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Zovc
2009-09-15, 10:04 AM
What is the best die, in your opinion? For what reasons? Do you like the probability of it, how it "handles" or rolls, or just how random it is? How many of said dice do you like to roll at a time?

What do you think is the best range of numbers for a chance based game? Which die do you think is the most random?

When rolling dice, what do you like to be factored in? Critical successes, critical failures? High is better than low or the other way around?

The Rose Dragon
2009-09-15, 10:06 AM
d10, because it is the main die of three of my four favorite games.

Even though it is not a Platonic solid.

Kylarra
2009-09-15, 10:07 AM
I like rolling lots of them. That's why I play exalted. :smalltongue:

Ichneumon
2009-09-15, 10:08 AM
I like the way the d12 rolls and the way it is shaped.

Sipex
2009-09-15, 10:08 AM
D20.

I roll several of them at a time very often and they interfere with each other minimally.

Plus they're just really neat.

Sinfire Titan
2009-09-15, 10:10 AM
d8. It's the average for HD in any d20 system. The d6 may have it beat in the damage department, but when it comes to HP/level, a d8 is able to cover many a role (as the Duskblade proved).

Mongoose87
2009-09-15, 10:13 AM
D30, because it only has one use.

Doc Roc
2009-09-15, 10:20 AM
The D3, because spindle-dice are fun!

mikej
2009-09-15, 10:20 AM
d6

was a huge fan of fireball and a lot of them.

Eldariel
2009-09-15, 10:21 AM
d1 because I do not want to leave my plans up to chance.

Bayar
2009-09-15, 10:21 AM
d10. Because FATAL games require d1000 rolls and such...need a lot of them.


Nah, kidding. D6. Staying with the classic here.

Cyclocone
2009-09-15, 10:24 AM
d4, for the thrill of leaving my Time Stops up to chance.

woodenbandman
2009-09-15, 10:24 AM
d4, because I can use them as improvised caltrops.

Epinephrine
2009-09-15, 10:29 AM
d4, because the tetrahedron is the only self-dual platonic solid.

Glimbur
2009-09-15, 10:32 AM
d8. No real reason.

Glyde
2009-09-15, 10:33 AM
Hrm...

d8, because 2d8 is a glabrezu claw.

d12 because it always rolls well. I would often use it over my d20 for attacking.

d6 because of lightning bolt, fireball, steam breath, soaring raptor strike, sneak attack... its just the die you roll the most of!

d20 because it always rolls natural 3s at the most inopportune times.

JellyPooga
2009-09-15, 10:44 AM
My personal favourite is the D12. Why? Because...

1) It was the first non-D6 die I used in a game (barring special dice, like Heroquests "Combat Dice" and BloodBowls "Block Dice").

2) I like the way it rolls. D4 don't so much roll, as spin and bounce. The same could be said for D8. D6 are ok, I guess, but not as good as D12. D10 are an iffy one roll-wise. They're a bit like a D8 crossed with a D6 to my mind and they 'clatter' too much. D20 are just too rounded for my liking.

3) There's only 2 games I know of that make extensive use of them; Advanced Heroquest (the game I first used d12 in) and Runebearer.

Haven
2009-09-15, 10:44 AM
I like the shape of the d10. Plus it reminds me of oWoD Mage and other happy things, so yeah.

Nerdanel
2009-09-15, 10:46 AM
d20. I like the range of values that can be had with just that one die.

Foryn Gilnith
2009-09-15, 10:47 AM
d20, because it's a d20 and a d10 (just file off the tens place)
d12, because it's a d12 and a d6 (and it rolls nice)
d8, because it's a d8 and a d4 (and I hate d4s)

Sliver
2009-09-15, 10:49 AM
d6, I always liked monopoly..

FMArthur
2009-09-15, 11:01 AM
d8. I just like the shape. Also, because lances are d8s, and the lance (preferably attached to an ubercharger riding an ubercharger mount) is my favourite weapon.

