Why Go Diceless?
In tabletop RPGs, dice rolls are the great equalizer. They introduce uncertainty, randomness, and the thrill of the unknown. But in Durandal, a game about chivalry, myth, and high drama, I wanted the tension to come from player choices, not the luck of the dice.
My design philosophy was simple: knightly tales aren’t about randomness—they’re about conviction. A hero doesn’t swing a sword and hope for the best; they commit fully to their actions. A knight standing at the gates of an enemy fortress, weighing whether to fight, parley, or surrender, isn’t at the mercy of fate. They make a choice and live with the consequences.
That’s what Durandal is about: players stepping into the boots of legendary figures, making choices that define their stories.
How Player Choices Drive Dramatic Moments
Without dice to dictate success or failure, the game’s tension comes from strategic decision-making and narrative weight. Players have a pool of Effort, representing their energy, skill, and willpower. Every challenge forces them to spend effort, balancing short-term success with long-term survival.
Do you spend all your remaining strength to win a single decisive duel, knowing you’ll be left vulnerable afterward?
Do you hold back in fear of what’s to come, only to fall short in a critical moment?
This system creates real stakes in every scene. There’s no rolling to see if you “get lucky”—you either commit or conserve, and both choices have consequences.
How Durandal Differs from Traditional RPGs
Many RPGs rely on probability-driven gameplay, where dice decide whether you succeed. While this creates surprises, it also means players can sometimes fail at the worst moments due to bad rolls—killing the drama rather than enhancing it.
Durandal replaces that randomness with narrative tension:
- You always have control over your actions—but must weigh the cost.
- Success is never guaranteed—effort must be spent wisely.
- Defeat is not just mechanical, but dramatic—failing a challenge doesn’t mean rolling low; it means choosing where to stand your ground and where to yield.
It creates a tighter, more character-driven experience, where dramatic tension builds from player agency, not dice luck.
Lessons from Playtesting
In early playtests, I worried: would players miss rolling dice? The answer surprised me.
One session involved a knight, battered and exhausted, facing an enemy champion. The player had just enough effort left to make a final stand. The moment was electric—not because of a dice roll, but because everyone at the table knew:
If he committed everything, he might win—but at the cost of being too spent to escape.
If he held back, he would surely fall—but might survive to fight another day.
No random number could have made that moment more powerful. It was pure storytelling tension, driven by choice.
The Heart of Durandal
At its core, Durandal is about the weight of a knight’s choices. Every duel, every speech, every decision is a test of conviction. Without dice, players aren’t rolling their fates—they are forging their own legends.
If you want to experience a game where your will, strategy, and courage define your fate, not the luck of a roll, join us.
Se7en Sagas 
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