BeefGriller's Dice Collection
For my third installment in Speak Out With Your Geek Out, I’ll focus on the pride of every pen-and-paper RPG gaming geek: dice! In a previous post, I showed off my dice collection. Now, I’d like to share some of my rules, habits and obsessions I have with my dice.
- Hands off my dice! I don’t think I’m alone in this rule. I simply don’t like other people touching my dice. Now, if you ask, I’ll likely give you permission – that’s only good manners. Also, if you do touch my dice without my permission, you’re certain to be blamed when the bad rolls start coming up – so don’t rub your bad luck on my dice!
- At the start of the gaming session, I dump all my dice out of the bag. This is a necessity, of course. As you can tell by the picture above, I have many, many dice – how else could I possibly…
- Select three complete sets to use during the game. Mostly because I am likely to need to roll more than one of any given type of die (d6, d8, etc.), this is only practical.
- Before use, roll all dice until the highest number shows. Like athletes, dice need to warm up before the game.
- Organize the dice by sides first, from d4 to d20, then colors, in neat rows and columns, with the highest number showing. OK, so the d4s are put together in a semi-circle because they fit that way. With the highest number showing, they’re more likely to roll that way, right? My theory is that gravity causes the bottom to become more dense, effectively weighting the die in my favor.
- If a d20 has a run of low rolls, I have a pep talk with it. If it continues, I give it a “time out.” Let’s face it, all dice want to roll the best numbers. If the d20 causes too many failures, you have to let it know that you expect better from it. If it keeps under-performing, it obviously needs a rest.
I’ve come to realize, oddly enough, that I only do these things as a player. As a GM, I don’t observe these rules, other than numbers 1 and 2.
How about you? Do you have any superstitions habits for your dice? I’d love to hear them.
Elf Steaks & Halfling Bacon 
IronWolf
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 at 8:41 PM
Your dice rituals are all quite similar to mine. I don’t have much issue with loaning my dice to someone, though I rarely do and they definitely need to ask first before just snatching a dice to roll.
I have a big bag full of dice and I always dump them all out, pick out 2 or 3 sets depending on what level my character is and how many attacks they have. I always select matching sets and tend to have my favorites. These days I tend to only roll my Game Science dice. I sometimes supplement the with a few extra d6’s or d8’s depending on whether the character is a caster and such.
No real organization once the dice are selected, though I do tend to turn them high side up for the 20’s and the same for the dice I will be rolling for damage. This doesn’t happen all the time though.
And yep! If the dice start rolling low then back in the bag they go!
ripcrd
Thursday, 15 September 2011 at 8:47 PM
That is the magic “F you” bag, where they go for time out till they can prove themselves by rolling better. I have some that are about to get adopted out if they don’t improve.