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Post by geoffrey on Jul 9, 2021 14:47:41 GMT -6
This is a congenial defense of the dice used by the Dungeon Crawl Classics rpg that aren't often used in other rpgs. I am talking about these dice: d3 d5 d7 d14 d16 d24 d30 Let's take them one at a time: d3: You are DMing 1974 D&D, and the PCs run into some kobolds, each of which has 1-3 hp. You need a d3 to roll their hit points. d5: You are DMing 1974 D&D, and the PCs run into some goblins, each of which has 1-5 hp. You need a d5 to roll their hit points. d7: You are DMing AD&D, and the PCs run into some goblins, each of which has 1-7 hp. You need a d7 to roll their hit points. d14: This might be the exception that proves the rule. Help me out, here! [EDIT: No, not an exception. We found a couple of examples below.] d16: You are DMing D&D + GREYHAWK, and you need to randomly determine a 2nd-level magic-user spell. You need a d16 to roll that spell. d24: You are DMing AD&D, and you need to randomly determine a 3rd-level magic-user spell. You need a d24 to roll that spell. d30: You are DMing AD&D, and you need to randomly determine a 1st-level magic-user spell. You need a d30 to roll that spell. In fact, Gary needed even MORE dice: He needed (when DMing D&D + GREYHAWK) a d11 to roll a random 1st-level magic-user spell, and he needed a d9 to roll a random 7th-level magic-user spell. Gary's only complaint would be that there aren't enough types of DCC dice! Yes, of course one can use Platonic dice to generate the above spreads by ignoring results, re-rolling results, dividing by 2 and dealing with decimals, using high-low dice, etc. But nothing is easier or more pleasant than rolling a single die with the correct number of sides and accepting the result on its face. So what's the problem with DCC using "unusual" (as though any dice besides 6-siders are usual!) dice? Gary's A/D&D needs them. "When playing A/D&D, I'll just use the work-arounds with the Platonic dice!" That's fine. We've all done it. And one can use those exact same work-arounds when playing DCC. ALL THE DICE, AND MORE BESIDES! WHERE IS MY 19-SIDED DIE?  |
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Post by stevemitchell on Jul 9, 2021 15:26:34 GMT -6
For occult reasons (followers of Aleister Crowley and Kenneth Grant will understand), we also need an 11-sided die and a 23-sided die. All spells, well, all CHAOTIC spells, should be cast using these dice.
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Post by talysman on Jul 9, 2021 17:40:00 GMT -6
d3: You are DMing 1974 D&D, and the PCs run into some kobolds, each of which has 1-3 hp. You need a d3 to roll their hit points. d5: You are DMing 1974 D&D, and the PCs run into some goblins, each of which has 1-5 hp. You need a d5 to roll their hit points. d7: You are DMing AD&D, and the PCs run into some goblins, each of which has 1-7 hp. You need a d7 to roll their hit points. Counterargument: you only need unusual dice in these circumstances if you want equal probability distribution. You could roll a d8 and treat an 8 as a 1 or a 7, for 1-7 hp, depending on which way you want to weight the results. You could roll a d6 and treat a 6 as a 1 or a 5. And for 1-3 hp, assuming you don't want to halve the result, you could treat 4-6 as a 1 or a 3. You can do some similar tricks for the random magic spells... OR roll a d6 and some other die. If the d6 is odd, start at the top and count down based on the result of the second die. If the d6 is even, start at the bottom and count up. That second die can be any die you want, as long as it's at least half the number of spells on the list, and depending on which spells in the middle you're willing to make more common. I can see why someone who likes lots of different kinds of dice might be more interested in using DCC dice, versus someone like me. I used to say I didn't want DCC dice because I didn't want to clutter up my dice bag with more dice options, but if I'm honest, it's probably more because of cheapness than anything else. That's why one option I came up with was a drop-die-style diagram that duplicates all the DCC dice varieties. Of course, people who don't mine electronic dice rollers have us both beat. They just use a dice roller app on their phone... |
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Post by geoffrey on Jul 9, 2021 17:54:50 GMT -6
Of course, people who don't mind electronic dice rollers have us both beat. They just use a dice roller app on their phone... Heresy.  In an emergency I would grudgingly accept a substitute for dice, but not on a regular basis. Perhaps I'm being silly, but I would not be much interested in an ongoing D&D game without dice. |
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Post by talysman on Jul 9, 2021 18:03:50 GMT -6
Of course, people who don't mind electronic dice rollers have us both beat. They just use a dice roller app on their phone... Heresy. In an emergency I would grudgingly accept a substitute for dice. But on a regular basis? Perhaps I'm being silly, but I would not be much interested in an ongoing D&D game without dice. Honestly, I can't quite get over using dice, either. The one dice roller I used had 3d physics, because I wanted it to actually look and sound like dice rolling. Also, it was free, filling my "cheapness" requirement. Just looked back at my drop-dice table(s) that I called "The Perverse Polymorpher". It looks kind of horrible, and I could design a much better-looking version these days, so maybe I will do so. It currently handles every DCC and standard D&D dice type, plus a few extra like d9, Fudge dice, and random letters. But I'd have to add d11 and d19, assuming I could find room for them. |
