Average Dice; who, what, why?

[Big Mike]

I agree with Martin that just using a D6 is a simpler option, with various combinations of rolls, rerolls etc to modify extremes.
One idea is to roll 3 D6 and take the the score from just one die. This could be the highest, lowest or intermediate scoring die depending on the issue at hand. Of course the dice may not be obliging enough to give 3 different results to choose from!
Mike

[steve_holmes_11]

I agree with Martin that just using a D6 is a simpler option, with various combinations of rolls, rerolls etc to modify extremes.
One idea is to roll 3 D6 and take the the score from just one die. This could be the highest, lowest or intermediate scoring die depending on the issue at hand. Of course the dice may not be obliging enough to give 3 different results to choose from!
Mike

This is almost how Dungeons and Dragons now handles advantage and disadvantage.

The "to hit" (armour class) of target remains the same.
Advantage: Roll 2 dice and use the higher.
Normal: Roll one die.
Disadvantage: Roll 2 dice and use the lower.


But in a wargame we are rolling dice more frequently - because we are the Grande Armee, or the light division, while in D&D we're just Drongo the halfling ranger.

Which brings me to the why.
If your game requires a very simple distribution curve, with a few possible outcomes (Miss, hit, critical hit) you can roll average dice for every roll.
No need to fiddle about counting how many dice for this action, sided dice for that action, or whether to ignore the red dice unless both white dice hit or .....

It removes a level of "game churn".
Some players feel this speeds up the game, feels decisive, and keeps the player's mind on the two armies.

[Leman (Andy)]

An alternative is to use a normal D6 and count a 1 as a 3 and a 6 as a 4. That surely won't confused anyone? F

Simon

It works, but it does mean you have to do that extra bit of think, and that does actually slow a game down. The red and green arabic numbered D5s are the best option, if your rules require them. There are points above that I agree with, others I disagree with, and some number theory thingies that mean as much to me as the sayings of Confucius in the original Mandarin. However, suffice to say, the games I play more than any other these days are Square Bashing and Honours of War because I find the systems used both enjoyable and understandable.

[mellis1644]

ADLG uses a slight modified die roll for elite and mediocre troops. Basically elites add 1 to poor rolls (less than or equal to 3) mediocre troops take one away from high rolls. This does IMO give a better reflection of those troops than a straight addition to the dice.