For me it depends a lot on the game. Games that I feel are more story-driven (Mage, for me) benefit from more secret rolls to keep things feeling both more unknown and more realistic. In more combat-oriented games (not to be stereotypical, but for me this is usually D&D) I like more rolls out in the open specifically so that ST's can't fudge the results. In tactics-oriented games like that the thrill and tension comes from knowing that even if the ST wants you to win through, if you mess up only lucky dice can help you.
In general though, I prefer secret rolls. I've been doing a lot of gaming over Skype these days and to simplify things I just have copies of all the character sheets and roll pretty much everything. And generally the degree to which I let a player know how well they did is dependent on how many dots they have. A master hacker might screw up now and then, but they'll at least know it. Not only will an amateur not be as good at things, but they also won't have as good a sense as to how well things are working out.
The aspect of secret rolls that I have the hardest time with is false-positives, especially with things like suspecting people of lying. Generally, if you suspect someone then the ST rolls Sense Motive or whatever. If the NPC is lying and you beat them then you learn about it. If they're lying and you fail then you're not sure. If they're telling the truth and you succeed then you're sure about it. But most systems don't have a good way for people to see something that isn't there, when in reality that happens all the time. It's a conundrum.
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Date: 2008-03-05 03:07 am (UTC)In general though, I prefer secret rolls. I've been doing a lot of gaming over Skype these days and to simplify things I just have copies of all the character sheets and roll pretty much everything. And generally the degree to which I let a player know how well they did is dependent on how many dots they have. A master hacker might screw up now and then, but they'll at least know it. Not only will an amateur not be as good at things, but they also won't have as good a sense as to how well things are working out.
The aspect of secret rolls that I have the hardest time with is false-positives, especially with things like suspecting people of lying. Generally, if you suspect someone then the ST rolls Sense Motive or whatever. If the NPC is lying and you beat them then you learn about it. If they're lying and you fail then you're not sure. If they're telling the truth and you succeed then you're sure about it. But most systems don't have a good way for people to see something that isn't there, when in reality that happens all the time. It's a conundrum.