Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dice

Buying odd dice in bulk

Mozai — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:10:05 -0800

Where would I purchase dice in bulk? Not just six-sided dice you'd find in Risk or Monopoly, but tetraherdral (4-sided, pyramid) or dodecahedral (12-sided, cries itself to sleep)? It seems the cheapest place -- indeed, the source for many places -- is Chesshex. I was hoping for a better price than $0.55 per unit since my game idea requires 32-50 of the pyramid-shaped dice.

roll of the dice

ducksauce — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:46:23 -0800

Have you ever posted a job listing to dice.com? Is it worth it? I've used the site before as a job seeker and know that they have high quality jobs, but I was surprised to learn that they charge $400 per listing. If you've used it before, did you think it was worth the fee?

Help find a matching D20!

kavasa — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:54:28 -0800

My boyfriend has been looking for a while to find a D20 to match the rest of his dice. You can see a picture of the matchy ones and the offending, not-quite-matchy 20 here. When we first got the set he just picked them all out of a little jar on the store counter. When he asked about getting a matching 20, the lady working there said Chessex wasn't making them any more. We've of course done some looking around on the 'net, but without even knowing the name of the style, it's been tough. Thanks!

What are the chances of spinning a Yahtzee on the first roll?

R. Mutt — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:00:10 -0800

What are the chances of spinning a Yahtzee on the first roll? This happened during a real game and we wanted to find out what the odds were of it happening. (A Yahtzee is 5 dice of the same number.)

Too many versions of Liar's Dice!

pipti — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:34:34 -0800

When you play Liar's Dice, how do you play? Do you play that

1) each player gets five dice and makes calls on his own hand (this version)

2) that each player gets five dice and makes calls on the number of times a certain number appears on the whole table (this version) or

3) that there are five dice total--the caller (player 1) makes a call on what he has, player 2 chooses to accept or challenge, and if he accepts, those same five dice are slid to him under the cup to him to re-roll and try to better the hand (and bluff the player to his left).

In any case, how does the caller change from game to game? Do you roll a die and the highest number goes first each time, or does the role of the caller just pass to the left each time, like in cards?

Also, in version 1 (and maybe 2 and 3): What if no one challenges? Who wins then? Do all expose their hands and the highest hand takes the pot? Is there an ante each game/is there a bet with each call?

Thanks in advance. If you don't know the answers to all of these questions, don't let that stop you from answering some of them!

Dice games with other than d6 dice?

hpliferaft — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:12:52 -0800

I just picked up a rare d5 and d7 to augment my rpg dice collection. I want to use them, but for more than just table-top rpgs. Are there any dice games that are played with more than just d6 dice?

What is a good sample size for determining whether dice are truly random?

Bugbread — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:41:41 -0800

How many times would I have to roll a standard 6-sided die to get a statistically representative view of whether it was truly random or not? I have a bunch of dice that I haven't used in years. The other day, I was playing with one, and I noticed that the 5 came up fairly often. I started rolling the die and writing down the results, to see if it was just a short term statistical fluke, or observer bias, or if the die really favored the 5.

I think I ended up rolling it around 200 times, and 5 definitely had a significant edge.

Now, I'd like to check my other dice. However, I'm not a statistician. I understand that, obviously, the larger your data set (the more times you roll each die and write down the results), the better your analysis of non-randomness will be. However, I know that it isn't necessary to roll the die 1 billion times to check for randomness, that there is some generally accepted statistical minimum, below which the margin of error is too large, and above which the margin of error is generally considered acceptable.

How many die rolls is that point?

complex dice probability make head esplode

DetonatedManiac — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:52:56 -0800

I need a tool to help me analyze the probability of certain events occurring regarding a pool of X dice for a game I am creating. See my examples below. I am looking for a dice statistics program or, baring that, a set of formulas I could input into excel, that can answer the following questions. Graphing capabilities are a plus.

Some of the events I want to analyze:

1) The probability that, from a pool of X dice, Y dice can be chosen by a player such that the sum of the Y dice is equal or lesser than a number N.

2) Related to the previous question; of the pools that succeed what is the distribution of how close they are to hitting N, (for instance, if the sum of Y dice is 10 and the number the player was aiming for was 12 then they are only off by 2).

3) In a pool of X dice How likely is it that there will be Z sets of doubles (say two 6s or snake eyes) and, more specifically, what are the chances of getting a specific set of doubles (say just snake eyes).

I am pretty statistics theory inept (never took it in school) but I am average to above average with math in general... basically please keep any advice in laymen terms as much as possible. Thanks

I need help finding a really nice set of dice for playing D&D

paulus andronicus — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:17:31 -0800

D&DFilter: I want to buy my girlfriend a very nice set of dice for her to use when she plays D&D. But I don't know what kinds of dice she needs, nor do I know what separates nice dice from very nice dice. Wikipedia says most role playing games use 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d12, 1d20, and 2d10. She showed me what she called a "standard set" of dice once and I seem to recall 2d8, and no d12, but I am probably misremembering. What should I be looking for?

What makes nice dice nice? I've talked to her some about what kind of jewelry she likes (because I figured some nice dice may be made of stone). Her birthstone is emerald, but she doesn't like it very much, she prefers opal or turquoise. I googled a bit and saw some dice made of bone. I asked about that and she thinks it's kind of creepy.

At one point she had some "Aurora Borealis" dice (or maybe just "Borealis") that she was really in love with.

Any ideas? Thanks!

Identify this dice game (+ German regional word variation)

billtron — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:56:02 -0800

Do you know the dice game that goes by the names "10000", "dadi a mano" or "nusht"? My friend learned it from his Canadian Mennonite family and said that nusht is low German for "nicht." Anyway, I digress. Do you know the game? What do you call it? Do your rules vary?

They cast them alright, but how?

Skyanth — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 04:36:38 -0800

In historical fiction (movies or books), if people in places of ill repute or just in the pub are "playing dice", usually for money, which game(s) exactly are they playing and how could I find out how to play them myself?

Suggestion for best offline role-playing game?

It ain't over yet — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 10:05:24 -0800

Suggestion for best offline role-playing game? To give to a geek who is not living up to his true geek potential. Game should obviously be tons of fun, and relatively easy to learn.

What is the origin and significance of furry dice?

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 12:18:52 -0800

What is the origin and significance of furry dice (or fuzzy dice), which some motorists hang from their rear-view mirror?

What are the odds? Craps vs. Blackjack

srboisvert — Thu, 23 Sep 2004 12:50:59 -0800

Which game has better odds: Craps or Blackjack and why?