Dice

[ravenflight]

I'm sure I'm just a spoil sport/whinger/wet blanket (etc etc) but I find the new culture of using fancy dice annoying. The '6 or 1 is marked by this fancy logo' or 'my dice are chinese characters' etc pisses me off.

What's wrong with dice marked with dots, or a 1-6? Is there a big deal? Why frustrate your opponent by using a dice that they can't recognise easily?

Makes me feel like using dice that have no markings on them... and only I can see the result.

Dismount soap box.

[timmy1]

For what it is worth I am with you.

I make a point of only using dice that can be clearly read by me and my opponent, mainly because it speeds up the game. With one exception (that I only use if I have a dozen or more combats) all my dice are white pips on a plan colour or black pips on white or bold yellow, or numbers in a primary colour on white. The exception is white or gold on mainly blue dice and I think I have only used them twice.

[ravenflight]

Timmy,

I have 3 different dice:
Blue with white dots
White with black dots
Red with white dots

Very French of me

[timmy1]

Appropriate, just so long as you don't have pale blue dice with gold fleur-de-lys spots...

[ravenflight]

Appropriate, just so long as you don't have pale blue dice with gold fleur-de-lys spots...

Where can I buy these:

http://www.dicecollector.com/MINT26_CHE ... LIS_01.jpg

[urbanbunny1]

I'm with you as well


Its hard to determine what is a six or a one, especially on a critical roll

What's wrong with using classic D6?

[quackstheking]

Sorry - in this debate I'm a heretic! It's always a 6 ( unless you've borrowed my dice for a death roll when it's a 1!).

As long as the die is defined before rolling Or at the start of the game, I don't see the problem - it's still a D6 with a symbol not a number - no big deal!

Don

[timmy1]

Don

In my experience it slows down the game but maybe I am just a slow player.

[ravenflight]

Don

In my experience it slows down the game but maybe I am just a slow player.

To me it's not a case of slowing down the game (although it may do) it's a case of adding something for your opponent to think about that he shouldn't have to think about. When I look over at the 12 dice my opponent has rolled and see a bunch of symbols (especially the flames of war dice where a star is a 6 (I think - not sure) but because it's one dot looks to my mind like a 1) I get frustrated and have to 'work out' the result.

I remember my first CanCon playing FoG after many years of playing dBM... I was amazed at how refreshed I felt. How I didn't have to do a mental calculation for every freaking dice roll... it was such a pleasure... using these 'special dice' (to me) takes away that pleasure because I'm going back to having to mentally calculate every freaking dice roll.

*rant over... until next time*

[urbanbunny1]

and for this weeks rant.....

its safe, repeat after me, "Hi, I'm a wargamer and I hate....."

[timmy1]

Are we only allowed one rant a week...?

That is going to be very restrictive...

[grahambriggs]

I don't really care what they're marked with as long as I'm told.

a pet hate though is the rare player that will bring out special dice for important rolls like killing generals. "oh no, I only use those dice for really important rolls". Yeah right.

[spotteddog]

I think you just go with the flow. ive seen guys roll incredibly good dice who i trust 110% and ive seen mine go from great to crap and back again. anyone any good on chaos theory? i read somewhere that its possible for dice have a wee bit of bias and roll well - then after a while folk think they're "lucky". i suppose thats possible but my gut and experience hint that there isnt really a problem to be fixed.

[Maniakes]

I think you just go with the flow. ive seen guys roll incredibly good dice who i trust 110% and ive seen mine go from great to crap and back again. anyone any good on chaos theory? i read somewhere that its possible for dice have a wee bit of bias and roll well - then after a while folk think they're "lucky". i suppose thats possible but my gut and experience hint that there isnt really a problem to be fixed.

It's so easy to make mistakes about POAs though. My commonest mistake is to count 4s as hits when I'm only hitting on 5s (a naturally optimistic disposition, I guess). So I try to have the habit of putting the dice I think are hits behind my unit. That way my opponent can check them. Two sets of eyes are better than one! One of my oponents commonest mistakes, I think, is to forget when their units are superior - I think I quite often remind people "don't forget to re-roll your 1s". So it works both ways - and it is easier for everyone to take part if dice are clearly readable from a distance.

Having said that I would also be really suspicious of someone who kept a "special" set of dice for critical rolls - don't think I've ever seen it though.

[rbodleyscott]

I prefer normal dice without symbols on the 6 or the 1, but I can live with symbols.

I am not very happy for my opponent to have some dice with symbols on the 1 and some with symbols on the 6!

Also confusing are Burton and District Wargames Club dice with "BAD" on the 6. You would think that would be the 1.

Conversely, the old Society of Ancients dice had the SOA logo on the 1. So every time you rolled crap dice you were reminded of the SOA. Great advert.. not.

[TamsinP]

I prefer normal dice without symbols on the 6 or the 1, but I can live with symbols.

Also confusing are Burton and District Wargames Club dice with "BAD" on the 6. You would think that would be the 1.

Conversely, the old Society of Ancients dice had the SOA logo on the 1. So every time you rolled crap dice you were reminded of the SOA. Great advert.. not.

Well, that does depend somewhat on the rules in use as in some you are required to roll the number or below for success.

I do have a couple of dice with the "1" replaced with a symbol, but I only use those during the pre-battle phase (making clear that the symbol is a !) - during the battle itself I use ordinary pip dice.

[rbodleyscott]

I do have a couple of dice with the "1" replaced with a symbol, but I only use those during the pre-battle phase (making clear that the symbol is a !)

Which illustrates the problem rather neatly.

[marty]

I also have a theory/belief that whatever the symbol is it tends to come up more often than it should.

Probably all in my mind though.

Martin

[Vespasian28]

So I try to have the habit of putting the dice I think are hits behind my unit. That way my opponent can check them. Two sets of eyes are better than one! One of my oponents commonest mistakes, I think, is to forget when their units are superior - I think I quite often remind people "don't forget to re-roll your 1s". So it works both ways - and it is easier for everyone to take part if dice are clearly readable from a distance.

Which is why I prefer for the phasing player to roll first, check, then the other player rolls. Two pairs of eyes definitely helps.

[quackstheking]

I'm with Vespasian on this - I once excitedly thought I had 2 hits when my opponent pointed out that I didn't hit on a 3 - I had thought it was a 5!! Embarrassing!



Don