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Touch Move Compromise - take pictures

Posted By: Colin Owen
Date: Friday, 6 December 2013, at 1:49 a.m.

In Response To: Touch Move Compromise - take pictures (Igor)

I don't think that clocks and baffle boxes are completely different things in one important respect, and that is that they standardise key features of the game.

In the absence of a clock, we may disagree over how much time it is reasonable to take over our plays. In the absence of a baffle box we may also disagree as to what constitutes a bona fide random roll. Many rule sets do not specify what constitutes a shake, and/or how many are required. Even where rules do specify this, it may be that it is unclear as to whether the requirement has been met. Did the player really shake up and down or was it more side to side. Where they three very rapid shakes or only two? Did the player look in the cup? Were the dice released at least x inches/cm above the board?

With a box there are far fewer grey areas. A cup should be used. Shaking is far less important or even simply irrelevant. Watch the player roll - which you need to do anyway in the absence of a box - to make sure both dice go into the opening. Sorted.

I would like to point out another definite advantage of a baffle box. This is to do with whether the dice were released simultaneously, or near enough. I believe that some rules make the simultaneous requirement without defining it in any way. Better rules state that if one die hits the board before the other leaves the cup then that is not valid. With a baffle box, basically if one dice leaves the cup before the other hits the board then its fine. As it takes a second or so for dice to pass through a baffle box, this practically eliminates all such scenarios. In the absence of a box I have experienced many occasions of great ambiguity in this area.

It really should not be necessary to do thousands of rolls through a baffle box, and thousands of rolls from a lipped cup to ascertain any parameters. For one thing, there are techniques whereby a die is held outside of the cup, near the opening, before dropping onto the board. It don't work with a baffle box! I have heard about dropping dice just in front of the box, as opposed to through it. If you pay attention you will know whether the dice went in and through; the sound would also indicate this. But a die dropped from just in front of the opening of a box must fall the height of that box. Dice surreptitiously released from just outside of a cup straight onto the board might be released from almost any height.

If, hypothetically, you had to play a match for massive stakes, and were warned that your opponent - though he may appear to follow the shaking/rolling requirements - was actually a very skilled dice mechanic, I'm sure you would insist upon a box if you had the right to do so. I seriously doubt that you would let the absence of any scientific testing sway your decision.

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