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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ambrus" data-source="post: 5158276" data-attributes="member: 17691">I've been mulling the issue of dice rolling lately. These thoughts arose when I began to notice my reluctance to roll dice in favour of taking 10 or taking 20.Rolling dice is an integral part of most tabletop RPGs. Their random results emulate the vagaries of characters pitting their skills and abilities against each other or the challenges present in the fantasy world in which they dwell. They're also an adequate stand-in for the unpredictable twists of fate and the fickleness of luck that we've all experienced at one time or another in real life.Perhaps more visceral than that though is the pleasure we experience when we cradle a die in our hands, give it a few shakes and let it roll across the tabletop while briefly holding our breath in both hope and dread. These little pieces of colored plastic determine the destinies of the characters in which we've invested so much of our time and effort. A great die roll can incite resounding cheers from a group just as a low one can inspire a roar of calamitous despair.That's the way it's been since D&D's inception. But then, with the advent of 3rd edition, came the notion of "taking 10" and "taking 20". A simple idea; one which presented a means to speed up play by assuming that, all things being equal or given enough time, the success of certain actions would be all but assured.So I've found myself more and more often in the following scenario. The DM presents the group with a situation outside of combat and gleefully calls for a die roll, perhaps for a skill check. I reflexively pick up my die and then, looking at a my modifiers, conclude that I might be able to succeed without rolling. I pause and ask the DM for the DC and, hearing the call, simply put my die back down and say "I take 10". Just like that I've eliminated the threat of randomness. Now here's what I find a little surprising; often the DM seems crestfallen. In some instances I've even had DMs insist that I roll regardless of circumstances that would allow taking 10. It's as if they resent my choice to not roll, to simply choose success without possibility of failure.So where do you fall; do you prefer to roll the bones or seek to avoid it whenever possible? Do DMs enjoy rolling more than players? If so, why?</blockquote>

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