The way I play or GM is giving the players the benefit of the doubt when the situation calls for it, and more so for role play opportunity. I don't use critical successes, hits, misses or failures. I'm a big proponent of impartiality, and in V&V that can be very difficult to achieve.

Lethality or difficulty is a side effect of experience level; I consider the cause and/or skill of the manufacturer of the circumstance. If a 15th level chemist makes a deadly poison gas to the best of his knowledge, his toxin is likely more lethal than a 2nd Level chemist. When presenting that to the players, they always have a chance to succeed or fail based on their score, but the scale is based on the real points they have accumulated in that score. If there is a modifier to the difficulty/lethality, it is applied prior to the calculation and I always do saves as percentages. As they level up, they might acquire more points in a given score.

At my table, it is nice that there are other results to gaining a higher score, like HPs, move, Power, etc., but those are separate from the issue, not acceptable advantages to overlook what the player has earned and added to their sheet to make a difference in the outcome. To be clear, it's not just saves, it's any non-power skill/feat/task/insert-what-you-call-it-here rolls.

Although I love RPGs, I acknowledge that dice are important, not the last word, but means to some ends. So I certainly take care to not make it a game of 'dice', but it is a game and significantly a game that uses and relies on die rolls. There are some common things that go with rules, mechanics, etc., that make sense. One is a single die roll for a single task and then role play the result.

FWIW, This isn't a dig on anybody, but something to clear up the perception of my view.

I have some water to drink, thank you for the well wishing.

I am back to contributing to FGU for the V&V line - although on a rather limited basis. I currently have one adventure out for art, and nothing else planned.

Since I am once again working for FGU, I will no longer be posting in 'House of Ideas', or reading posts in this area of the forum, except for THIS ONE. I figure I made the thing, I ought to be able to look at it...