On the reduction of dice in gaming:
I’ve had a growing problem with my beloved RPGs as of late…where are all the dice going?!!! So many games now replace die rolling with drawing cards, to the point when I yearn for the opportunity to roll a plain ol’ D6. When I first started gaming with the Gauntlet (via the now extinct “Heights of Gaming”) I never forgot my bag of favorite dice: glittery, prismatic, marbled, smoky….every time I spilled them onto the table in preparation for Dungeon World I took a moment to enjoy their colors and unique traits, carefully choosing the dice lucky enough to be used that night. Even though my poor D20s never got any love, the others at least had a chance of getting some play depending on which playbook you were using. Over the years, we’ve played so many wonderful games and they all have great qualities, but fewer and fewer involve dice. I stopped bringing my dice bag. I wondered from time to time as I indulged in getting a new polyhedral set why I even bothered, as they never got used. And then I heard Dan talking about re-working Danger Mountain and losing the die rolls and my heart cried out, “No Dan…don’t do it…don’t give up on the dice!!!” (my heart is very dramatic sometimes). I know I’m not the only collector out there…I’m looking at you Brandon and Scott. I’ve read the articles regarding the statistical problems with die rolling, the ease of card use, the added benefit of suits for ranking/tie-braking purposes. Guess what? I don’t care about any of that. I don’t care if the statistics aren’t perfect, It’s a game not math; I don’t care about ease of use, is dice rolling really that hard?; and tie-breaking? It’s called a re-roll! Fellow gauntleteers, am I alone in my love affair with dice and my melancholy at their diminishing usage?
I for one find lots of use for my dice. I still play the P-game-that-should-not-be-named a lot, Mutants and Masterminds, Shadowrun and the occasional D20 system. Heck, most of the board games I favor rely in some part on dice, although many also have card mechanics as well. There isn’t a sensation quite like nailing a crit or blowing a critical miss and dice deliver. So ultimately, I feel there will always be a place for dice, you just need to know where to look.
I for one find lots of use for my dice. I still play the P-game-that-should-not-be-named a lot, Mutants and Masterminds, Shadowrun and the occasional D20 system. Heck, most of the board games I favor rely in some part on dice, although many also have card mechanics as well. There isn’t a sensation quite like nailing a crit or blowing a critical miss and dice deliver. So ultimately, I feel there will always be a place for dice, you just need to know where to look.
The only games I can think of that we play with any regularity that don’t use dice are The Final Girl and Archipelago. A lot of the time, though, the games we play call for dice in certain colors (e.g. Fiasco or In a Wicked Age) or a large number of one particular die type. In both cases, the person running the game usually has the necessary dice, therefore eliminating the need for the players to have their own.
I think I just view dice as a tool, like pencils or index cards.
The only games I can think of that we play with any regularity that don’t use dice are The Final Girl and Archipelago. A lot of the time, though, the games we play call for dice in certain colors (e.g. Fiasco or In a Wicked Age) or a large number of one particular die type. In both cases, the person running the game usually has the necessary dice, therefore eliminating the need for the players to have their own.
I think I just view dice as a tool, like pencils or index cards.
I also like dice over cards,except in final girl or a few games that actualy use poker hands, but what is a d6?d20?
I also like dice over cards,except in final girl or a few games that actualy use poker hands, but what is a d6?d20?
Of course, you can always go play M&M or Pathfinder, like Marcus Centurian suggests, but that seems like an awfully high price to pay just to roll your own dice.
Of course, you can always go play M&M or Pathfinder, like Marcus Centurian suggests, but that seems like an awfully high price to pay just to roll your own dice.
Also, I think I would just much rather give my gaming dollars to Kickstarters and independent game designers, rather than to Chessex. So, in that spirit, a single set of dice suits me fine.
Also, I think I would just much rather give my gaming dollars to Kickstarters and independent game designers, rather than to Chessex. So, in that spirit, a single set of dice suits me fine.
I like dice. I have lots of them sitting around unused lately. In the last year I’ve played 35 different rpgs. Out of those, I believe only six even use anything but d6s, and one of those just uses d10s for the purposes of tossing at a target. D20s rolled: zero.
I like dice. I have lots of them sitting around unused lately. In the last year I’ve played 35 different rpgs. Out of those, I believe only six even use anything but d6s, and one of those just uses d10s for the purposes of tossing at a target. D20s rolled: zero.
Steve Mains The irony of The Gauntlet logo has been mentioned by more than a few people.
Steve Mains The irony of The Gauntlet logo has been mentioned by more than a few people.