Rolling 1d24 - Bell Curved?

[Mark Chance]

I have a question regarding this block of text:

We true Old School Gamers remember the days when we were lucky to have all the polyhedral dice we needed. I remember shaking up a small plastic cup full of numbered chits and drawing one at random to determine, say, a number between 1 and 20 because we didn't have a d20. Later on, we saved up enough money get a d10 (which, I'm guessing, cost half as much as a d20). We could then roll 1d6 and 1d10 together. If the d6 came up 4 through 6, we added 10 to the d10 result. Tada! A random number between 1 and 20.

You can do basically the same thing to roll 1d24. Toss at the same time 1d6 and 1d12. If the d6 comes up 4, 5, or 6, add 12 to the d12 result. For example, if I roll a 10 and a 3, the result equals 10. If I roll a 10 and a 5, the result equals 22.​

Does this method result in an equal distribution of numbers, or does it result in a sort of bell curve in which certain results are more likely to occur than others?

 

[BryonD]

The distribution would be equal.

 

[Dausuul]

It's exactly equivalent to 1d24, except for being more of a pain in the neck to roll. It's much the same as rolling two d10s to simulate 1d100.

 

[Nagol]

It's the same basic premise as using 2 dice to roll a d%.

In that case, the "10s" die determines how many multiple of the maximum roll are added to the "1s" die.


So long are you are adding a multiple of the the "1s" die max, you can roll a straight-line probability for a range.

Need 1-96? 1d12 + (1d8, result of 8 = 0) * 12 or 1d8 + (1d12, result of 12 = 0) * 8

 

[Asmor]

Also, I question the veracity of that quote... The d20 predates that bastardization of a polyhedron known as a d10, because the d20 is a platonic solid, and the d10 ain't nothing.

A d20 used to come 0-9 twice, and you'd color half of them with an included crayon. If you were rolling a d10, you just used the number; for d10, you rolled and if you rolled a colored side you added 10.

 

[Dannager]

the d20 is a platonic solid, and the d10 ain't nothing.

The first person to turn the above line into a hard-hitting hip hop ballad of the streets wins all the internet points.

 

[Torchiest]

Also, I question the veracity of that quote... The d20 predates that bastardization of a polyhedron known as a d10, because the d20 is a platonic solid, and the d10 ain't nothing.

A d20 used to come 0-9 twice, and you'd color half of them with an included crayon. If you were rolling a d10, you just used the number; for d10, you rolled and if you rolled a colored side you added 10.

Blame evolution for giving us ten fingers instead of twelve.

 

[BenBrown]

because the d20 is a platonic solid, and the d10 ain't nothing.

Technically, it's something. that is to say a trapezohedron, but that's a far cry from a platonic solid.

 

[Mark Chance]

BryonD, Dausuul, Nagol, Dannager, Torchiest, and Ben Brown: Thanks for the replies.

 

[Asmor]

Technically, it's something. that is to say a trapezohedron, but that's a far cry from a platonic solid.

I did say it was something (if it ain't nothing, it must be something).

Also, death to the d10 apologists!