Choosing difficulty numbers

[DarthOmega]

One more question for the GMs here that came up in my last game (for me at least) - most difficulties are given as the level of difficulty; Very Easy, Easy, Moderate, etc. How do you guys determine the actual number that the player has to meet with his roll? Do you choose the threshold number (6 for Easy, 11 for Moderate and so on) because that technically "meets" the difficulty asked for? The median number (8 for Easy, 13 for Moderate etc) because it is the average number between the two extremes? Or some other determination?

What I am looking for here are those numbers that are used as the quick answer during the heat of a game. Your "go to" number when looking at a difficulty level without any analysis or stopping the game to think as to what a good number would actually be, just a "Well the book says Difficult for this Force Power so it's always -this number-" sort of thing. If you were to make a chart with just the single number you tend to think of for each difficulty (no number ranges) what would those numbers be?
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[Lane Arroway]

My "go to" number is 12. How to decide the exact number? I tend to play it by ear. If they just need to hit the range then I let them pass. This works best for non-critical checks. If they roll on the higher end they may be more succesful or learn/recall more info. I use more specific numbers for specific tasks, such as bypassing a lock or disarming a bomb. Also, I pick a specific number for any roll where the amount they missed by counts, such as for movement rolls.

This is how I handle things. I don't really have a chart for you.
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[wildfire]

I tend to play it by ear based upon the situation and what I know of the players skill levels and how much of a challenge i want the task to to be. So no hard go to number just feelings.

If the player is skilled and the task is not a challenge a number on the low end of the difficulty.

If the player is unskilled and I want it to be a challenge the number tends to be on the upper end of the difficulty band.

Conversely if the player is skilled and I want them to sweat over the roll a little then a number on the upper end of the band.

Not what your looking for but I find with SWRPG D6 the best call is what feels right at the moment and just go with it.

[Lane Arroway]

wildfire wrote:

[DougRed4]

I couldn't give you a chart, either, as I pretty much go with 'feel' as well.

My intention at the start of my latest campaign was this: when the characters started out (the equivalent of "Level 1 heroes"), they only had to hit the lowest number in any range band. As they progressed (say, now the equivalent of Level 3 or 4), they then had to hit the second number in each band (so a 12 for Moderate, rather than 11).

That was how I did it for awhile, but recently I've tended to more 'play it by ear', and go with what feels right in the moment.
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[garhkal]

Depends on what i am going for.. Say a piloting roll where i want them to sweat, i set it at the upper end of that bracket.
Normally though i default to somewhere in the mid driff of that level, so 12/13 for moderates. 17/18 for difficult.
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[shootingwomprats]

I typically start in the middle and add or subtract modifiers based on conditions and roleplaying.

Very Easy: 3
Easy: 8
Moderate: 13
Difficulty: 18
Very Difficult 25
Heroic: 35

Modifiers are typically +1-3 but can be as high as +5 or +6. The reverse is also true as well, -1-3, -5 or -6. I try to keep things quick and fast and this seems to work best for my games.
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[garhkal]

Bigger q. If you are needing to 'roll' to assign a difficulty number for something that should be opposed, but don't have the NPC statted out, what skill value do you assign?

Like say someone is breaking into a bank's computer (or military installation), where they should have some IT guys who have set UP said security.. what would be a good value to assign to their computer use roll?

Or the guard who is watching those 'cameras' canvasing the grounds at a place they are breaking into.. what is their search (or sensors) skill value>?
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[shootingwomprats]

Those are all good examples. This again is something dependent on the adventure, what the characters are doing and of course their skill level. I uses this fast and loose system:

2D to 2D+2: Average
3D to 3D+2: Good
4D to 4D+2: Excellent
5D+: Really really good

Sometimes I will make the opposed skills rolls equal to the players skill and sometimes if I want to make it more difficult or exciting I will give the opposing character +1D or +2D.

Other things to take into consideration is how good a plan the players have come up with, is it heroic, does it make sense, how competent are the targets, do they have appropriate equipment, how far are they willing to go to do their jobs. Lots of little things.