The Mentalist
2009-09-15, 11:11 AM
I'm fond of a pair of d10's because they can be used for everything else. I actually played an entire campaign with one pair of d10's.

SaiphSDC
2009-09-15, 12:04 PM
D6, because I like how it looks when i spin it like a top. D10's after that, as you can spin them two ways...their 'points' or on the 'edge' (where it's like a clamshell).

What can I say, I'm wierd.

Temet Nosce
2009-09-15, 12:07 PM
D100, and as many of them as I can at a time (partially a joke, though there is a way to make a Monk that uses d100s for damage).

Dogmantra
2009-09-15, 12:11 PM
Either large numbers of d4s or small numbers of d8s. I just like the shape, and in the case of d4s, I love the sound they make as you shake a massive handful.

Mystic Muse
2009-09-15, 12:14 PM
d6, I always liked monopoly..

Blasphemy!:smallfurious:

I like d10s and d20s. I like the way they roll and I like spinning my d10s

PId6
2009-09-15, 12:16 PM
d20: I like the nice even shape. Plus it rolls well and functions as a missile weapon in a pinch.

bosssmiley
2009-09-15, 12:20 PM
d12. "It's all pentagons, baby."

Although I like the d24 too. It's like a 'roid-raging d6 that just can't stop flexing. :smallbiggrin:

And the d30 is just :smallcool::smallcool::smallcool:

Rhiannon87
2009-09-15, 12:24 PM
d20. I have a special fondness for it... It rolls nicely, and so many things hang in the balance with it. Attacks, saves, skill checks...

Then d6s, for damage and rolling ability scores. I also have a really pretty set of chrome d6s that I love so very much.

Animefunkmaster
2009-09-15, 12:27 PM
d6, its a good start when building my tower of dice on my game table.

Reaper_Monkey
2009-09-15, 12:31 PM
d12, for Barbarians Health and their Axe!
Although d20 rocks too... any of the big rollers I guess :smallbiggrin:

Zovc
2009-09-15, 12:38 PM
What about things like critical hits and misses, or exploding dice? How do you guys feel about those things?

Should a natural X always hit (effectively, too), and should a natural Y always fail (dramatically, too)? Or, should a natural X/Y just have you double the roll (this is in nWoD)? I.E. I roll a 10 on my d10, so I instead roll 2d10 and use that result. If one of those comes up a 10, I roll 2d10 in its place. Effectively, I can infinitely roll d10s if I keep rolling 10s. What other "criticals" have you come across and which do you like most? Do you like critical failures?

Side note: I looked up a d24 (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/24_sided_dice_d24.jpg), I'd never seen one before... Awesome!

Elfin
2009-09-15, 12:48 PM
d20. Something about the shape just appeals to me.

Random832
2009-09-15, 12:51 PM
The problem with critical failures is the game isn't balanced for them

So... that's just a regular spear, right? (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/cursedItems.htm#spearCursedBackbiter)

You should at least have to roll to confirm a critical failure

Shademan
2009-09-15, 01:27 PM
D6 be the dice of scoundrels!

PId6
2009-09-15, 01:32 PM
D6 be the dice of blaster sorcs!
Fixed it for you.

Actually, never mind, they're probably going to be maximized anyway.

Zeta Kai
2009-09-15, 01:42 PM
I love the d12. It has an elemental power that is captivating. It lacks the regular probability of a d10 or a d20, & it doesn't have the simple shape of a d4, d6, or d8. But, as mentioned earlier, it has a nice smooth roll, & is fun to use. I don't know why D20 hardly ever uses them; I find their range of chance to be preferable to a d20 (5% for anything is just too random for me). I am currently developing a semi-universal role-playing system that uses d12s exclusively. The codename for the project: Die12.

Guancyto
2009-09-15, 01:53 PM
d6, hands down. Short swords, sneak attacks, skirmish damage, blasting, greatswords, chargen, and the HD of most of my favorite classes.

