What's the best die type and why is it the d12?

[Vael]

Rolling 2 d12s as the Daggerheart duality dice feels really good. Otoh, the d12 of doom from Dead of Winter sucks.

That said, the d20 has easy to calculate probabilities and also feels nice to roll.

Ultimately ... I just like rolling dice

 

[Parmandur]

20 is Platonic and not Catalan?

Edited, it should have said d30.

 

[Distracted DM]

If only to go against expectations, I realized that the roll I call for most often that ISN'T the d20... is the d12 (for random encounters), followed by the d100 (for everything else). So I voted d100. I figured d12 would be up there , partially cuz of the thread title, and partially because yes it is a great die.

When I'm not sure what kind of roll to call for for something random, I call for a d100- because I can easily make it fit any table I then pull up.

 

[MGibster]

Yes, the world's most pointless poll. What's your favourite die type?

Are you kidding? The d4 has the most painful points in all of gaming.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I mapped out the entire decision tree for a campaign. It had 2^73 possible outcomes. So I just had one of the players roll a 2^73-sided die. Saves a lot of time.

 

[Clint_L]

It’s the d6, and I cite an overwhelming consensus among game designers. It turns out that 1 in 6 is very effective granularity for a vast array of games.

My point against the d12 is basically the same: if it is so optimal, why is it so seldom used despite decades of availability?

 

[GMMichael]

My point against the d12 is basically the same: if it is so optimal, why is it so seldom used despite decades of availability?

I can't answer for most games, but if you're rolling a d12 for damage or protection in Modos RPG, it means your weapon (or armor) is sweet-as-sweet.

 

[greymist]

D12. Longsword damage versus large creatures.

 

[Parmandur]

It’s the d6, and I cite an overwhelming consensus among game designers. It turns out that 1 in 6 is very effective granularity for a vast array of games.

My point against the d12 is basically the same: if it is so optimal, why is it so seldom used despite decades of availability?

Thar has more to do with ease of manufacturing.

 

[The Soloist]

It’s the d6, and I cite an overwhelming consensus among game designers. It turns out that 1 in 6 is very effective granularity for a vast array of games.

My point against the d12 is basically the same: if it is so optimal, why is it so seldom used despite decades of availability?

For the longest time, the d6 was chosen because every family had them in their Parker Brothers board games. It was often cited in game designers interviews. They didn't have to include dice with the RPG, which cut costs. It had nothing to do with the probabilities of the dice itself. If Parker Brothers had used d10s in their games, most RPG would be d10 games.