---
key: mechanic/roguelike--family-28
type: mechanic
id: roguelike--family-28
lang: en
title: Randomness control
summary: >-
  Players manage uncertainty through offer selection, rerolls, filtering and
  control over future outcomes.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/roguelike--family-28/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/roguelike--family-28.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/roguelike--family-28.md
aliases: []
tags:
  - Roguelikes and roguelites
  - Mechanics catalog
sourceIds:
  - source-10b015ff3d1d4888
sources:
  - id: source-10b015ff3d1d4888
    title: Balatro
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: roguelike
    id: family-28
    title: Roguelikes and roguelites
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/roguelike/#family-28'
    categoryIds:
      - section-1
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Randomness control
    description: >-
      Players manage uncertainty through offer selection, rerolls, filtering and
      control over future outcomes.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/systems-balatro-08.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      game: Balatro
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/2379780/ss_ddee13031ad8ba66ac7806a46f6e5519d32e767d.1920x1080.jpg?t=1790693638
      credit: LocalThunk / Playstack
      rights: © LocalThunk / Playstack. All rights reserved.
      caption: Choosing a planet card from a random pack
      alt: Choosing a planet card from a random pack
      markers:
        - x: 52
          'y': 61
          label: Choose a useful upgrade from the three offers
    tips:
      - Distinguish changing probabilities from choosing among revealed options.
    examples:
      - title: Balatro
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on
  2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are
  preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire
  classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and
  editorial review.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/roguelike
---
# Randomness control

id: roguelike--family-28
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/roguelike--family-28
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/roguelike--family-28/

Players manage uncertainty through offer selection, rerolls, filtering and control over future outcomes.

## At a glance

![Choosing a planet card from a random pack](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/systems-balatro-08.webp)

[Balatro](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/) · © LocalThunk / Playstack. All rights reserved.

1. Choose a useful upgrade from the three offers

- Distinguish changing probabilities from choosing among revealed options.

- [Balatro](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/)

## How it works

The player is given ways to change the distribution of outcomes, offers, and the degree of uncertainty.

## Variants

### Variants and applications

<a id="family-28-variants"></a>

- Transfer of proposed improvements <a id="variant-roguelike-28-01"></a>
- Changing reward type <a id="variant-roguelike-28-02"></a>
- Excluding items from future offers <a id="variant-roguelike-28-03"></a>
- Increasing the likelihood of the desired category <a id="variant-roguelike-28-04"></a>
- Guaranteed reward after fulfilling the condition <a id="variant-roguelike-28-05"></a>
- Choose between several random results <a id="variant-roguelike-28-06"></a>
- Preview your results before spending <a id="variant-roguelike-28-07"></a>
- Changing Luck and Probabilities <a id="variant-roguelike-28-08"></a>
- Cumulative guarantee after a series of failures <a id="variant-roguelike-28-09"></a>
- Trading quantity of options for quality <a id="variant-roguelike-28-10"></a>
- Limited Supply of Randomness Control Tokens <a id="variant-roguelike-28-11"></a>
- Fixing part of a sentence and updating the rest <a id="variant-roguelike-28-12"></a>

## Context and limits

A wide author's map of classic turn-based roguelikes, modern roguelites and hybrids. Families describe options for organizing a run, and not mandatory features of the genre. Constant metaprogression is not found in all roguelikes. Related systems can be combined; the list is not a closed standard.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.

- [Balatro](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/) (id: source-10b015ff3d1d4888)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors