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Precision dice are not random dice!

Posted By: Phil Simborg
Date: Wednesday, 24 August 2016, at 4:14 p.m.

In Response To: P-40 Announced new Dice App (sebalotek)

One of the reasons for the development of an electronic dice app is that we don't comoletely trust physical dice. Aside from the dangers of loaded dice and dice mechanics, even precision dice cannot be completely trusted.

The engineers at the P-40 team have done extensive studies of precision dice provided by several reputable and popular sources. They have conducted tens of thousands of rollouts. Across the board it has been found that ALL dice favor one number over another! the tolerances are simply not perfect, and there is no true “random” dice on the market at this time that we know of. In time we believe it will be proven, by testing, that electronic dice are actually more random than physical dice.

While I personally believe that most people are not aware of exactly what numbers their particular set of dice favor, from the standpoint of true fairness and peace of mind, I would suggest that in live events with physical dice, the players each provide one die (or two dice if 4 are used) or that the dice be provided by the tournament director, and even those should be mixed regularly. In the end, once it is proven that electronic dice are more random, as well as the other advantages of making it even harder to cheat (as well as problems reading the dice, cocked dice, dice on the floor, incessant shaking, not shaking enough, etc.) I believe it is quite possible that electronic dice will become the preferred method in the future.

Yes, I know, we love the game the way it is. We love to shake the dice and roll them bones. But the next generation will probably not feel that way and electronic dice could be an improvement in many ways. For now, let’s keep an open mind, keep looking at options, and not be afraid to explore innovations which might be improvements. In any case, electronic dice will clearly be better for people with physical or sight disabilities; they may be an improvement for streamed and recorded matches; and they may provide other benefits such as a compete record of rolls and syncing with software such as XG for future transcription programs.

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