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= The 'role' in 'roleplaying' =
As in all other tabletop RPGs, there are two types of people involved in playing MazeWorld: '''Players''' and '''Game Masters''' (or GMs).
The role of players is to make things happen by using the setpieces, Non-Player Characters (NPCs) and circumstances placed and crafted by the Game Master. The GM prepares a story, and the players, through their characters' speech and actions, play through that story, just like how actors playing their characters make things happen in a movie or a TV show. However, the difference between a movie and the events of a RPG, are that players retain control of their characters and are the ones to make things happen. Sometimes, according to the GM's plans, and sometimes, despite them.
In particular, the '''2d6''' is important in MazeWorld, as it is the most commonly used dice for resolving attacks. For example, in a gunfight, ''every shot'' is tied to a 2d6, the result of each is checked against various circumstances in order to determine which bullets hit, and which miss. (the shooter's personal accuracy level, skill level, point of aim, and other modifiers - all of which will be explained later, so don't feel intimidated!)
Every time the dice are rolled, the results are checked against thresholds in order to determine success or failure. In MazeWorld, unless the conditions for success or failure of a specific action are clearly detailed otherwise, '''rolling higher is better''', and you must roll '''higher''' than a certain '''threshold for failure''' in order to succeed. For example, the '''Failure Threshold (FT) ''' is a statistic governing combat accuracy; it is a number that must be beaten by a dice roll in order for an attack to to be successful and turn into a hit landing onto a target. It essentially determines accuracy and chance to hit a target. The lower you your FT is, the more chances you have to hit the target.
* Example: John's Failure Threshold is 7, meaning that all other factors being equal, he must roll 8 or higher in order for his punch to land into the stomach of his opponent.
Plenty of things can modify these thresholds (and in turn, one's chances of success), but they are generally grouped into three categories: '''Permanent effects''', which fully and completely lower a particular character's thresholds for certain actions, '''Temporary Secondary effects''', which are usually limited in time or tied to a specific condition, but is otherwise not permanent, and '''Situational effects''', which are dependent on specific actions.
* Example of a permanent effect: John has '''Master skill level''' in Automatic Rifles, allowing him to shoot burst- and full-auto capable rifles with such ease that he is more accurate than most. He therefore benefits from a permanent '''FT-1''' effect when shooting this kind of weapon.
* Example of a temporary secondary effect: When John is under the influence of a specific substance, such as [[Diazepam]], he benefits from a temporary boost to his Failure Threshold, making him more accurate with every single type of weapon or attack, until the effects of the substance dissipate.
* Example of a situational effect: When John is fighting an armed henchman who happens to be wearing body armor, he can choose whether to hit him in the torso, and risk having to waste more bullets than usual to put him down, or to try and go for the head, which would impart a malus ('''FT+1'''); the head is smaller and harder to hit. But a successful hit could eliminate the henchman more quickly.
Sometimes, the dice produce outstanding results that are known as '''criticals'''. There are two kinds: '''critical successes''' and '''critical failures'''. Whether or not criticals are possible, and the conditions for triggering them, depend on the circumstances, but most of the time, you will see criticals occur during combat. As stated earlier, the 2d6 is the roll to make to resolve an attack. A critical failure happens on the lowest possible result, a '''2''', and a critical success occurs on the highest possible result, a '''12'''. As a result, veteran MzW players learned to fear the two and bless the twelve, so to speak.
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[[Category:Getting started]]
