The basic dice mechanic in Deadlands is arguably the least impressive element of the design. Plagued by numerous problems, the best that can be said for it is the it works almost well enough.
There are four major issues.
First, each additional dice brings a smaller return when one does the math to extend the probabilities out. Thus a 10 dice gunman is only marginally better than a 6 dice one. And on top this, each additional dice costs more than the last in bounty points. The only real way to correct this problem is to completely replace the system's core mechanic, a step that some Deadlands players have actually made. Currently I'm passing on this specific problem as I don't think it's of prime importance in this genre considering the likely campaign length, although I may change my mind latter.
Second is the probability holes that occurs because of the Aces mechanic. Someone rolling D6s can never hit a TN of 6 because it jumps straight to a 7. An offshoot of this problem is the fact that some TN are easier to hit with lesser dice; a TN of 6 for example is easier to reach with a D4 than it is a D6
Example:
Shooter A (3d6) and Shooter B (3d8) are taking a shot at Target C at a range of 14 yards with their peacemakers (+1 Range). With no other modifiers, the TN is a 6. If however they wish to take a shot at Target D at a range of 24 yards(+2) and a TN of 7, Shooter A finds his chances of hitting completely unaltered while the more skilled Shooter B finds his reduced by 1/3.
Third is the fact that you increase your chance of going bust whenever you raise your skill to an odd numbered level meaning that more skill equal more fumbles half the time.
Fourth is the difficulty a player has in determining his actual chance of success. A common problem with any bell curve, this is made all but unmanageable by the use of varying numbers and types of dice. Fortunately there are cheat sheets available on the web that can be used to circumvent this problem at the cost of slowing things down. Again, there is no way to correct this without completely changing the game mechanic.
Of these issues I've decided to correct only the 2nd one. The rest can be lived with.
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When an Ace is rolled, rather than add the die type to the total, add one less than the die type. |
Example: The player rolls a one six out of 3d6. He keeps a five and rolls another D6 and adds it.
This change makes any TN higher than the die type more difficult to reach. Which actually suits me fine, but is a concern with dealing with published modules as it may make some things more difficult than intended.