Numbers, numbers, and more numbers

[Bullgrit]

Something that has annoyed me as a DM for years and years (all 29 years I've been playing D&D):

DM: "OK, John, it's your turn."
Player: "I attack." <rolls dice> "Thirteen, sixteen, twenty-three, twenty-one. And eight, twelve, ten." <looks at DM>
DM: ". . . What?"

When I'm a Player, I try to always say, "I hit twenty-one AC." <wait for DM to say it hit> "Do ten damage."

I really, really wish Players wouldn't just throw out a bunch of seemingly random numbers. It's even worse when they include their calculations in their rattling off numbers:

"I attack" <rolls dice> "Thirteen, plus three, sixteen, plus seven, twenty-three, minus two, twenty-one. And eight, plus four, twelve, minus two, ten."

It's not the saying everything out loud that annoys me, it's the giving of bare numbers with no telling what they mean. Even this would be better:

"I attack" <rolls dice> "Thirteen, plus three, sixteen, plus seven, twenty-three, minus two, twenty-one AC. And eight, plus four, twelve, minus two, ten damage."

It's been a very rare thing for me to find a Player who doesn't just throw out a bunch of numbers and expect the DM to know what's what.

Is this your experience, too? Do you avoid this confusion?

Bullgrit

 

[Crothian]

This is the first I've heard of this one. My players usually know what the final modifier is before they roll. After they roll they might have to add in some special circumstance modifier or magical bonus someone is ging them after they've been reminded of this.

 

[Pbartender]

Is this your experience, too? Do you avoid this confusion?

I have occasionally had that same problem, or something similar.

At my table, this situation...

DM: "OK, John, it's your turn."
Player: "I attack." <rolls dice> "Thirteen, sixteen, twenty-three, twenty-one. And eight, twelve, ten." <looks at DM>
DM: ". . . What?"

...plays out a little more like this...

DM: "OK, John, it's your turn."
Player: "I attack." <rolls dice> "Thirteen, sixteen, twenty-three, twenty-one. And eight, twelve, ten." <looks at DM>
DM: "Hut-hut! HIKE!"

...or this...

DM: "OK, John, it's your turn."
Player: "I attack." <rolls dice> "Thirteen, sixteen, twenty-three, twenty-one. And eight, twelve, ten." <looks at DM>
DM: "You miss."

 

[ExploderWizard]

There you go with the numbers again. I dunno, maybe 80. I feel enormous pressure to get this right. I really wanna win that car.

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

My reaction would be as follows:

DM: "OK, John, it's your turn."
Player: "I attack." <rolls dice> "Thirteen, sixteen, twenty-three, twenty-one. And eight, twelve, ten." <looks at DM>
DM: "That's it, I'm switching to a game with less numbers."

 

[Grymar]

I more often have:

Player: <rolls> "Yeah, I hit."
Me: "It's the first attack of combat...how do you know?"
Player: "Well, it's...<does math...more math> a 27. That had to hit."

They sometimes don't want to do the math. We have one guy who is infamous for saying, "It's...alot. Really high."

Sometimes I think I'm underpaid for being a DM.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Is this your experience, too? Do you avoid this confusion?

very rarely!

Most of the time the PCs shout out their total to hit (with triumph or groan as appropriate) and wait for me to tell them whether they have hit or not.

I've occasionally seen "roll damage and to-hit together to speed up combat" mentioned, but I've always thought it would just engender the very confusion which you mention here.

Sometimes I ask people to give me the breakdown of their to hit chance ("have you actually got +13? Could you just break that down for me?") - not because they are cheating, but because in 4e there are all manner of little mods to hit or damage which are stacking up.

Cheers

 

[armorclass10]

LOL yes this happens to me and yes I find it annoying. In fact without changing the whole topic I find many of my PC's die rolling rituals to be annoying...i.e. I still have a PC who doesn't know the difference between a d20 and a d12, and yes he has played since 2nd edition. I also have another player that can't read a character sheet after 10+ sessions, he just doesn't get that all the MATH is done for you, every attack is like reinventing the wheel with this guy. And he's also got all kinds of weird rolling techniques (like rolling 3 d20s when he only needs to roll 1, "black die counts"). But yes the random tallying of numbers out loud kills me for some reason....

Sorry for the rant, we just played last night and I am still annoyed LOL.

 

[malraux]

I more often have:

Player: <rolls> "Yeah, I hit."
Me: "It's the first attack of combat...how do you know?"
Player: "Well, it's...<does math...more math> a 27. That had to hit."

They sometimes don't want to do the math. We have one guy who is infamous for saying, "It's...alot. Really high."

Sometimes I think I'm underpaid for being a DM.

I'll admit I do that from time to time. If I roll an 18 or 19, I'm pretty sure I should be hitting, or if not, I'll be running.

For me, what drives me crazy in 4e is not telling me what defense you are attacking. A 27 might hit, or it might not. I really prefer the format of "I hit X vs Y for Z damage"| x= attack value, Y is an element of {AC, Ref, Fort, Will}, z = damage value.

 

[armorclass10]

I'll admit I do that from time to time. If I roll an 18 or 19, I'm pretty sure I should be hitting, or if not, I'll be running.

For me, what drives me crazy in 4e is not telling me what defense you are attacking. A 27 might hit, or it might not. I really prefer the format of "I hit X vs Y for Z damage"| x= attack value, Y is an element of {AC, Ref, Fort, Will}, z = damage value.

Good point, this is annoying also...more defenses means more confusion