They stack neatly, pack nicely, aren't painful to step on and when when you roll 5d6 and they all come up the same you can yell "Yahtzee!"

Piedmon_Sama
2009-09-15, 02:11 PM
d12. I don't know if they're used for anything in D&D other than Barbarian HD and greataxe damage, which means they get used less and stay sharp at the edges much longer than other dice. >_>

Weimann
2009-09-15, 02:14 PM
What is the best die, in your opinion?
The d10.


For what reasons? Do you like the probability of it, how it "handles" or rolls, or just how random it is?
It rolls nicely off my hand and often bounces sufficiently to be random without actually rolling across the table.


How many of said dice do you like to roll at a time?
Anything between 1 and 7-8 is great. After that, they tend to jump in all directions.


What do you think is the best range of numbers for a chance based game?
Depends on what, of course. Generally, I like it when numbers can be kept within bounds. 1-20 is a good range of outcomes, but as a rule, as long as the range of outcomes sufficiently represent the degree of success required or rendered, a smaller range is always better.

This makes me dislike the way the natural 20 works in D&D. The range of an attack always goes from irredeemable miss to critical threat.


Which die do you think is the most random?
Invalid question :P I'd say the d2, though. It's either heads or tails. No degrees of success.


When rolling dice, what do you like to be factored in? Critical successes, critical failures?
Hm... that completely depends on the roll. Generally, I think a roll should be clean, a simple check to see if you meet the requested value and produce the effect or not. If there is an additional effect (like, critical or poisoning) that must also be accounted for, I think it's funnier to roll a second dice. So, one die for one effect, I say. Again, that takes more time... arrgh, choices.

I'm not sure if that's what you're asking, though. If you mean how I feel about several effects on an attack, I'm all for it. But each individual roll should be made to meet ONE criterion (i.e, roll equal to or above 13 to hit your enemy) not multiple (i.e, roll equal to or above 13 to hit your enemy, and if you roll equal to or above 17, you poison her). In those cases, there should be two rolls (i.e, roll equal to or above 13 to hit your enemy, and then equal to or above 12 to poison her).


High is better than low or the other way around?
High! High is better!

Quietus
2009-09-15, 02:26 PM
d20 all the way, every character uses it. Plus it's got a nice round set of numbers that you can multiply by 5 for rough percentages, instead of tooling around with golf balls or a pair of d10's.

That being said, d10's might actually pull ahead if/when I start my WoD/Mage game...

subject42
2009-09-15, 02:49 PM
d12. I don't know if they're used for anything in D&D other than Barbarian HD and greataxe damage, which means they get used less and stay sharp at the edges much longer than other dice. >_>

Don't forget the Dwarven Defender. Everybody forgets about that class.

Saph
2009-09-15, 03:00 PM
The D20, because it rolls so much more smoothly. :)

But I've got a soft spot for D12s, and like playing with odd spells, classes, and weapons that use them.

Akal Saris
2009-09-15, 04:21 PM
The d6, since it works for so many different games and is easy to read.

oxybe
2009-09-15, 04:34 PM
d6 - first die i ever picked up.

used in several games i play and is usually the easiest to find/replace in large quantities.

NorseItalian
2009-09-15, 04:40 PM
D12. Beautiful, Elegant, and oh-so misunderstood.

Meek
2009-09-15, 04:40 PM
I like all of them, but I am rather fond of the D10 for inexplicable reasons (I am not fond of World of Darkness and quite dislike Exalted, but I do like Cthulhutech!)

Kobold-Bard
2009-09-15, 04:51 PM
d8. My first ever D&D character was a 3.5 Cleric, so it controlled his Hit Points, his Heavy Mace damage, and something homebrewed that I forget.

An actual favourite dice is my gold plated d20 that I'm too scared to use, so I keep it as a lucky charm/weapon against jacka** players who rob me in my sleep :smallbiggrin: