For DMs: Ticked off players and funky d20's

[Vraille Darkfang]

Not mentioned here yet *but possible*

His dice could be loaded.

And he might not even know it.

I have a lucky red d20. I'd only roll it for skill checks (back in 2nd ed when low was better). It consistantly (but not always) rolled low. Now I realize that it was mis-cast and has imperfections in it that cause it to roll that way.

I've noticed that many 'lucky' dice are really 'incorrect' dice, esp the older ones.

Dice are made in massive numbers in a machine. Not every one is 'perfect'. He might not be really 'cheating'. He just had the good fortune to buy dice with an inperfection that led to an above average roll.

Not that that sounds like what is happening on your end. While I'd get ticked off at a DM dictating what kind of Dice I should use (esp if I was singled out or accused of cheating), I'd do it. (Of course I usually have 3-4 d20's I use during a game.

 

[DonTadow]

No one likes to be singled out and accused of cheating in front of everyone. By sending a group email to everyone you were singling that player out, considering he was the only one using dice that you found questionable. You sent the email because of him, and he knows that and he probably felt you were trying to "out him" in front of everyone.

You should have communicated with the player one on one. That's the best way to handle situations with the group. I have a player in my campaign whom uses japanese dice. I can't read japanese dice and I wanted her to stop, despite the fact that these are her favorite d6s. If I would have sent out an email saying, American numbered dice only, she would have been irate.

The guys reaction is typical when someone is confronted. True its immature but not out of the ordinary. It's easier to say "hey I can't read your dice, I really would like it if you used another set of dice for my game. It would help me facilitate the game easier". IF he still acts like a but he's obviously cheating.

 

[painandgreed]

My opinion is thtit is just a game and not really worth RL arguement and drama. If I wanted to say soemthign it would be a simple request to use d20s I can read at the table with everybody there. Open disclosure and if he wanted to throw a hissy fit, then he can do it infront of everybody. Likewise, I can judge by everybody else's reaction if I'm being too critical or not. I wouldn't press it but the Dm and players set the rules together and if I got the feeling that he was cheatig to the point it was disruptive to everybodes enjoyment, I'd just do things to balance it all out. If the PCs can do it, the NPCs can do it.

 

[smootrk]

Not any of those namby-pamby passive aggressive tactics above.

I think you underestimate the effects of good psychological manipulation to induce wanted behaviors. Just take mental inventory of all the silly advertising jingles you have locked in your brain.... or in a more scary vein, Religious Fanaticism, or just think about how a smile impulsively causes someone else to smile as well.

All too easy to induce certain behaviors. Can be used to create chaos or to calm it.

 

[Plane Sailing]

We used to use 0-9 twice all the time for d20s, (there weren't any other alternatives at the time!) so we always rolled a d6 at the same time to tell us whether to add 10 to the roll or not. 1-3 on the d6 read it as 1-10, 4-6 on the d6 read it as 11-20.

Cheers

 

[Khairn]

I can empathize...

This rule - which I call the "Scott Rule" - was implemented years ago because of a player who used undecipherable dice,

~ OO

I have the exact same name for that rule at my table ... "The Scott Rule"

Have you ever GM'ed in Columbus Ga, if so we may both have dealt with the same player.

As for the original poster, the only thing you did wrong was you didnt implement that rule from the start. If it was made clear at the begining of the game that all dice had to be clearly visible, the player would have had no options. Now your decision could be taken as a dig against him personally.

Good luck.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Have you thought of sending the group the link to this thread. Let him defend himself? I'd like to see him try. It's probably proper. Frankly, people that hang on to indecipherable dice this tenaciously are begging for suspicion.

 

[billd91]

It's true that people have weird dice hang-ups and sometimes it's better to not force the issue unless cheating really is a problem.

In one case, I had a player (in 2nd ed) who had certain d20s he'd roll for low targets and others he roll for high. I took to asking for just dice rolls and when asked, "High or low?" I'd just say "Roll, please."

 

[Whimsical]

So Calico. Please don't forget to tell us how you handled it and what happened afterward. Thanks.

 

[Numion]

If you go with writing down his results, you should consider only counting the rolls that matter. I had a fishy roller in my game once, and he seemed to palm his important rolls and thus 'succeed', but he rolled some inconsequential (skill, for example) rolls in the open, making a big number when he did roll low.

Important point is to decide in advance whether to write a roll down, otherwise you might be biased to write down only the better rolls without noticing.