The Lurking Horror: Unfair Dice
“CURSES!” Another bad roll.
The dice gods are really screwing me over today.
I’m sure anybody who has played board games enough have had stints where the dice just haven’t gone right. I’ve heard of some D&D players who even insist on using their own dice because they think that other sets are cursed or unlucky. The Ludology podcast, a Dice Tower affiliate, posted a bonus episode back in June that analyzed some of the research that has been done on top-tier dice versus regular store-bought dice. If you’ve ever wondered just how perfect well-made dice can roll or just how badly some dice out there perform, go check it out. There’s even a high profile boardgame made by a top of the line company that scores badly based on the host’s own tests.
Most importantly, you will learn how to accurately assess the fairness of any 6-sided die you play with. Why is this useful? In case somebody accuses you of cheating, of course! Just break out the calipers and go to town. You’ll show them. Yes, yes you will. You’ll show them good.