D6s with numbers vs D6s with pips, is it just me?

[Thierry-Advent]

The other day I was playing an RPG with 2d6 + Bonus, using d6s with numbers on them. My brain was slow and I kept making mistakes. The next day, I grabbed d6s with pips to play the same game. My brain started adding much faster. without mistakes. Weird. Why?

 

[aco175]

I'm guessing it is mostly how you always did it growing up and something on how the brain organizes things. Is it a problem when you roll a bunch of d4s or d8s for spell damage? Guessing not since that is how you learned.

I would also think that other people might order things in the brain differently and people on a spectrum might look at it differently as well.

 

[Rabulias]

I have noticed that I also have a momentary delay adding numbered d6s. I would guess we have earlier and/or more experience with pipped d6s. Earlier would be important as we would have practiced adding them during a time when the brain was still forming.

 

[Tigris]

For me its the othwr way round. Pips are taking longer. I want to add numbers since thats what I see everywhere else.

 

[jdrakeh]

Pipped d6s are easier for me to total up as well. Especially when dealing with large numbers of dice (e.g. Star Wars D6).

 

[Thierry-Advent]

Pipped d6s are easier for me to total up as well. Especially when dealing with large numbers of dice (e.g. Star Wars D6).

Yes, I have no problems adding 3d6 with pips for Fantasy AGE. But with three numbered die it takes longer.

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

Dice should be cubes with pips on them, like Ghod and Nathan Detroit intended.

 

[Clint_L]

I am confident you would observe the opposite result if testing someone who did not grow up using d6s with pips. It’s not the pips or numbers, it’s what your brain is trained for.

Though it would be worth testing, since one counter-hypothesis would be that, as the pips are a literal representation of quantity while numbers are purely symbolic, perhaps brains might have an edge in intuiting the amount at a glance. At least with a limited number of dice.

Okay, now I’m thinking there could be some interesting findings here. I’d like to see an experiment done. For example, a result where pips had the edge with fewer dice and numbers with more dice could suggest some things about the interaction between intuitive counting and symbolic logic. Lotta variables, though.

 

[GMMichael]

The other day I was playing an RPG with 2d6 + Bonus, using d6s with numbers on them. My brain was slow and I kept making mistakes. The next day, I grabbed d6s with pips to play the same game. My brain started adding much faster. without mistakes. Weird. Why?

Coffee deficiency?

 

[Koloth]

Nope. Not just you. Prefer pips on d6. But as mentioned, more a trained that way thing. Was playing games using d6 with pips well before D&D came out. I have some d6 with numbers but they stay in the bag unless the GM says "I need everyone's d6 dice." But at that point, it is the GM's problem to read the mix of pips and numbers.

Also prefer my caltrop d4s to have the numbers on the point, not middle of the base.