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BGonline.org Forums
Alternate 'Flat Dice' Proposal
Posted By: Albert Steg
Date: Tuesday, 14 February 2017, at 3:00 a.m.
What if, instead of ushering in the new 'flat dice' rule that's generated so much controversy, the powers that be had changed the rules in a different way?
"A player is to shake his or her cup vigorously and roll them onto the playing surface, where, so long as they come to rest flat on the surface of either playing field, they shall be deemed valid."
So, they can roll out on the right side, or the left side, or one on either side -- so long as they're flat on the playing surface (not on checkers) the roll stands.
To my eye, this would solve some of the problems we're hearing about: no problem handicapping the person rolling into the bear off quadrant. No wrangling over dipped checkers or semi-flat scenarios. And from my experience, rolling 'over the bar' costs just as much time -- more, probably -- as rolling 'flatly' onto checkers.
It wouldn't solve the problem of online viewers not knowing who's on roll . . . but a clock might increasingly be the solution to that problem, insofar as it is a problem.
This approach would also be more palatable in a new era of "one pair of dice" play (an innovation that is enjoying popular acceptance) -- since the major reason for rolling "on your own side" must surely be to avoid rolling on top of your opponent's dice before they are picked up.
I'm suggesting this not so much as a serious proposal, but as a counter-example of a rule-change that might have just as much going for it as the newly enacted 'flat-rule' standard. I genuinely do wonder whether this might have been a less controversial rule change, all things considered.
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