Gamescience Dice!

Koltar · May 08, 2008, 10:43:20 AM

Gamedaddy,

I want an assortment of blues and greens - ALL types of dice....and some black 6 siders with red pits or numbers to be my tRAVELLER dice.

Or...heck - I could try to get up there myself this year , its only 2 hours north of here . (ORIGINS that is)

- Ed C.

stu2000 · May 08, 2008, 06:47:04 PM

Wasn't it Lou that made the old Traveller dice? Black with the distinctive sunburst? Do they still distribute those?

Pierce Inverarity · May 08, 2008, 06:55:28 PM

Yes--I got mine last year, from G2 IIRC.

Zachary The First · May 09, 2008, 08:19:00 AM

Quote from: stu2000Wasn't it Lou that made the old Traveller dice? Black with the distinctive sunburst? Do they still distribute those?

Yep. Got my pair.

I also got my pair of "tablewreckers" from Col. Lou at Gen Con--pewter percentile dice--clearly not the clean design of Dwarven Bones from Crystal Caste. These are rough-hewn, ugly, and mean-looking. At they destroy my players on crits every time. They covet, fear, and hate them all at once.

Engine · May 09, 2008, 06:38:49 PM

Okay, I gotta ask: do people actually have problems with the randomness of their dice? I've done some informal statistical tests and never noticed anything out-of-the-ordinary, but perhaps I just happen to have some dice with reasonably good weight distribution. I just can't quite imagine anyone thinking, "You know, these dice aren't quite random enough."

Although, at our table, we do have one player, now that I think of it, who rolls more 1s on 20-sided dice than I've ever seen anything like in my life. It's...statistically noticeable. To people not even in the same room.

J Arcane · May 09, 2008, 08:14:06 PM

Quote from: EngineOkay, I gotta ask: do people actually have problems with the randomness of their dice? I've done some informal statistical tests and never noticed anything out-of-the-ordinary, but perhaps I just happen to have some dice with reasonably good weight distribution. I just can't quite imagine anyone thinking, "You know, these dice aren't quite random enough."

Although, at our table, we do have one player, now that I think of it, who rolls more 1s on 20-sided dice than I've ever seen anything like in my life. It's...statistically noticeable. To people not even in the same room.

My last game I rolled over a 10 on the d20 like three times over the course of a ten hour long marathon D&D session.

obryn · May 09, 2008, 11:59:07 PM

Quote from: EngineOkay, I gotta ask: do people actually have problems with the randomness of their dice? I've done some informal statistical tests and never noticed anything out-of-the-ordinary, but perhaps I just happen to have some dice with reasonably good weight distribution. I just can't quite imagine anyone thinking, "You know, these dice aren't quite random enough."

Although, at our table, we do have one player, now that I think of it, who rolls more 1s on 20-sided dice than I've ever seen anything like in my life. It's...statistically noticeable. To people not even in the same room.

Since dice bias won't show up in just a few trials, I doubt very many people will notice the their dice aren't rolling evenly. Figuring it out probably requires actual statistical analysis.

That's not to say it won't make a difference, mind you. However, the truer-to-random is probably least among the reasons I like gamescience dice. The appearance, material, history, and Lou himself all figure more prominently.

-O

GameDaddy · May 11, 2008, 02:53:24 AM

Quote from: obrynSince dice bias won't show up in just a few trials, I doubt very many people will notice the their dice aren't rolling evenly. Figuring it out probably requires actual statistical analysis.

Lou just stacks his dice. If they won't stack up evenly, they are not true polyhedrals and won't roll with an even probability. Works every time to get you dice where you will need statistical analysis to determine how far off the deviations are. If the dice do stack evenly, the deviations are so minor as to be inconsequential as far as RPG gaming goes.

I think if I can find one of his catalogs, I can post a demonstration of this.