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Post by jeffb on Jul 9, 2021 18:34:42 GMT -6
This is a congenial defense of the dice used by the Dungeon Crawl Classics rpg that aren't often used in other rpgs. I am talking about these dice: d3 d5 d7 d14 d16 d24 d30 Let's take them one at a time: d3: You are DMing 1974 D&D, and the PCs run into some kobolds, each of which has 1-3 hp. You need a d3 to roll their hit points. d5: You are DMing 1974 D&D, and the PCs run into some goblins, each of which has 1-5 hp. You need a d5 to roll their hit points. d7: You are DMing AD&D, and the PCs run into some goblins, each of which has 1-7 hp. You need a d7 to roll their hit points. d14: This might be the exception that proves the rule. Help me out, here! d16: You are DMing D&D + GREYHAWK, and you need to randomly determine a 2nd-level magic-user spell. You need a d16 to roll that spell. d24: You are DMing AD&D, and you need to randomly determine a 3rd-level magic-user spell. You need a d24 to roll that spell. d30: You are DMing AD&D, and you need to randomly determine a 1st-level magic-user spell. You need a d30 to roll that spell. In fact, Gary needed even MORE dice: He needed (when DMing D&D + GREYHAWK) a d11 to roll a random 1st-level magic-user spell, and he needed a d9 to roll a random 7th-level magic-user spell. Gary's only complaint would be that there aren't enough types of DCC dice! Yes, of course one can use Platonic dice to generate the above spreads by ignoring results, re-rolling results, dividing by 2 and dealing with decimals, using high-low dice, etc. But nothing is easier or more pleasant than rolling a single die with the correct number of sides and accepting the result on its face. So what's the problem with DCC using "unusual" (as though any dice besides 6-siders are usual!) dice? Gary's A/D&D needs them. "When playing A/D&D, I'll just use the work-arounds with the Platonic dice!" That's fine. We've all done it. And one can use those exact same work-arounds when playing DCC. ALL THE DICE, AND MORE BESIDES! WHERE IS MY 19-SIDED DIE?  So you managed to grab a set off Amazon? |
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Post by geoffrey on Jul 9, 2021 19:08:19 GMT -6
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Post by asaki on Jul 9, 2021 20:41:19 GMT -6
Honestly, I can't quite get over using dice, either. Same here, I'm glad my friends, for the most part, are fine with us rolling real dice when we play virtual games. It's so much more involving. Plus, you can't yell at your virtual dice, call them cursed, throw them across the room, and pull out a different set. |
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Post by stevemitchell on Jul 9, 2021 20:43:59 GMT -6
Hey, me too! I just received my set in the mail today. I also picked up the DCC Quick Start Rules, which appear to offer a less overwhelming introduction to the system. |
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Post by waysoftheearth on Jul 9, 2021 21:12:37 GMT -6
d14: This might be the exception that proves the rule. Help me out, here! You're playing OD&D. A lawful player is reincarnated. You need a roll on the lawful column of the alignment table (1st thru 4th print, M&M p9) which has 12 entires, including "Men" which must be further split into fighter, M-U, and cleric. So you have 14 possible outcomes and ideally would like to make just one throw. |
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Post by Finarvyn on Jul 10, 2021 5:15:04 GMT -6
When DCC RPG first came out in 2012 it was really hard to find the dice and they were pretty expensive. The cost has dropped off by quite a bit and there are multiple places to find them, many colors to pick from, etc. geoffrey, great essay on the need for more funky dice! |
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Post by jeffb on Jul 10, 2021 7:06:18 GMT -6
When DCC RPG first came out in 2012 it was really hard to find the dice and they were pretty expensive. The cost has dropped off by quite a bit and there are multiple places to find them, many colors to pick from, etc. Exactly. In 2013 I recall that on Amazon I paid nearly 3 times as much as the least expensive sets out there today (they are about $9 on Amazon now), and the amount of choices was extremely small. In fact I had to order the D30 separately from another retailer because nobody had a set with a D30. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2021 7:22:25 GMT -6
If I need to roll 1d3, I go to Google and type "roll 1d3" and it happens just like magic. Obviously this wasn't an option when I was a kid or when most of you were kids, but it's a tool that exists now and it's very convenient. There's something about rolling actual dice in front of other people that's not easy to replace, sure, but it gets the job done and most of the games I'm in are online any more, so it's fine.
