(Short) Backgrounds not Player skills or Character Abilities.

I've been running several DCC funnels in small RPG cons/meetings that happen in my city every two months. And it has been a blast! It's a really great tool for this kind of event. It works super well for beginners and players who have played funnels before or are TTRPG veterans.

I always find myself thinking about why it's always so much fun for everyone, a minimal game with mostly rules for precarious combat that easily leads to the death of the PC, but in which most deaths (in my games usually) occur due to bad choices by the players. Players in all levels of experience with the game are "educated" with PC's deaths, they become more cautious at making decisions throughout the game session and to negotiate those decisions. In DCC funnel a good justification for achieving something beyond trivial for 0 level characters lands in the occupations!

The system even supports an ability roll, with mods and a target number. But this is reduced to a meager chance, and very improbable success. A short talk at the beginning of the session and throughout the mortal "education", encourages players to avoid rolls and justify their decisions, actions through occupation and the small background that emerges in game. 

It's simple, a good justification based on PC occupation (background): no need to roll.

My last little game, MiniBX, doesn't even have the raw for skills or abilities rolls. And that made me think that I should elaborate an occupation generator for the PCs before they become adventurers. This in the book is implied to occur more freely than following a generator. Although I understand that it can be difficult or confusing to come up with during the game.

Many games like 5e have background rules that even affect skills, but are never explored narratively or in a descriptive conversation. Even because it's often simpler to roll, because the chances of success are more likely, than having to justify the PC action to avoid the roll or get some kind of roll advantage.

In general, OSR systems with even higher lvls PCs have very difficult ability rolls, or some (like in my game case) extinguish these rolls. 

I think most readers are familiar with Matthew J. Finch's QP (quick primer for old school gaming), it has the famous topic: "Player Skills not character abilities' '. What I personally understood from this topic is that the player's own skills can narratively avoid a roll or confer some advantage to the PC (I know I'm summarizing a lot and being very laconic). What I'm proposing is really a mindset shift, where these unlikely rolls or even the PC's own death can be avoided with a narrative conversation/bargain between the GM and the player based on the PC's background/occupation.

Thanks for reading this far! 

Lucas Rolim.