D&D 5E How do you roll, DM?

[ccs]

You're missing the point of showmanship.

Sometimes it's entirely appropriate to roll some dice, ignore the result, pretend to look something up, put a worried look on your face, and sigh while slowly shaking your head from side to side.

I'll have 'random' encounters that arent (they were planned from the beginning). The 'roll to trigger them' simply keeps the players guessing.

Other times, I'll roll some dice just to quiet table talk, and get the players focussed back on the task at hand.

Other times, it's simply to keep the players guessing -what- exactly I'm rolling for.

That's all simple showmanship and entertainment - keeping the session fun and engaging for the players. You're using the dice as as prop. It's a tool in my arsenal and I see no reason not to use it.

Im also not a fan of having PCs die for no other reason than a series of bad dice rolls. That said, quite often I'll throw the dice down in the middle of the table and let them fall where they may.

When I do that, all eyes are on the dice.

Dice are more than just random number generators, just like DMs are more than just addition machines. They're a powerful tool for engagement, enjoyment and storytelling purposes, and a DM is there to do more than just roll them to determine a number.

I don't need to rely upon fake dice rolls to keep a game moving, interesting, or to curb table talk. And I have better things to do than pretend to look things up & mutter cryptically to myself.
Dice get rolled when the outcome is uncertain or there's some sort of risk involved. If I desire some particular outcome I'll just skip the rolling.

So you use dice your way, & I'll use them mine.

 

[billd91]

Technically I roll in the open.
I haven't used a screen in 20+ years, & my dice are bright yellow with black #s. Very easy to read (& chosen for MY convenience).
Typically I roll my dice only as far as my arm can reach while seated. Now & then I'll roll near where the minis are if I'm moving things about, but not often (I'm lazy & just tell the nearest player where to move model x)

However.... Tables either 6x4 or 8x4 depending upon where we're playing, & I sit at one end of it.
So the people on my immediate L/R can see my rolls (if they care). The others? I guess it depends upon how good their eyes are & if they care. No ones ever stood up to check.

That's largely my situation when we're playing face to face. My players are generally not too curious about what my dice say when I roll them. They're more interested in what I say the dice tell me and that means.

It doesn't stop me from occasionally choosing not to add a modifier or turn yet another crit into a normal hit if the dice are being really unlucky for the players.

 

[jayoungr]

I chose "Roll in view of the players," but it actually depends on the platform.

When I'm playing in person, I roll behind the screen if I've set the screen up, which I don't always do, depending on table size and layout. But when I'm playing online, I always roll in view of the players. And lately, it's been all online.

 

[Flamestrike]

I don't need to rely upon fake dice rolls to keep a game moving, interesting, or to curb table talk.

Who said anything about relying on them?

I said they're a useful tool. One of many for a quality DM to fall back on.

 

[Weiley31]

Well you roll the dice of course. Duh.

 

[iserith]

I roll in the open because it supports a principle of DMing that I hold which is that the players should never have a reason to doubt the honesty of the DM. As a mediator between the rules and the players, in additional to being reasonably consistent with rulings, transparency when it comes to the application of rules and the results of dice helps with this. I will therefore never fudge, never roll the dice when there's no need to roll them, or engage in other such flourishes for any reason.

 

[Flamestrike]

I roll in the open because it supports a principle of DMing that I hold which is that the players should never have a reason to doubt the honesty of the DM.

It's not his honesty they should never have reason to doubt. It's his commitment to being fair, reasonable, knowledgeable and entertaining.

Those two things are not the same.

 

[iserith]

It's not his honesty they should never have reason to doubt. It's his commitment to being fair, reasonable, knowledgeable and entertaining.

Those two things are not the same.

If players can't see the DM's dice, there may be reason to believe the DM is fudging. A lot of people aren't okay with that. Some people are, which may be why the DMG puts rolling in the open or rolling behind a screen at the level of table rules rather than rules of the game.

A DM can be fair, reasonable, knowledgeable, and entertaining without rolling behind a screen.

 

[Umbran]

In some games I do one thing, in some I do another. I don't have a single set method.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Whether I roll out in the open (when we're all at a table obviously) usually depends on whether I'm standing up at the time.

I have a low DM screen so if we're having a fight that involves minis and the grid I usually will be standing up in order to be able to reach the board. When I'm doing that, usually I'll be rolling out in the open since I'm already leaning over the screen. But if a combat is being run Theater of the Mind or it's an exploration or social pillar set of rolls (where no grid/minis are used)... then I'll usually roll behind the screen while I'm sitting down. Both of these situations are fungible however, if I feel the drama can be enhanced by going the opposite way.

I run with a set rotating crew of players that I've played with for years and they all know how I run the game. Thus there are no trust issues to determine the need to roll / not roll in the open, or fudge / not fudge the dice. I do whatever I think is in the best interest of the game and the players go with it and enjoy it.