Average dice, a history?

[martin goddard]

Many years ago there were average dice.
A dice marked 2,3,3,4,4,5.

I think they first came into use with WRG ancients.
I used them in many ancient games of 3rd, 4th and 5th edition.
Not sure if they made it into DBM? I just cannot remember.

The average dice had the numbers in written not spot form and tended to rub off a lot.
They were green and blue letters.

Anyone able to add more information or anecdotes (stories)?
Are they dead?
Are they still available?


martin

[NTM (Nigel)]

Definitely still available but not used in any sets of rules I have

https://www.thediceshoponline.com/specialist-dice/average-dice.html

I have a set somewhere green and red iirc

Nigel

[Colonel Kilgore]

I still have some. I must have the deluxe version as the numbers don't rub off.

I don't believe they were used in DBA / DBM  DBMM / DBR etc.

As a non-statistician, I thought the idea was quite neat.

I must remember to add a few into the mix the next time Stewart needs a 6...

Simon

[Spartacus]

Mine have indented numbers--never rubbed off.

Terry

[John Watson]

I remember using them back in the day for WRG rulesets prior to DBM/DBR. George Gushes renaissance rules (1st and 2nd editions) used them as did Phil Barker's Ancient rules up to and including 6th edition. The main purpose of their use seemed to be to distinguish between regular (trained) troops and irregular (untrained) troops. So the regulars would get less erratic results. It used to be fun taking a test to charge with, say, Vikings who were irregular and trying to get them uncontrolled, which would give them a big melee bonus. For this you rolled 2 d6 and added/subtracted factors. You needed about 11 or 12 to succeed. With Roman legionaries you would you 2 dAve so getting them uncontrolled was harder as their top score on the dice was 10. So you had to rely on the factors to bump up your score. Conversely if you threw badly the Vikings were more likely to refuse to charge than the steadier Romans. Same with shooting. Regulars were more likely to ensure a steady stream of casualties on their opponent. Irregulars could be devastating or rubbish. Liked the concept sit was nice and simple (like me) but the rest of the rules left a lot to be desired.
As far as I know average dice are not much used these days, but I could be wrong.
John

[Lluis of Minairons]

I still have a handful of them, that have seen no use for at least two decades. I miss them too.

[Leman (Andy)]

I still use them in the Osprey Honours of War SYW rules.

[Noggin]

I still have quite a few of them, never had any issues with wear and tear. Still use them with some of the rule sets I use.

Nick

[pbeccas (Paul)]

I have a couple but I don't think I have ever used them.

[Smoking gun]

They were used at the Grimsby Wargames Society with a set of club rules, I can't remember which ones though. I edited my copy as average dice were described as D5 not Daverage. D5 to me meant D10 divided by 2.

I've still got a pair in my dice box.

Best wishes,
Martin Buck

[martin goddard]

The faces on aD6 add up to 21.
How about a D6 which can have any values so long as the faces add up to 21.
The numbers wold still be limited to 1,2,3,4,5,6

e.g.
6, 6,6,1,1,1
Might be a lot of fun in a game?


martin

[Colonel Kilgore]

That's actually quite an interesting idea, Martin, and could represent one's attitude to risk.

The "death or glory" player would have more 6,6,6,1,1,1 dice. The more conservative player would prefer 4,4,4,3,3,3. Others might define theirs differently. There might then be a mix of such special dice vs. the normal D6 in a given "bucket of dice".

This could be one way to model historical generals' traits in a transparent way?

Simon

[Nick]

I have a couple average dice. I'm sure they were used in a ruleset in the past but I forget which.
Also have a pair of "extreme" dice with facings 6,6,5,2,1,1. Never used them though.

Nick

[Leslie BT]

So who knows the history of percentage dice?