Dice etiquette, rules, and superstitions

[MNblockhead]

Not sure what has me thinking so much about dice this Friday evening that I'm making two posts. Probably just missing in-person play. As a DM or other player, how do you feel about the following scenarios? Also, add other edge cases or tables rules regarding dice in your response.

1. Die falls on the floor (but still visible, doesn't roll under the refrigerator, etc.). Stick with the roll or reroll on the table?
(My table rule (MTR) - keep the roll on the floor. Give us out of shape nerds a reason to get out of our chairs to chase down the die and determine the role).

2. Cat swats the die but it still stops rolling where you can see the value.
MTR: keep the post-cat-swatted role, even if the die has already stopped rolling. Put the cat out of the room and close the door on it if it happens more than a couple times.

3. Golden Retrieve with Pica quickly eats (as in swallows) the die.
MTR: Crit failure deck! Hopefully you learned your lesson about rolling to forcefully that you can't keep your dice on the table and are too slow to retrieve it.

4. Dice trays. Require, ban, don't care either way.
MTR: I don't like them, but if a player really likes them or has trouble keeping their dice on the table without them, I don't really have a problem with them.

5. Digital dice rolling for in-person games.
MTR: No! (unless there is some medical reason or handicap that makes it easier or necessary)

6. Legibility of dice.
MTR: Ideally the entire table should be able to see the number. At least the player(s) sitting next to you should be able to. I really dislike mini dice, highly stylized or over decorated engraving, poor contrast, etc. I'm not a jerk about it, but I've brought it up.

7. Large, heavy, loud dice (metal, rock, etc.)
MTR: I have a heavy, old conference table from a craigs-list purchase. Not worried about damaging it. Have at it. But the dice should roll at least a bit.

8. Precision dice that don't roll much.
MTR: I want them to role a bit and I don't like dice trays, but as long as they are shaken in the hand or a cup, I don't care much.

9. Dice towers?
MTR: not a fan but don't ban.

10. DM roll in the open or behind the screen?
MTR: in the open

11. Roll against the DM screen like back wall at a casino craps game
MTR: all for it.

12. How to punish bad dice?
I've put them in time out, sat them on a die dunce chair, frozen them in an ice cube tray and enjoyed them in my whisky over the rocks, smashed them with sledge hammers, chucked or sling-shotted them into the woods, and snuck them into another players dice bag.

13. Using another player's dice.
MTR: no table rule. Up to the players. I never touch another player's dice without asking and try to avoid putting myself in the position of having to ask. I have no problem with people using my dice in my home game. Happy to let people use my dice when at a convention or other public game but get irked if they don't ask.

 

[aco175]

1. Die falls on the floor (but still visible, doesn't roll under the refrigerator, etc.). Stick with the roll or reroll on the table?
Reroll on the table where people can see, I'm not walking around and bending over to see what you roll.

2. Cat swats the die but it still stops rolling where you can see the value.
Reroll on table and lock cat in other room

3. Golden Retrieve with Pica quickly eats (as in swallows) the die.
Never happened to me but read a golf article where the golf course dog ended up swallowing over 30 balls and needed surgery. They were in all sorts of partial decomposition, but saved the dog.

4. Dice trays. Require, ban, don't care either way.
Some use them, don't care. My father still manages to bounce the dice out.

5. Digital dice rolling for in-person games.
Never used

6. Legibility of dice.
I trust my players, but like dice I can read especially for myself.

7. Large, heavy, loud dice (metal, rock, etc.)
My son has cool metal dice, but uses a tray so they do not dent the table

8. Precision dice that don't roll much.
Nobody has these

9. Dice towers?
Nobody uses these, but do not care

10. DM roll in the open or behind the screen?
I do not use a screen but not sure how many players can see the dice

11. Roll against the DM screen like back wall at a casino craps game
Do not use a screen

12. How to punish bad dice?
I used to place them on the shelf between play with the highest number on top thinking that gravity would flow and make the bottom side heavier, thus making them roll the highest number. I must have tried this in middle school when I learned that the stained glass windows in some middle age cathedrals needed to flip the glass since the panels flow slightly.

13. Using another player's dice.
I would not mind, but like to use my own and tend to have the player roll his dice if I need something rolled like a fireball for me.

 

[R_J_K75]

1. Die falls on the floor (but still visible, doesn't roll under the refrigerator, etc.). Stick with the roll or reroll on the table?

DRINK, and save or DIE!!

4. Dice trays. Require, ban, don't care either way.

Banned at my table they take up too much space, and if you really shouldnt need a bowl to control your dice.

5. Digital dice rolling for in-person games.

Unless using a VTT in person, NO!

6. Legibility of dice.

7. Large, heavy, loud dice (metal, rock, etc.)

NO! I have a player that buys all these weird spinner dice, mini dice, bullet dice and whatnot...wake me up when the result finally comes in.

