Are you guilty of any of the 5 worst dice rolling habits- we’ve probably all done a few of these at least once.
We’ve talked about this on both the Long War Webcast and Podcast in the past, as it seems like part of the social contract that we should all roll our dice with some continuity and respect. Because you know it annoys you when someone rolls strangely and it impacts a game, for the better or worse.
5 Worst Dice Rolling Habits: Are You Guilty?
Here are some of the hot button issues we’ve probably all seen at one point or another, and some tips on how to a better sportsman when it comes to them.
5. Salting the Dice Game
How you react to dice rolls can set the tempo for your game both good or bad. Don’t mess with your opponent’s head by salting the dice game. Sure sometimes your opponent may be rolling really hot, but chances are if you think about it they are either the biggest dice cheaters in the world and belong in Vegas, OR more probably they are just rolling average like the rest of us. They may just be hitting the right averages when they need them. Think about it, the average of every 2D6 roll is supposedly 7.
So therefore every failed Custode armor save of “1” should in theory convert to a “6” on that next die roll when you really need it. Is that luck OR just rolling average, I’m sure at the time it seems very lucky, so don’t belittle their victory with statements like man you only won cause you rolled so hot, or things like the game would have gone differently had I rolled better…
That is not being a good sportsman and can make for some very awkward mid and post-game conversations. And most importantly, will make people not want to play with you in the future!
4. Just the Facts
After you roll a handful of dice what do you pull and why? Setting the standard early for pulling misses versus hits from a pile of dice can set your opponent at ease that you are not pulling any shenanigans. However, what do you do for hard-to-hit rolls versus easy rolls? Sometimes it’s better to grab out hits if your Overwatching for instance, but misses if your hitting with the standard bolter.
Looking your opponent in the eye and telling them what you are pulling and why is not only practical, it honors the social code of gaming! Just make sure you’re always following the standard you set early on.
3. Here Use Mine
Sometimes in a tournament setting it again be very practical to pull dice and just hand them to your opponent to roll, in order to speed things along. Time can be of the essence in some situations so sharing your dice can not only foster trust with your opponent, it can help move the game along as well. Especially if you’re rolling really hot, it can’t hurt to let them see the dice in a tourney.
2. Smells Like Team Spirit
Get these sweet dice from Adepticon here!
There are team or club dice out there whose designs are actually not correctly weighted. When they cut out a special image in the die face (usually in the “6” spot) it creates an unnatural probability of rolling that face because they become so much lighter than the other faces. This is a totally subjective thing, but it seems to widely accepted in the gaming community that it is real, and these dice do noticeably roll better.
Long story short it’s probably best to avoid using dice that have so much material removed on a facing that they seem to affect the probability of rolls you make with them. It’s just good sportsmanship to be as transparent as possible in these matters I feel like.
1. Cocked Dice
Probably one of the most annoying occurrences in-game is cocked dice! This, however, offers a great opportunity to set your opponent’s mind at ease about how trustworthy you’ll be to them. There are all sorts of things players seem to do to explain why a dice may be truly cocked or not, but in the end, I feel like as long as you are 100% consistent with your actions and apply that reasoning to every cocked dice, good or bad, you will have a great game and fortune shall smile on you yet.
Personally, I re-roll every cocked die. It’s an easy blanket rule to apply to everything and it’s 100% straightforward. But maybe if you got your opponent on the ropes you may want to go a step further and just choose NOT to re-roll that “1” on an armor save to help keep them from having an even worse game than what they are having. Sometimes it’s just all just a big judgment call, so go with your heart!
At the end of the day, I feel like it’s better to play WITH your opponents than AGAINST them. Some of the best games can be are ones when my opponents reacted in a good way to some craziness on the tabletop, and not the other way around.
Do you agree with the list? What is your least favorite way people roll dice?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
