Dice etiquette, rules, and superstitions

[payn]

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).

Reroll anything that falls from table.

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.

Im allergic to cats so know very little about them.

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.

Havent had a dog that would eat dice...yet.

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.

Strongly suggest, but im not a tyrant. Well, except for plastic towers too noisy.

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

Eh, if you insisted on it.

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.

I dont use anythign but solid colors with easy to read contrasting pips.

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.

Please dont.

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.

Meh.

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

Covered that earlier, if noisy very strong no, if quiet if fine.

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

Both.

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

Maybe?

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.

Dont follow that movement.

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.

I always have my own, but if a pal is in need ill lend. Though please have some manners.

 

[ColinChapman]

My doggo is a golden retriever and was certainly not a better player than a cat when young. Like many retrievers he had bad pica. Would eat ANYTHING. Now that he's older, he just likes to lay in the room and won't bother to get up to even sniff a dropped die, pencil, etc. Food and napkins, on the other hand, I have to warn players to keep it on the table. He is pretty good with food now, you can set it on the floor and he's trained to stay away. But eventually, if it isn't being watched over, he'll lose his will power. But napkins, for some reason, he has no resistance to. I don't know what it is about paper napkins. He is overall a well-trained dog now, but he cannot resist stealing napkins from peoples laps.

Ah, a man of taste and erudition, I see. I've got a golden retriever and a golden collie (the latter is some crazy combination, I tell ya. The intelligence and energy of a border collie with the appetite of a retriever. I swear to god I once saw him stand up and open the fridge door one night, but that could've been my meds. Unless...

 

[DragonLancer]

If a dice rolls on the floor then you pick it up and re-roll it on the table. Can't hit the table you can't hit the opponent after all.

Never touch someone else's dice without their permission and only then if you really have to. It's bad luck for them and you.

 

[billd91]

I think our only real rule is dice have to stay on the table. If it falls off, it’s a reroll.
Etiquette also says use a tray or mat on someone’s good dining room table to avoid leaving dings in it.

 

[Lanefan]

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.

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

If the die hadn't stopped rolling before the cat swatted it, keep the roll. If the die had already stopped, reroll. Then gently pick the cat up off the table and put it in someone's lap; that person is then tasked with keeping the cat occupied and thus off the table.

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

n/a as I don't have a dog. Bad idea, though.

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

Don't like as they take up too much space.

5. Digital dice rolling for in-person games.

No, with the exception that if a really bizarre die has to be rolled to suit a chart or table e.g. a d-537 or a d-93 then digital rollers can come in really useful!

6. Legibility of dice.

I want them clear and readable enough that they don't have to be picked up and squinted at. I've been having this argument with different players, who (for reasons ranging from aesthetics to nefarious) want to use the fancy unreadable ones, for almost my entire DMing career.

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

Prefer not.

8. Precision dice that don't roll much.

Make them roll, or don't use them.

9. Dice towers?

To me these are just the same as dice trays, taking up space on the board for no good reason. Lose them.

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

Behind the screen, with rare life-or-death exceptions.

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

Given that for space/layout reasons I DM from a different table than the players are using, that would lead to a stupid amount of dice on the floor. In other words, hard no.

12. How to punish bad dice?

I just threaten my dice with this, but I've known someone who actually did it: take the offending dice outside to a concrete pad and - with all the other dice lined up watching - melt them to slag with a blowtorch.

13. Using another player's dice.

Some people are way fussier about this than I am (see evidence, this thread). For me, go ahead and use 'em as long as I get them back right away. No table rule.

The only other dice "thing" around here is if you drop a die or roll it off the table or whatever, pick it up NOW even if it means interrupting the game while we all look for it. Particularly if it's a d4.

 

[the Jester]

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?

If it rolls off your rolling surface, it doesn't count.

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

The cat rolled, not you. Doesn't count.

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

Not your fault. Roll a new die.

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

Don't care. I don't like them personally, but don't mind if other people use them as long as they don't unduly slow down play.

5. Digital dice rolling for in-person games.

Absolutely not. Roll some damn dice.

That said, if there was

some medical reason or handicap that makes it easier or necessary

I would make allowances.

6. Legibility of dice.

Hasn't been a big issue. Never had to rule on it.

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

Don't damage the furniture or house. Within reason, I am fine with these.

8. Precision dice that don't roll much.

More rolling is more randomization. Dice that don't roll much are suspect and may be banned if they rub me the wrong way.

9. Dice towers?

Too slow for me to use them but when a player does, it's okay as long as it doesn't slow play down unduly.

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

I roll in the open except in cases where I am rolling for the players because they shouldn't know what they rolled (e.g. searching for secret doors). I prefer other dms roll in the open and let the dice fall where they may, but that's up to them.

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

I don't typically use a screen.

12. How to punish bad dice?

Put them away for a while.

13. Using another player's dice.

Couldn't care less as long as the dice are fair.

 

[Longspeak]

It's been a while since I've run in-person, but...

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?

I have an in-bounds area, and if the die goes out, re-roll.

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

If the die has stopped and the cat 're-rolls' it, take the original roll if we can. Otherwise take the cat roll if it's in-bounds

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

Re-roll, get that dog outta my house!

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

Actually, the dice tray IS my in-bound!

5. Digital dice rolling for in-person games.

No.

6. Legibility of dice.

Required.

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

Fine, but it if jumps the tray and dings the table, you're sanding it.

8. Precision dice that don't roll much.

IDK. Not a problem I've encountered.

9. Dice towers?

No. Because of the tray. Thoush I do have a tower I've wanted to use if I get to play in-person.

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

Secret.

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

Dice Tray.

12. How to punish bad dice?

Time out. Dice Jail. Do not throw it in my house.

13. Using another player's dice.

NOOOOOOOO!
((Unless the other player offers. I also have dice available if needed.)

 

[Clint_L]

I've come to fricken hate dice towers. They are just so slow, tedious, in the way, and generally annoying.

 

[Milieu]

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.

This is a myth. Glass does not flow. The reason the panels are thicker at the bottom is that medieval techniques for making glass made them a bit uneven. They placed the glass with the thicker part at the bottom because that's more stable than putting the thicker part at the top.

Anyway, I never punish bad dice: it's bad luck to be superstitious.

 

[MNblockhead]

Ah, a man of taste and erudition, I see. I've got a golden retriever and a golden collie (the latter is some crazy combination, I tell ya. The intelligence and energy of a border collie with the appetite of a retriever. I swear to god I once saw him stand up and open the fridge door one night, but that could've been my meds. Unless...

Mine never had a need to figure out his way into the fridge. There are plenty of hibernating toads and baby rabbits to dig up, tasty sticks to chew, and lots of rabbit poop snacks to find in the yard (depending on the season).