Do you believe in Luck?

[EOL]

I don't believe in luck, at least I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as luck, but there is something going on. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

I have one player who seems to always roll well, Attributes, to hit rolls, hit points, everything.

I have one player who rolls terrible. Worst attributes in the party, worst hit points in the party, never hits.

I have another player who in 5 attempts to poison a weapon has poisoned himself 4 times!! (rolling 1 on as d20)

I believe in the laws of probability. My theory is that people get reputations and then you form your perception to match their reputation. That's my theory, but I've been in games where my faith has been tested, my beliefs shaken, I find myself believing in luck.

What about you?

 

[Turlogh]

I think there is such a thing as luck (mines mostly bad).
I too have seen one player always (well 85% of the time) roll really well, while another will roll consistantly poorly.

Its either luck or that dice have a personality and are very choosy about who owns them!

 

[Grayswandir]

Personally, I believe in the Law of Selective Observation. I've noticed things that *seem* like luck, but upon closer investigation they generally aren't. On the other hand, I've disallowed all clear blue d20s from my games on general principle after an experience with a player whose die was genuinely skewed (nearly always rolled either a 20 or a 1) - not her fault though.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

A buddy of mine and I consistently had "bad luck" during a campaign. We were all using Chessex-made dice, and they're a pretty good company, so we just figured it was one of those wacky things.

Then I found out about a year later that one of the players (who swapped off GM'ing duty with me) fudged rolls for things his character "should have been able to do". Freaking jerk.

I'm sure there are some people who fortune favors. But I like the dice on the table where I can see them.

 

[KDLadage]

I have elf-curse.

If I am playing an elf, the dice conspire against me...

 

[EOL]

Then I found out about a year later that one of the players (who swapped off GM'ing duty with me) fudged rolls for things his character "should have been able to do". Freaking jerk.

I'm sure there are some people who fortune favors. But I like the dice on the table where I can see them.

I couldn't agree more. I've had people like that in my campaigns, and there is nothing more annoying, and I think it adds to the "perception" of luck. If some players are fudging thier rolls then it schews the perception of what is lucky and what is normal.

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Luck is defantial a real force. Call me paraniod if you want but I swear ever time certain people touch my dice they go all screwy for a while.
Also some nights I do real good and some nights real bad but rarly in between.
My final bit of prof comes from my DM who for sometime now has been tring to kill off one of my characters, he's not perticular, any one will make him happy. Doesn't seem out stading right, that is until you factor in the last time he succeeded was in like '96 or something.

LUCK YOU SAY, well I certainly think so!

 

[King_Stannis]

i am a notoriously streaky roller. my widowmaker is legendary for its insta-kill 20-20-teen rolls. i've had even more 20-20-low rolls, which really freak out my players. that dice is cursed/blessed.

spellslinger is a very unlucky roller. in going on five years of gaming with him, i can coun't the number of criticals he's rolled on one hand i'll bet.

i have another player, cat-in-the-hat, who is a pretty good roller. the rest of my players fall in the middle.

 

[Ruvion]

Well, I'm one of those "bad luck" crew members...I did see several times where a DM or player rolled 20's 5 times or 4 times consecutively.

 

[Zelda Themelin]

There are cheaters, there are weepers and there has been few who almost always do well or badly with dice whatever dice they use, whatever they are watched carefully by one or many, or whatever style of throwing they use.

I don't know why that is, it might be mix of luck and skill, and I've even been seriously blamed for dice-cursing by most logical person, who doesn't believe in supernatural. Me neither. Go and figure.

But anyone who says lucky people breed lucky people has read too much Ringworld-books IMO.