Performing actions involves time, gear, and skill.

Generally, if you have none or one of the three, a task is impossible.
If you have all three, you do not need to roll – it just succeeds.
If you only have two, the task might involve a Save, with time or your gear being at stake if you fail.
Environmental factors/opportunities might act as a substitute for gear or skill.

Example: Lockpicking
Lockpicking a door requires no roll if you are skilled at lockpicking, are not in a hurry and have lockpicking tools available.

Lockpicking a door might require a DEX Save if you’re in a hurry yet have the skills and tools, with the risk being not finishing the task in time. It could also involve a WIL Save if you have time and skill, yet no tools, with you trying to improvise your tools.

Lockpicking a door is impossible with only one of the three:

You could stare at a lock all day with all the time in the world, but without gear and skill, nothing is going to happen.
You could be a skilled lockpicker, but in a hurry and without tools, there’s not much you can do.
You might have lockpick tools, but without the time to figure out how to use them, there’s no way you’ll manage it without skill.

• 💡 Characters in OSR games earn originality through surviving and being successful.
• 💡 OSR games focus on discovery through interaction and investigation rather than relying on dice rolls for spotting traps or enemies.
• 💡 Social skills and checks are generally not used in OSR games, encouraging player investigation and figuring out how their characters interact with the world.
• 💡 Game masters in OSR games are expected to act as neutral arbiters, using mechanics like reaction rolls and morale checks to maintain neutrality.
• 💡 Combat in OSR games should be avoided or fought unfairly, and it is considered a fail state. Players are encouraged to find alternative solutions to obstacles.
• 💡 OSR mechanics include roll-under attribute checks, X-in-6 chances, reaction rolls, and morale checks.
• 💡 Cairn is an OSR game with frequently asked questions regarding HP (hit protection), critical damage, armor benefits, scars, and differences between NPCs and PCs.
• 💡 In Cairn, there are saves instead of ability or skill checks, and the focus is on teamwork, planning, caution, and critical thinking to overcome obstacles. Difficulty is not a factor in determining odds of success.

Good discussion on why adv/disadv not in the dice--it's in the impact of the decisions.

Say player wants to climb a steep wall to get to the top.

He can climb by hand. If he fails, he falls to his death.

He can climb using a grappling hook and rope. If he fails, he gets jarred by a brief slip and loses a bit of gear but is able to continue the climb to the top.

The consequences of his approach, the decision he made, impact the outcome, which amounts to gaining and advantage from using the grappling hook.

Mechanics are the same/similar but the consequences might be much better (adv) or worse (disadv) based on how smart or dumb you approach the obstacle. So a fail on a hand climb, you may fall to your death; a fail on a grappling hook climb may be you slip a few feet, jarring your pack and losing an item. Your approach matters, the fiction matters, the consequences of failure should be the difference and reflect how well or poorly you approached the problem.

Distillation Method
Replace multiple rolls with one roll
Replace rolls with interesting decisions
Replace modifiers with dice variation
Replace mechanical effects with diegetic effects

Amazing discussion of Gal's history, passion, and opinions about TTRPG and game design. What a fascinating man.