all is remapped to bonuses, so why not just reduce the complexity and newbie confusion by having only one ability score, which is also your ability bonus. This is essentially what knave appears to have done, but oddly wasn’t in the designers commentary.