Loot and luck
Learning paths through this topic
Loot Table
Random rewards with chances you control, so most drops are common, some are rare, and the odds are exact and easy to change.
Real loot odds
Works out the real odds of a loot table that includes a bad-luck counter, exactly and without any random sampling. A counter means the chance you show is not the real one, and this tells you the real one, how many rolls players need and the most anyone can ever need.
Weighted random
Picks from a list where some things are more likely than others, such as common gold and a rare crown. It also has a counter that protects players from long runs of bad luck.
Seeded random
Random numbers you can repeat: the same starting number gives the same results on every machine, forever. That is what daily challenges, shareable worlds and replays are built on.
Item Rarity
Rare items give the player something to hope for, and a clear ladder of tiers lets them see at a glance how good a drop is and what it is worth.
Set Bonuses
A set gives the player a reason to collect and plan. Chasing the last piece, or choosing between a set and a single stronger item, makes gear a real decision.
Bad Luck Protection
A pure chance can hand some players a hundred misses in a row while others win at once. A rising chance and a certain last try give every player a fair worst case, and the rare prize still feels like luck.
Drop ammunition for the guns the player carries, not for the ones they do not
Finding arrows when you carry only a pistol is a wasted find, and finding a hundred of the right kind when you already have plenty is just noise. Ammunition should show up when it is needed, in an amount that tops up the stock instead of burying it. A small rule decides what and how much.
Let an appraiser name a price range that gets narrower with skill
A trader who guesses what a find is worth makes bargains feel risky, which is fun. But if the guess is new every time you ask, you just ask until it is high, and a guess that can exclude the true value is simply a lie. This entry keeps the guess steady and honest.
Let players say what to pick up automatically and what to leave on the floor
In a game with endless drops, picking up everything fills the bag with rubbish and picking up nothing is tiresome. Rules the player writes solve it, until two rules disagree or a rule leaves the one item the story needs lying there. This entry settles the order and the exceptions.
Stop a bag from being put inside itself, or into a bag it holds
Bags that hold bags are a lovely way to organise a hoard, until someone puts one into another that is already inside it. Both vanish from the world, still counted, still heavy. This entry stops that move before it happens and tells the player why, and also keeps nesting from running away.
Give a harvest skill a chance of extra drops that stays bounded
A skill that gives extra items is a satisfying upgrade, but doubling every yield on a chance can make rare resources pour out, and adding a flat number removes the excitement. A small set of odds that grows with the level and has a hard top keeps it fun and the economy in one piece.