There’s a very peculiar dice behavior in BLOC MASS that was never thought over, and seems to have nothing to do with the intention of how Channeling works. However, spellcasting is a super dangerous thing to do, and players are usually cautious of that.

“When you cast a Spell, roll as many dice as your Channel, and choose the highest. If it’s higher than your Channel, choose: either the Spell works, but with a malicious side effect, or the Spell fails, but you reveal a CUT at the cost of marking +1 Channel. If it’s not higher, the Spell works as intended.” 

The idea is simpler than you might think. An inexperienced Channeler knows almost nothing of what they are facing. However, as you gain some power, you get dreadfully close to being dragged into the Beyond. Your starting Channel level is between 1–3. 

“With 1 Channel, you are tempted, drawn to forbidden knowledge. You don’t understand much, but the fiend’s influence is beginning to take hold. With 2 Channel, you are bound to the Beyond, by choice or circumstance. The connection is undeniable, and you feel effects more strongly, with you having a bonding experience. With 3 Channel, you have crossed a line. The fiend’s influence is an inescapable part of your existence, and your soul is tainted by its corruption.”

This game is based on the system of Cthulhu Dark, and I wanted to make it even more hazardous. It’s inspired by the Táltos, a figure in Hungarian mythology, and the practice of “Viaskodás” in which the Táltos risks their very life to fight back the dark forces. Spellcasting is akin to self sacrifice like Father Lankester Merrin's in The Exorcist. It’s a classic trope, and this mechanic, even though not being aware of the exact math behind it, wants to emulate that.

Now, up until recently, I was oblivious to the math of this mechanic. “Boom” pointed the quirk out on our Discord server.

The statement is “on any number of dice, the highest result shouldn't be higher than the number of dice.” 

My math skills are limited, but it works like this on 2 dice: 33% chance on 1st x 33% chance on 2nd = 11%.

It produces one of the most unusual sequences you've ever seen in a tabletop game ever.

• It starts at 1/6 (~16.7%) for 1 Channel...
• Then goes DOWN to 1/9 (~11.1%) at 2 Channel...
• Then back UP to 1/8 (12.5%) at 3 Channel.
• It climbs up a little to 16/81 (~19.8%) for 4 Channel, finally overtaking 1...
• Then suddenly spikes to 3125/7776 (~40.2%) at the maximum 5 Channel.

The top makes decent sense: you're at the point where one wrong move has you break under demonic forces, but since those forces are at their strongest, they're also the most likely to work if successfully channeled.

But 1... why does 1 Channel get the best odds of success at the start? Why is 2 and 3 lower, narratively. It's a weird quirk in the system, and it seems math is set to make a statement about the inexperienced Channelers.

At 1 Channel, your gift of the Beyond is primal. You don't "wield” the power, you’re being exposed to it. And that makes you quite effective ... until you start to grasp what this is really about.

So I added this little quote to the book.

“First time you hear that voice ... 
like dream that loves you. 
Second time, you speak back ... 
and bastard turns away.”
Janta Mesvak, exiled Channeler;
recorded CIA debrief in April 1975

And yes, this game is the absolute opposite of playing to win. In about half of our playtest sessions, self-sacrifice played a massive part. BLOC MASS is not for the faint hearted. It’s playing to lose, passionately.