Dice etiquette, rules, and superstitions

[MNblockhead]

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.

One reason I've accepted the wisdom of a solid, beaten up old table instead of a fancy, expensive game table. I don't want to be nagging people over using coasters and dice trays. Many years ago, a couple I know scavenged a large piece of a bowling lane from a bowling alley that closed down and was being torn apart to be reused. They built it into a large dinning table. It looked cool, was very solid (I swear you could hip check it and not be able to knock down a house of cards on it), and pretty much indestructible. It is very freeing for you and your guests to not have to worry about damaging a table. Also, in the area of my house that I used to game in before when I was still gaming in person, the floor is all commercial grade vinyl planks. All my players have great manners and would take appropriate care if we were playing on finer furniture, but I don't want them (or myself) to have to.

Most furniture concerns are more about food and drink than dice, but the same principle applies.

 

[MNblockhead]

For those who feel strongly that dice need to roll for a bit on the table (or in the dice tray), and I include myself among you, are we making an exception for d4s out of tradition? Do any of you prefer or require "bullet style" or other more rollable d4s (example, another example, a third example). With my precision dice, I stuck with the traditional style, because I was going for the whole medieval alchemy polyhedral & colors scheme. And I just like the look of the ol' pyramidal caltrops. And the precision version has sharp edges (you really don't want to step on them barefoot, or in stocks, or thin‑soled shoes). So they have even less action than tumbler‑polished plastic dice.

They are, however, light for metal dice (aircraft grade aluminum). So if I give it a bit of throw it'll bounce one or twice on a wooden table. I don't like using cups, but I'll give the dice a good shake before throwing them. So, I'm not too worried about randomness. But even cheap plastic d4s don't give a satisfying roll. Yet people complaining about dice not rolling enough tend to have a blind spot for d4s. Is that because the results of a d4 roll generally aren't going to matter much?

 

[dragoner]

I find the most satisfying die the d12, and least d4's, at least for hand feel. Though I also like the heavier style plastic of backgammon piece material over lighter plastic.

 

[Joshua Randall]

I have d4s shaped like d12s (they are numbered 1-4, 3X). What I used for my 4e rogue.

The actual d4s are placed in their own box, ready to be scattered near my front door when the looting starts.