Dice cups and novelty dice

[Khail]

Plain D6 are cheap. At Rat City Rumble I bought a bunch and just put 2 on each table. The rules pack stated that you and your opponent used a shared set of block dice and the D6s that were provided.

32 coaches and no complaints, but then the tourney scene is still forming over here.

Thunderbowl just bought a bunch of dice towers for the league, which I imagine will be used for Spike this year. I was hesitant at first but after using them for 4 games last Saturday, I'm on board for dice towers over dice cups. Worked really well.

[polarbear]

When it comes to dice, I think you only need to have two things in the rules pack:

1) that if requested then you have to share your dice (already in a number of rulespacks)
2) get people to agree before the game starts what constitutes a cocked dice, as some people will insist on dice being absolutely flat on the board before they'll accept them and others will take the roll if the dice has, for example, landed on a base but is clearly a skull/6 etc.

I've no problem with whether people use dice cups or just roll their dice with their hand. The only dice rolling I'd seek to eliminate is the Polar Bear patented dice spin as it adds 4 hours to what is already going to be a 7 hour match

11 hours you under estimate me Al! You'll be pleased to hear I can still spin a dice with a cup. It's an extension of a
technique used by Jim called the "scandinavian flick". Think of it as a natural progression.

[polarbear]

"Pop-o-Matic" Dice Dome are the future of table top! "Matrix" Style

[The Dazzler II]

I have no problem with my opponent using novelty dice provided i use them too.

However, my "lucky" WPS dice are for my use only - they roll high. Sssshhhhhh

Dice cups - sure. It might have stopped the guy in my last tourney who quickly grabbed a "cocked" dice [it was on the lip of the board but couldn't have been anything else] ,before i could blink, when it was a Skull as he needed the blitz to stop me scoring

[Sizzler]

Dice cups add a showbiz element to the game. There's a tense moment when the dice are still under the cup, and people go wild when you pull the shaker up with a flourish to reveal your double pow. They also keep the game nice and compact and the ability to rethink a roll is priceless. It saves scrabbling across the board chasing your dice with your hands and knocking over half the models because you want to undo the action.

As for novelty dice - more of them! They're souvenirs of tournaments and (Flame Bowl exempt ) I don't think any are broken. There should always be a provision in a rulespack to allow you to use an opponents dice, although I doubt anybody would refuse the request even if it wasn't a stated rule.

[Leipziger]

When it comes to dice, I think you only need to have two things in the rules pack:

1) that if requested then you have to share your dice (already in a number of rulespacks)
2) get people to agree before the game starts what constitutes a cocked dice, as some people will insist on dice being absolutely flat on the board before they'll accept them and others will take the roll if the dice has, for example, landed on a base but is clearly a skull/6 etc.

I've no problem with whether people use dice cups or just roll their dice with their hand. The only dice rolling I'd seek to eliminate is the Polar Bear patented dice spin as it adds 4 hours to what is already going to be a 7 hour match

11 hours you under estimate me Al! You'll be pleased to hear I can still spin a dice with a cup. It's an extension of a
technique used by Jim called the "scandinavian flick". Think of it as a natural progression.

Rob, you're both a fiend and a genius!

[Vinz D.]

During a former league I've been in, the discussion on custom dice was a tense one, as one of my opponents flat-out refused to play against me when I was using those due to some occassional lucky dice rolls... Frankly, they are usually made by companies that produce normal D6s just as well, so I don't see why those two production lines should be so very different.

The ruling of basically both using the same set of dice would sound to me like the best solution to cut off any discussion on whether custom dice give an advantage or not. (Though, then you could just as well go into whether throwing a die or using a dice cup would give an advantage over one another).

Greetz

[Darkson]

the ability to rethink a roll is priceless. It saves scrabbling across the board chasing your dice with your hands and knocking over half the models because you want to undo the action.

Should have thought your turn through better.


I think if I went to a tourney where they'd made dice cups compulsory, I'd take a clear plastic cup, and then use the same "I haven't lifted the cup yet, maybe I won't make that roll" tactic - I might get a winning weekend that way!

[Purplegoo]

I think it just depends how much an opponent's good luck effects you on a subliminal level whilst you're playing as to how far down this road you want to go. When a particularly limp roll just drops out of hand, doesn't rotate and is a 6, or that symbol of a flying pig (or whatever) pops up for what seems the billionth time to break armour, it's perfectly natural to feel a bit done, even when you know in cold reality you aren't being, the other guy isn't pulling a fast one. It's not unreasonable to tailor the game to manage your subliminal superstitions by enforcing a cup or sharing dice, so long as you realise it's your own problem, and Flame Bowl dice (as a well trodden example) aren't really bent.

For me, the symbols don't get to me at all (all I insist upon is that I can easily tell what's what at a swift pace of play; use of the old Impact! dice I'd ban, for instance) so you can use almost whatever dice you like, but I do find I get wound up by dice rolls that consistently don't travel, and then by dice rolls that travel too far and we have to search on hands and knees every turn. So I'd rather a cup be used. But I won't insist because I'm rubbish, polite and British.

I would eject anyone who smashes dice cups down with undue force. From a cannon. We're all hungover, hitting it harder won't kill my mens faster, I don't like asking 'Where was he' when my whole team has moved. I do find it terribly annoying. If anything should be written into rulespacks, it's that! In all seriousness though, I think if one coach or other wants to insist on a cup or dice sharing, then fine. That being written in isn't an issue on a game-by-game basis. Otherwise, where does it end? Square dice? Unopened dice packs distributed pre tournament? Rolling dice pre game to find a 'fair' one?

Sooner we get to an electronic rng, the better!

[sann0638]

I don't think any are broken.

Newquaybowl are broken. Fact.

[Pug]

.... Rolling dice pre game to find a 'fair' one?

Is that the 1/12456th Chinese method ....

.... Sooner we get to an electronic rng, the better!

May be possible

[maximu160490]

I like novelty dice Although some are broken *couch*team wales*cough* (I have a set so know they arent that bad)

Dice cups kinda annoy me as you can just put the dice in, shake a certain way and get the numbers you want. I want a FULL RATTLE damn you

Also the newquay dice wernt broken - and i lost mine.

Also electornic RNGs can be broken. IF you use one I WANT SOURCE CODE!!!

[Joemanji]

Some dice cup actions are bent - I'm looking at the StanRichardson squeeze here ...

[Purplegoo]

Oh yeah, and Dave's squeeze reroll. Dirty Geordies.

[nonumber]

I really dislike dice cups too. Especially coaches that slam them on the table. But even when you keep it down to a dull thump it grates a little. I'm the same as the others though, I'd never ask that people don't use them and I appreciate that they cut down on cocked dice and dice flying off the table... but by the same token those things happen only a couple of times in a game whereas that @&#*ing cup annoys me every roll.

As for novelty dice, I never *really* think that they're dodgy but when your opponent says "the grinning flaming skull with an arrow through it is the six" you just know you're going to see it the whole game.