This is a loaded question( Loaded?…Dice?…get it?) There are many different rollers out there. There are online/digital and physical towers? We will discuss the benefits to both sides and see what is better? if any?
All dice are loaded!
You may not like to think about it, but it’s true. No dice are so perfectly made so that they don’t have a bit of a bias. There are many ways you can try get that one stubborn dice to roll something other than a 9 (or a dreaded 1 of all things), from rolling backwards, putting it in a dice jail, some rituals to give it a spin of good luck, but nothing throws in the random element quite like a good dice roller.
What do you want, Digital or Tower Roller?
I keep seeing question online about What is the best Dice Rollers? Well, are you talking about digital rollers or your Dice towers? both have their advantages and disadvantages. Now with any question on the internet, there are a lot of different sides and reasoning to the answer.
Digital Rollers.
I’ll start with the digital, as there is so much more out there and this will look into the various sites out there that offer the option to roll dice for you. This will include things like options of dice – reliable random outcome and overall usability of the site.
https://www.wizards.com/dnd/dice/dice.htm
This dice roller, provided by Wizards of the Coast themselves, was made specifically with D&D in mind. It’s not pretty but the interface is simple, and it has all the dice usually present on a D&D table available, as well as a single customisable one. It has the benefit of being able to add a modifier, so if you know your barbie’s standard attack damage is 1d12+8, you can put that right in there and get the math done for you. The downsides are that it otherwise is a very limited tool, and is just really unpleasant to look at.
Ugh. This one’s great for exactly one purpose: character creation. The interface is painfully minimal, to the point where it’s more effort to use because it’s so simple. There are a lot more preset dice available out the gate than the one provided by Wizards, but it doesn’t have the ability to make one with a custom amount of sides, for whatever reason you might need one that’s not already there. The one great feature is the fact that you can do multiple runs of multiple rolls, like the 3d6 (or 4d6 drop) for character creation, meaning you can get an entire attribute array out in just a few clicks.
A great option for someone looking for a basic roller they can use for their games. This dice roller has a lot in common with the Wizards roller, only the options are a lot more fleshed out. It also has a dedicated section for the various rule variants for stat rolls – all except the 5d6 drop 2, for those of you whose dm is a total pushover or simply certifiable
THIS ONE IS AMAZING. Not to show bias, but this is the Dice roller used by our resident dm, for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s got more options than any other dice roller that’s been found so far, from number and size of dice to dropping options and modifiers, to explosions (super handy for SWd6 or Open Legend players). It also has a seed setter, so you can even share rolls if you’re playing an online session on TTS or skype.
Tower Rollers.
Now, Towers roller will not have any stats to base your opinion on, as at the end of the day – it’s just a tower? These towers do however allow you to personalise your player setup. If like most serious RPG players, you have more than just one set of dice, then you know that having a set that looks cool or different from anyone else can be the reason you choose to use the dice in a battle or campaign. Having a tower that looks really good can make you or your luck seem that much better.
It’s also worth noting that the design of dice can influence its bias. Metal dice with engraved numbers will have some sides heavier than others, and spindown dice are right out – the traditional layout of dice is designed to balance out the weight of higher numbered sides versus the lower, and spindowns completely go against that concept. (They’re loaded toward the 20, so DM’s be careful about your players using these, and don’t get any ideas.) Milky, patterned and transparent dice are also more biased in seemingly random ways. For a truly random dice, plain colour with pips instead of numbers are first prize, but even those are rarely perfect.
Conclusion.
Both Digital and Towers have their benefits – it really comes down the type of game you are playing and really, the space you have to play with? I personally prefer using dice – something physical I can roll – I believe that this does bring the full essence of Dungeons and Dragons to life – the reasons for this can also be found here. These Dice Towers just allow you to use your dice on a small and limited area of play. Plus, being able to customise your towers give you that little bit of individuality as a player., which coincides with the dice you use.
What do you think? Let us know below – what’s your favourite? Dice Tower or Digitals?
0 Comments