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The probability of getting two consecutive numbers that are the same, using d10s, is 1 in 10 for each pair of rolls. The first number is arbitrary, and there is a 1 in 10 chance that the second number will be the same as the arbitrarily chosen first number. In 100 rolls, you have 99 pairs...

8-) Probability theory is non-trivial. Most people don't understand it and don't even know what it is that they misunderstand. Not necessarily. If the trigger is "when the user hits enter" and the seed is the last 10 digits of the time in microseconds at which the trigger fires, the seed is...

You can almost always tell the difference between numbers generated randomly and numbers chosen to appear random by the fact that truly random numbers will have more and longer runs of the same number. Good random-number generators definitely "do that". Note that this is true regardless of the...

The term that's been missing from this discussion is "conversational implicature". To go back to a previous example with a slight modification: "I saw a bus yesterday. The bus is yellow." In the absence of implicature, you cannot know what color bus I saw yesterday. "The bus" need not refer...

There are lots of choices here; much depends on the climate and time of year: Rain Flooded river Starting a fire in the rain Bogged-down wagon Hypothermia Fight or chase on muddy ground Sleeping (or not, more likely) in a rain storm Snow Hypothermia Avalanche Travel in deep snow Thin...

First, let me say that I am not a lawyer; this is my layman's understanding of the current state of the law. Do not rely upon anything here to make legal decisions. If you need legal advice about trademarks, talk to a lawyer who specializes in that arcane field. Not necessarily. It is a...

I have several of these: Office Depot® Brand Large Mobile File Box, Letter Size They each hold about a dozen books and they have a compartment on top that works well for dice, measuring tapes, pens, and the like. (FWIW, I don't really want anything that holds more books than that unless it...

Pretty nearly every group that I played OD&D/AD&D with used miniatures. (I still have some of those miniatures to remind me that my painting has progressed quite a bit in the last 30 years.) That out of the way, the plural of "anecdote" isn't "data". Different groups, both then and now...

While the OP mentioned the gratuitous doubling of vowels, he missed the gratuitous doubling of consonants: Tomm (or Thomm, I suppose), Jonnz (doubling plus z for s), Forrester. Oh, wait, not that last one. 8-) And let me just put in a plug for an amusing (and mildly appalling) website...

You might be able to find something in an old printing of Spenser's The Faerie Queen. Anything 19th century is in the public domain unless I'm much mistaken.

It might help our European members to know that a "Moose" is called an "Elk" in Europe. (See also the scientific name of the animal, "Alces alces".) An "Elk" in North America is a "Red Deer" in Europe.

# Bruce C. Shelley on Acquire # Nicole Lindroos on Amber Diceless # Ian Livingstone on Amun-Re # Stewart Wieck on Ars Magica # Thomas M. Reid on Axis & Allies # Tracy Hickman on Battle Cry # Philip Reed on BattleTech # Justin Achilli on Blood Bowl # Mike Selinker on Bohnanza # Tom Dalgliesh on...

If you know how to take care of brushes, buy good brushes. Winsor & Newton Series Seven are broadly considered the gold standard. If you buy good brushes, you don't need anything smaller than about a 3/0. Good brushes have good points, and really small brushes actually make it more difficult...

No. Water has a higher surface tension than most other solvents used for painting. High surface tension means beading/puddles. Yes. Detergent is a surfactant (it reduces the surface tension of the water). Adding a little bit of detergent allows the stain or paint to flow more easily, which...

I'd say that depends on his batting average, with the appropriate modification if it's a spitfire ball.

Tudor is a very dark stain. If you can't find it, look for as dark a brown as you can find.

It has to be painted before dipping, but varnish will make the details less defined and reduce the wash effect. I found Tudor at Home Depot, but I haven't looked recently. As to a replacement, I know quite a few people who have used Future floor wax (which is a clear acrylic) and tinted with...

I can't argue with any of that, since it clearly supports the idea that I must be a really nice guy. (Or perhaps that I come across like a jerk without intending to -- nah.) 8-) Seriously, there's nearly always more than one way to read any significant text. All too often, there's more than...

I do, largely because of the dungeon below the city, but as I said, I understand your point. At any rate, you got me to look at my old JG stuff (I had a sub). City State was first (Issue I), Thunderhold second (Issue J), I think K was the Guide to the City State (it doesn't have an issue...

IIRC, the City State of the Invincible Overlord was out before Tegel Manor, though I could see an argument that it wasn't really a "module".