You can also take into consideration some tangible things like lighting, weather, cover, etc when setting target numbers. I Do this as I stated earlier by adding a modifier to the base target number.

I am not suggesting I have the best method for coming up with target numbers, just what seems to work for my games. I like to run a fast paced game, so I do not spend a lot of time figuring out every minutae for a target number. I suppose if someone wanted to get super crunchy they could of course make a list of simple modifiers for certain things. Certainly wouldn't hurt to have such a list available.
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[DougRed4]

Yeah, I'm of the same opinion. Rather than factor in every little thing, I tend to go with a much quicker "off the cuff" decision based on the whole of factors I know about.

For those NPCs that I haven't statted out, I usually go with 3D for things they should be trained in and 2D for things they wouldn't likely be. So if I need to know what that unstatted NPCs Search is, or Perception, those are what I ballpark.

On the other hand, when somebody should be a specialist in something (like I need a Bargain for a merchant, or a Pickpocket for a thief), I might go as high as 5D or all the way to 7D (though something that high would be fairly rare).
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[garhkal]

That actually makes me wonder, when statting out NPCs, what sort of levels do you see them at..

From one of my modules of an imp base, i had stats for Engineers and their 'tower guards (i called them overwatch troops).

Engineers.
Stats: Dex 2d. dodge 4d, brawl parry 3d, Know 2d, bureaucracy 3d, scholar 4d, Mech 2d, communications 5d, sensors 5d, Per 2d, Str 2d, brawl 3d, Tech 2d, computer programming and repair 6d, droid programming 5d, droid repair 4d+2, demolitions 4d, repulsorlift repair 4d, walker repair 4d,
Character points 3. Force points 0. DSP 0. Move 10.
Equipment: Utility belt with tools, comlink, 1 med pack, flashlight, ID badge, uniform(s),

Over-watch troops. (Blaster base 5d+1, 5d dodge and 5d+2 search, increasing +2 on all three skills in brackets for what the PC's are to keep them somewhat of a challenge)
Stats: Dex 3d, grenade 3d+2, vehicle blaster 3d+2, Know 1d+1, survival 2d+1, Mech 1d+1, repulsorlift ops 2d+1, Per 2d, Str 3d+1, brawl 4d+1, Tech 1d
Character points 3. Force points 0. DSP 1. Move 10.
Equipment: Blaster rifle (5d), survival gear, uniform, utility belt with rations, flak vest and helmet (1d phys +2 energy, no Dex pen), head-strap comlink (can work with tongue to turn on/off).
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[Random_Axe]

Specifically to your question, My go-to difficulty is the threshold number. 6, 11, 16, etc. In essence, it's the number that is literally staring at me from my gamemaster screen.

But, with that being directly answered, a lot of time (which isn't about shooting at a target, for which I do have ranged difficulties set at the beginning) I don't even have a direct difficulty factor noted or firmly in mind, and I approach it as in, "well, give me a skill roll and let's see how you do" and will interpret the result based on that roll. For instance, if the Security roll is way beyond 16, then that difficult roll clearly tells me they succeeded well. If the PER roll is way below 10, I murk up the perception results appropriately.

[DougRed4]

This brings to mind another issue. Do you tell your players the number they need?

When they're shooting at a target (that isn't dodging), then they have an idea of what they need, based on range.

But many other uses of skills don't have things as clear cut. I don't (ordinarily) tell them "You need to roll a 17"). Rather, I let them roll, and will sometimes ask them if that's their total. It's up to them if they want to spend Character Points or not to get a better total. However, there are times where I'll let then know what they need. And in cases of defense (say, when they're dodging fire that just came at them) since the offense rolls first, they'll usually know the number they need to beat.
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[wildfire]

Depends if I want to build suspense or not, if not then I'll tell them what they need, also do this if I want to speed things along as they can roll and just tell me they pass or fail

When I want to build suspense for that all important roll I'll just say roll, it also means they have no idea if they need to throw in CP's or even whether to use a force point or not.

[DougRed4]

That sounds very similar to what I do, wildfire. It really comes down to the moment, and the amount of suspense or intrigue I am going for at a particular time.
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Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green