Make Every Roll Count (MERC) by Ben Finney is a set of gaming guidelines for placing story first and making the most of gamers’ time at the table. More narrowly,Β it homes in on a key question at the heart of all RPGs: When should the dice be used at all, and toward what end?Β The answer involves a change from the too-commonΒ focus on resolvingΒ tasks, to a focus on resolving players’Β intent.
While MERCΒ includes specific guidelines for use with GURPS, it’sΒ applicable to RPGs in general. I think it offers good advice to GMs both new and experienced, and am pleased to see it here at the Diner. What do you think?