>>47024676
I prefer GMs rolling behind a screen because I trust them to fudge the rolls only when it creates a better game, and I also prefer not being able to calculate the enemies' attack stats from the rolls.

I'm also a GM and have been doing most of my rolls behind a screen, but I've been experimenting rolling out in the open lately since I don't have a screen in my current game. I'm not sure yet, but I think I'll go back to rolling in secret.

>>47024676
Hiding your rolls from players just means that you don't trust them to not metagame or don't trust yourself to deal with whatever consequences a dice roll may bring.

I am a believer into live and let live when it comes to TT in both Roll and Role aspects of it, but it's a grand old waste of time to roll dice if you won't abide by them in my opinion. If you need something to happen because it's necessary for the plot, just have it happen. Unless your players are dice offisianados, aka autists, they won't begrudge you not having to roll for every little thing. Just avoid making situations happen where players have literally 0 chance to deal with something. Even if it's 1 out of a 100 to spot that trap, you should let them have it.

>>47024676
As a DM, I prefer to hide my rolls because I find it to be a great way to build tension. Same thing with not telling the players the dc for something or if they necessarily succeed.

>>47024676
Mine rolls in the open. We're playing Exalted 3e. He has god hands. It's horrifying.

My GM does checks for things behind the screen but damage out in the open because he just likes chucking handfuls of d6s across the table idk

Always Open
No Fudging
Final Destination

>>47024676
I roll combat in the open, because I've pledged to my players that I'm a) going to kill them and b) am not going to deviate from the adventure to do so. So when they squeeze by on the barest luck, I want that to mean something

I do roll behind screens for random encounters and stealth checks

>people who roll behind screens

>games that actually need to have rolld fudged

>>47024676

My usual M.O. is to do all rolls in the open unless the player shouldn't know there is something to roll for (Say, passive perception) or if it's not immediately clear whether they succeeded or not.

>>47025875
>you don't trust them to not metagame

This happens a lot, at least for me.

>>47025929
>Same thing with not telling the players the dc for something or if they necessarily succeed.
That's just called "playing the game", though.

>>47024676
I roll in the open.

The players should know that their choices have consequences. Sure, we can adjust things if we're looking for a more casual/narrative-based game, but you don't just throw away something valuable to you if you aren't ready to lose it. Think twice about getting into a fight, or at least me prepared to be serious about it.

Hiding dice is an artifact of OD&D and AD&D. Mind you, there was a good reason for hiding the dice in those games - and it had nothing to do with fudging - but it's mostly become irrelevant in the common systems today. There might be some where it is still relevant, but not that many.

>>47024676
I've started rolling in the open for to-hit and damage shit. It makes it a lot harder for me to go easy on my players, and let them actually get hit and take damage in combat.
Of course since I've started doing this the players have been extremely lucky, but I like that there is an actual threat of death for them right now.

>>47031828
>>47031828
>Hiding dice is an artifact of OD&D and AD&D. Mind you, there was a good reason for hiding the dice in those games - and it had nothing to do with fudging

What was that reason, pray tell?

>>47024676
I don't roll dice when I GM. I sometimes call target numbers, and use systems where damage is static or based on how badly the Player did on their defense roll.
The GM rolling dice slows down things a lot for little benefit. You can get tension and surprise by just being a good GM, without needing to rely on dice mechanics. When dice are rolled it should be some big event that everyone has their hearts in their mouths about. And obviously you want those moments to be focusing on the PCs, its their story after all.

>>47032265
>What was that reason
In my certainly-not-expert opinion, OD&D was intentionally highly modular and intentionally allowed players to swap out different sub-systems. The idea was, no doubt, for DMs to look around at various options and used the ones which worked best, either easiest or most sensible. If you're using an awkward mounted combat rules and find a better one, you can just swap out that sub-system and not have to worry about anything else.

AD&D was basically the same, except with an "official" version of what each sub-system should be.

The reason for hidden dice rolls is because OD&D/AD&D was easiest to just have the DM tell the players what to roll and when it succeeds. Players don't necessarily know which rules will be used when sitting at the table. Rather than spending valuable game time explaining every little sub-system as it comes up, the DM would just ask for a roll and interpret it as it comes up. That's the big reason why the dice were hidden: players don't know what the rolling means, and they don't start asking silly questions dragging down the game. Just trust the DM to know what they are doing.

Of course, with D&D3e and later, the theme has been keeping the players more informed of the rules. Players know what the rules will be beforehand, so there's no reason to be hiding the dice; the players can interpret the results as well as the DM. As such, that component of hidden rolls isn't needed anymore.


I suppose there is still a reason for hidden rolls: when you don't want the player to know if they've passed or failed. Stealth and perception checks, for example. But those can be tricky to deal with just because they require rolls, and I've seen solutions like pre-rolled sheets which deal with the problem as well.