WFB: It’s Time to Play – Part 10: They Are Just Dice
Dice Etiquette – Now this may sound like an odd topic for an article – but trust me!
You would be surprised to realize how many discrepancies and arguments occur while playing Warhammer because of dice. Strangely enough in WFB there is an important etiquette that needs to be learned.
Why?
I was playing a Fantasy game not too long ago where my opponent had a set of dice that were a mottled color of green and black and the pips (spots) were black. Guess how well I could see what he rolled? I pretty much had to take his word for it that he was rolling what he claimed he was.
Another opponent always rolls their dice behind a terrain piece where I can’t see what he is rolling.
I am a trusting person but I caught an opponent once using similar dice tricks to cheat and now I always wonder how many games I lose because of dice etiquette failures. It also means when I play Warhammer I am extra careful about being up front with my dice and teaching any new to the game opponents some dice etiquette.
While not everyone does these things I thought that since this is a “Getting Started” series that I should bring some things to the attention of those who might not know and remind those who should know.
Dice Etiquette:
Rule #1:
Always roll your dice on an area of the board where your opponent can see them.
Rule #2:
If you like having fancy colored dice to match your army (like I do), be they mottled/marbled or opaque you should check with your opponent before you war if they are ok with the dice you have plans to use, especially if the pips are hard to see. This means having a second set to offer if they express a concern about them.
Rule #3:
When you make a dice roll and need to remove dice start by taking out the misses not the hits. It allows your opponent to actually see how many hits you got before you pick them up.
Rule #4:
A cocked dice is not just any dice not sitting flat. A cocked dice is one that if you were to put a dice on top of it would slide off. So that dice that is resting on the edge of the forest footplate may very well not be cocked. If unsure discuss with your opponent before picking it up.
Rule #5:
Be clear what you are rolling for. In most games people just pay attention and are aware of what their opponent is rolling for all the time, but there are some of us easily distracted that sometimes get lost as to whether we’re rolling to hit, to wound, armor saves….if you’re playing against someone who is distracted make sure your clear as to what you are rolling for.
Rule #6:
Poison, killing blow, heroic killing blow….various types of rules have different criteria. Make sure you tell your opponent which one you are affected by, don’t just set rolls of 6 aside and tell them they don’t get saves.
Rule #7:
Don’t touch other people’s dice. There are an incredible amount of people who are superstitious about who handles their dice. As a result it’s just a good idea not to handle someone else’s dice unless they ask you to.
They are just Dice
Don’t get so caught up in the rest of playing a Fantasy Game that you forget that the dice determine as much as every tactical decision of the controlling player. Your dice might fail you, they might roll above average, but no matter what they are just dice and you can always get more. Don’t sacrifice a good Fantasy game experience because your dice aren’t doing what you want them to.
What other dice etiquette would you add to the list?
