| (Phil Dutre) | 12 Feb 2017 8:12 a.m. PST |
I have published two articles analyzing dice mathematics on my "Wargaming Mechanics" blog. Opposed die rolling:
link Buckets of dice:
link |
| ioannis | 12 Feb 2017 9:07 a.m. PST |
Excellent analysis, and some great ideas and tips. Many thanks! |
 miniMo  | 12 Feb 2017 10:58 a.m. PST |
Oooh, I've been pondering opposed various polyhedrals for dungeon-crawling games. Thank you for laying out the numbers! |
| thehawk | 12 Feb 2017 3:45 p.m. PST |
The next step would be to apply the analysis to some real sets of rules. Catch 22 is you could expose some popular sets as a load of baloney. |
 Parzival | 12 Feb 2017 6:33 p.m. PST |
Great articles, Phil. I appreciated the idea of using a dice upgrade or downgrade instead of modifiers. Interestingly enough, while I have encountered it before, it's usually been in the context of a unit advantage/disadvantage against certain types of opponents, rather than a broader situational consideration as terrain, etc.. Opposed rolls can produce some astonishingly complex mathematical situations, as can be seen in this discussion regarding the combat mechanics of the strategy board game D&D:Conquest of Nerath: TMP link Dice-- they're not just something you throw willy-nilly! |
| Gonsalvo | 12 Feb 2017 7:09 p.m. PST |
Both Stargrunt and Piquet came pout ion 1996, and both use opposed die rolls of various types, with die shifts as Phil discusses. I know that Bob Jones stated that idea for that mechanic came from somewhere else, but I note that Don Featherstones "new" wargames rules used different kinds of Polyhedral dice in a somewhat different fashion in…. 1989! (Featherstone's Complete Wargaming – April 1989) |
 McLaddie | 12 Feb 2017 9:29 p.m. PST |
Yes, great articles on what is the foundation of game chance in most games. |
| seldonH | 13 Feb 2017 11:35 a.m. PST |
Very enjoyable.. I love doing analytics like that but they are always ad-hoc. This has a nice structured general description.. Thanks for sharing. Francisco |
| Rudysnelson | 13 Feb 2017 4:11 p.m. PST |
One concept that is often considered in the dice realm is when you have established a number to hit. Whether a matrix or a bucket of dice, is whether or not the successful number is higher or lower than the number listed. |
| Part time gamer | 21 Mar 2017 5:12 p.m. PST |
Interesting.
Other than very early 'man' looking for a simple object, "block" or stone for deciding games of chance & entertainment.
Ive wondered, of all possibilites, "why was the D6 chosen as "the die" for gaming?" |
| (Phil Dutre) | 22 Mar 2017 2:00 a.m. PST |
Ive wondered, of all possibilites, "why was the D6 chosen as "the die" for gaming?" Because other-than-D6 dice are relatively newcomers (late 60s? early 70s?) in the gaming scene. |
| (Phil Dutre) | 04 Apr 2017 3:11 a.m. PST |
I wrote a small additional entry about "Scoring at least one success". link |
| Lord Ashram | 25 Apr 2017 10:24 a.m. PST |
Funny, I have designed a game using opposing dice, and was just working out the math, and then found this:) In the game I am doing, winners of combat are found by whoever rolls highest on their respective die. The question I have now is simple… what to do with ties. Ties go to the PLAYER? Or ties go to the LOWER DIE, to help the percentages even out a bit? |
| Stephen Thomas | 13 Jun 2017 1:53 p.m. PST |
Nice, but, where do I find D16,18,22,24 & 30 sided dice? I have searched the web for sellers but could not find them. Stephen |
| Stephen Thomas | 13 Jun 2017 2:12 p.m. PST |
Sorry, I found them at the Diec Shop – Impact dice… :-) Stephen |
| Ottoathome | 13 Jun 2017 3:12 p.m. PST |
Very good work Phil. The only caveat I can posit is a caution not to forget the ontology of the dice. That is the reason you are employing them |
finds bases at the dollar store!
