First, some terminology.
Open rolls are what we already call them. Someone makes a roll and the result is announced.
Veiled rolls are rolled, but not announced. However, anybody who wishes to do so could choose to inspect the roll.This is very easy to implement over Discord - just dedicate a channel to it, and maybe sblock the results - but can also be done in analog games.
Secret rolls are not announced and cannot be inspected. This is the classic "roll behind the GM's screen." However, everyone else knows that a roll of some kind is being made. This allows for the tacky possibility of the faux roll, where the GM conspicuously makes a mysterious roll that does nothing.
Personal rolls are made without anyone knowing they are rolled. Rolls made on random tables on prep for inspiration are a classic example.
Generalizing this to the broader class of procedures is left as an exercise for the reader.
In praise of the veiled roll
A lot of GMing discussions center around the choice between open and secret rolls made by the referee. Even amongst OSR discussions, you have a pretty wide spectrum between "players make all rolls" and "the players shouldn't even know the rules." The former clearly signals that you're not engaging in railroading or illusionism; the latter allows them not pay attention to rules.
These are, I think, competing tradeoffs to the same end. If we're engaged in a style of play that asks players to "play the world" and use diegetic reasoning, then "if this were a real situation this, but the rules say that" or "if this were a real situation this, but my GM would want to force that" are obstacles.
What the veiled roll does is both of these:
- If players want to immerse themselves, they can just not look!
- If players want to peek behind the curtain, they can!
But best of all, they can just not look, knowing that the threat of peeping is there to keep you honest. Both sides are satisfied.
How I roll
Here's my current philosophy, going forward.
If the result is something the characters would know, have the players roll it in the open. E.g., "she attacks you for 1d6 damage."
If the characters wouldn't know the results, but you're following a procedure - "does the wizard's magical alarm system alert him of your presence?" - make it veiled. E.g., truth level 2 in blorb philosophy.
Truth level 1 in blorb - the stuff you're artisinally hand-crafting and maybe use a table for inspo - is personal. If you'd reject a roll, it's private. Corresponds to truth level 1 in blorb.
