Want to sim it up?
Here.
The Game of Ultimate Sim
First, everyone, get excited about something. Everyone (everyone playing, that is), want to be there. Everyone, want to make some plot that’s faithful to what you think it’d be like to be there.
Okay. We’re ready.
Appoint one person the Referee. That person doesn’t advocate for any particular character or side or anything. He is the interpreter of the setting, and he knows what’s up in whatever situation you’re in. He knows what all other characters are thinking. He knows or makes it up, and that’s the truth then. You do that but only for your own character.
When you say something out of line with the setting, the Referee can overrule you. If you don’t like his rulings, say so and discuss why you think it would completely make sense for this setting. If there’s honest disagreement, if there’s genuine uncertainty, then we engage in the randomization mechanics. If you’re disagreeing all the time, stop playing and get on the same page. If you can’t get on the same page, stop playing and do something else that’s fun.
In the meantime, though, players: just say things. Say what your characters do. Don’t ask for permission. Don’t say “Can I open the door? Is it locked?” Just say “I open the door and step inside. I’m careful like always for traps.”
Boldly assert what is consonant with the fiction.
“I shoot the robot’s face off.”
“I tell her I love her.”
“I study so hard that night. You wouldn’t believe it. And, the next morning, I walk into class, and, bam! A+++.”
That kind of stuff. Bold assertion. But note: only bold assertion that is faithful to the setting that you’re imagining with everyone else.
Based on the fiction all of y’all are imagining, the Ref might say “Okay.” He doesn’t need to say anything. Your narration implicitly stands. However, he might say “No. You don’t know how to read, remember?” Or he might say, “Well, Karlathians are prejudiced against Hutubians, and, while I’m sure you did a great job, I think the teacher might be too hard on you, but I’m not sure. Let’s roll for it.”
That’s the key. When the Ref is unsure, roll for it. Just roll a die, each of you, the same size. In other words, each of you roll 1d6, one normal die. Or each of you flip a coin. Or draw a card. Or something. The best result wins. It doesn’t matter what best means. Probability doesn’t really matter. If we knew what would happen, we wouldn’t need probability. If you think something is really, really (un)likely, maybe use twice the randomization resources as your opponent: 2d vs 1d, for example.
Lastly, come up with some desired behaviors, some kinds of things you want to see happen in the fiction. Awesome strategy? Give the strategist player a Reward, some kind of token. Great wordplay, same thing. Whatever behavior you collectively like and want to encourage, give rewards in tokens. And tokens, on a 1:1 basis, grant another randomization resource: another die, another card draw, etc. You can use it at any time, before the randomization happens.
That’s it. If you get it, you get it.