40K: Rolling Digital Dice – Competitive Pros & Cons
Hey everyone! Adam, here to talk about using dice rolling apps for 40k, and what to look out for.
Everyone Get a Re-roll!
The last few editions of the game have had an effect on the number of dice that we roll. In previous editions, even with armies that have a lot of shooting, or alot of close combat attacks, you were always able to finish the roles in a timely manner. There was never really an issue with the amount of dice you had to roll. As 7th edition progressed, with the addition of formations especially, we started to see a rise in the number of dice being used for both close combat and shooting attacks. That edition also gave armies access to re-rolls. Not just a once in a while re-roll, but a large number of ways to get re-rolls for the whole army. This caused an increase in playing time as people were re-rolling just about every roll in the game.
Enter 8th Edition
This trend seemed to drop off a little once 8th edition was launched. As time progressed, and the codexes were released, you started to see the re-roll mechanic become available for everyone again. Combined this with an increase in the number of shot, and the number of close combat attacks, and it actually made the game longer to play. With a time limit for games at almost all tournaments, you were seeing games only go to turn three, with a few on occasion only going to turn two! As a result of this, and because of the use of chess clocks, people have begun using dice apps to make some of the rolls that literally required rolling over a hundred dice. This week we will look at the general feeling of those that use a dice app and some people that actually refuse to let their opponent to use an app.
GW’s Dice App
For those that may not be aware, Games Workshop actually did have a dice app for people to use, call Assault Dice. Don’t bother looking as it is no longer available on Google Play or Apple App Store. It was very slick looking and used a physics engine so that the dice actually “rolled”. I didn’t find the user interface very intuitive but once you knew how things worked it was a really good app. It was, or still is I believe, the only official app allowed at certain events. There was little concern about it being hackable, because it used a physics engine similar to those used by casinos, but there seemed to be a slight issue. When you added a die to roll it would sometimes hit a die that was on the board and change the result of that die. People would just have to be cautious about added extra dice to a roll. Even with that, there didn’t seem to be too much trouble with the app. Since it is no longer available, be sure to try to keep it, if you have it, because once you lose it, it’s gone.
3rd Party Dice Apps
Now there are plenty of other third party dice apps out there. The concern about them being able to be hacked is what holds a lot of tournament organizers back in regards to endorsing one over another. Some people don’t trust any of the non-Games Workshop apps so don’t allow any other brand at their events. I can’t really recommend one app over another as I don’t play armies that use a lot of dice or re-rolls. If you don’t have the Games Workshop version, then you may want to talk to your local tournament organizer and see if they even allow any other type of dice app. If they do, be sure to ask them what app to use for that event. Remember that each event is different, so what may be good at one event may not be allowed at another. You may even end up with a number of different dice rolling apps at the end of the year.
Old School Dice
There are times when you may even run into the type of player that stubbornly won’t allow any apps to be use. Whether it is Games Workshop official or not, they want to make the players actually roll all 200+ dice and then re-roll them. Their argument for this is that the player chose to play this type of army. They knew that the army that they are playing has this issue with massive number of attacks. The use of any type of dice app, whether official or not, is seen as a way to circumnavigate the system and puts them at a better advantage over players that may choose a more elite army with fewer models, so that they don’t use up their time with so many attacks. This attitude can be seen as a bit petty or trying to gain an advantage, but I can see some reason for this line of thinking. Be that as it may it really is up to you if you want to use, or allow, someone to use a dice app.
~That’s all for this week. I hope you enjoyed the article. Let us know what you think, and what dice apps you use, in the comments section below.