9. Dice towers?

Not a fan either. Reminds me too much of Lincoln Logs and falls under the response of #4.

10. DM roll in the open or behind the screen?

I generally roll in the open but if I want to add tension or just screw with my players, I roll behind the screen.

11. Roll against the DM screen like back wall at a casino craps game

This is a new one to me, but I think if a player did that to me, I'd duck and cover

12. How to punish bad dice?

There is no way to punish bad dice. I had this conversation with a player during our last game. He said Im going to switch dice, I said the only way to exorcise them is to keep using them until the demon is banished.

13. Using another player's dice.

As the DM I do it all the time just to put bad mojo on them, and it works great. The only way to remove the hex is to bring me alcohol next game, or buy pizza immediately

 

[overgeeked]

1. Die falls on the floor (but still visible, doesn't roll under the refrigerator, etc.). Stick with the roll or reroll on the table?

Dice only count if they land on the table. Everything else is out of bounds.

2. Cat swats the die but it still stops rolling where you can see the value.

Did the player have to roll in that exact moment? That's a weird coincidence. We let players have someone else roll for them if they call it first. If they happen to call the cat rolling it, and they need to roll at that moment, sure, the cat can roll. Some of our players are inherently unlucky with dice so giving them the option for important rolls is...polite.

3. Golden Retrieve with Pica quickly eats (as in swallows) the die.

Owner of the dog buys the player a replacement.

4. Dice trays. Require, ban, don't care either way.

Don't care.

5. Digital dice rolling for in-person games.

Only if you forgot your dice. Only if it's an app or site we're all familiar with. Done in the open, etc.

6. Legibility of dice.

If we can't read it sitting next to you, it's not a valid die.

7. Large, heavy, loud dice (metal, rock, etc.)

If we're playing at your house and they're damaging your table, sure. Otherwise, nah.

8. Precision dice that don't roll much.

Like the old GameScience dice? Loved those. But they've got to actually roll and randomize. If you just drop it out of your hand onto a face, nope.

9. Dice towers?

Don't care either way.

10. DM roll in the open or behind the screen?

For things that directly effect the PCs, the referee should always roll in the open. Period. To-hit, damage, saves, etc all in the open. If the referee needs to roll random encounters or whatever, it doesn't matter.

11. Roll against the DM screen like back wall at a casino craps game

Too many players spread across too large a table for that. We'd have dice everywhere.

12. How to punish bad dice?

As long as they're fair, it doesn't matter. Bad rolls happen. They're not fair dice if they never roll bad.

13. Using another player's dice.

Literally never. Don't even touch someone else's dice. Depending on the player who's dice they are, you might be buying them a new set.

 

[R_J_K75]

12. How to punish bad dice?
I used to place them on the shelf between play with the highest number on top thinking that gravity would flow and make the bottom side heavier, thus making them roll the highest number. I must have tried this in middle school when I learned that the stained glass windows in some middle age cathedrals needed to flip the glass since the panels flow slightly.

I laughed at this not because it's stupid but just funny. I almost choked on my beer. Did it ever work?

 

[R_J_K75]

Literally never. Don't even touch someone else's dice. Depending on the player who's dice they are, you might be buying them a new set.

I didn't start this intentionally, but as the DM with 7-8 other people at a crowded table, shuffling papers and wanting to keep the action going, I'd just reached for the closest dice next to me. After doing this a few times over a few games I heard rumblings that I had sullied their dice. So, it just became a running joke.

 

[Theory of Games]

I only had one issue: touching my dice.

You could fart at the table and I'd be less offended.

Never, EVER touch someone else's dice, people.

 

[Smackpixi]

At my table, everyone has (or picks for the day) their own d20s (pair). Not locked in, you can switch mid session. Damage dice are communal, and we have a bunch, color coded for each size so easy to identify. We roll in dice trays, in all of the edge cases (all the weird scenarios above) my rule is do you like the result, keep it, don’t, re-roll. No one in the group is a habitual out of the tray roller, gaming the rule, we all get excited and it happens, dice bounces funny, oh yeah, fantastic. That said, if you have to say, “oh come on, that’s an 18 not a 5” it means you probably need to re-roll. As for dice prisons, as DM I always take whatever players think are the most ugly/unlucky d20s. Does that work out for them all the time, nope.

DM rolls in open. I pre-roll or pre-decide anything that might come up that for some reason shouldn’t be rolled in open…like, let’s say 1d6 on roll of 1 stair breaks stepping on it. If it’s interesting/matters, I reveal the pre-rolls.

 

[jdrakeh]

Don't tough my dice without asking first.

 

[dragoner]

A pic is worth a thousand rolls

I like big legible dice in a tray, also books at the table, this is me just sitting on the couch. I think like with off table, pet interference, I let the player decide if they want to take the result or not. A friend has a nice wooden dice tower another friend made him, we use that when we are there. I don't really punish dice, though if they feel unlucky, I'll grab another pair, even though I know it isn't logical.