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Post by geoffrey on Jul 10, 2021 7:43:56 GMT -6
d14: This might be the exception that proves the rule. Help me out, here! You're playing OD&D. A lawful player is reincarnated. You need a roll on the lawful column of the alignment table (1st thru 4th print, M&M p9) which has 12 entires, including "Men" which must be further split into fighter, M-U, and cleric. So you have 14 possible outcomes and ideally would like to make just one throw. Good catch! Another one that occurred to me comes from Gary Gygax in Dragon #42 (Oct. 1980), page 17: Think about it: We lost two spells in the Players Handbook for the sole reason that Gary DIDN'T HAVE A 14-SIDED DIE! He needed one, but we fortunate D&Ders have them. So next time you are randomly rolling a 9th-level spell from the Players Handbook, include crystalbrittle and energy drain as Gary intended, grab your d14, and roll it and accept what it says at face value.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2021 18:34:09 GMT -6
Impact! Miniatures the company responsible for Goodman Games funky dice tubes is also producing 3(apple shaped),9,11,13,15,17,18,19,21,22,26,28 and 36 sided dice. You can look them up on Kickstarter (fall 2018) D.O.U.S. - Dice of Unusual Size - D21, D36, Pulse & Alphabet.
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Post by geoffrey on Jul 10, 2021 19:39:59 GMT -6
Impact! Miniatures the company responsible for Goodman Games funky dice tubes is also producing 3(apple shaped),9,11,13,15,17,18,19,21,22,26,28 and 36 sided dice. You can look them up on Kickstarter (fall 2018) D.O.U.S. - Dice of Unusual Size - D21, D36, Pulse & Alphabet. Thank you for the tip! Check it out: D3s, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10, D%10, D11, D12, D13, D14, D15, D16, D17, D18, D19, D20, D22, D24, D26, D28 & D30 www.amazon.com/Impact-Miniatures-Rainbow-Unusual-Dice/dp/B08WKNXGQK/ref=pd_sbs_6/147-8352622-1638740?pd_rd_w=TmWWp&pf_rd_p=f8e24c42-8be0-4374-84aa-bb08fd897453&pf_rd_r=D4HVHTS213W3XTVKCASW&pd_rd_r=cd067080-3379-476e-86ef-cfe819d8b77f&pd_rd_wg=8Ydao&pd_rd_i=B08WKNXGQK&psc=1Now I know what I want for Christmas! |
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Post by tdenmark on Jul 10, 2021 21:51:24 GMT -6
Impact! Miniatures the company responsible for Goodman Games funky dice tubes is also producing 3(apple shaped),9,11,13,15,17,18,19,21,22,26,28 and 36 sided dice. You can look them up on Kickstarter (fall 2018) D.O.U.S. - Dice of Unusual Size - D21, D36, Pulse & Alphabet. Thank you for the tip! Check it out: D3s, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10, D%10, D11, D12, D13, D14, D15, D16, D17, D18, D19, D20, D22, D24, D26, D28 & D30 www.amazon.com/Impact-Miniatures-Rainbow-Unusual-Dice/dp/B08WKNXGQK/ref=pd_sbs_6/147-8352622-1638740?pd_rd_w=TmWWp&pf_rd_p=f8e24c42-8be0-4374-84aa-bb08fd897453&pf_rd_r=D4HVHTS213W3XTVKCASW&pd_rd_r=cd067080-3379-476e-86ef-cfe819d8b77f&pd_rd_wg=8Ydao&pd_rd_i=B08WKNXGQK&psc=1Now I know what I want for Christmas! And if you want a d50 and a d60 to go with those www.amazon.com/dp/B01N22JVVB |
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