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Get a spirt on, Phil - these numpties are baffled!
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: Get a spirt on, Phil - these numpties are baffled! *NM* (Mr Majestyk)
Date: Thursday, 15 March 2012, at 2:19 p.m.
Just because I have 35 years of experience using baffle boxes and playing with them and designing them and personally trying every method I possibly could to find to cheat does not make me the last word on baffle boxes, but I would venture to say that I do have some knowledge in this area. So let me outline my thoughts on the various subjects related to the box.
1. I agree with Stick on every point and I too, have made a career of studying the rules and rewriting them in every game, sport or business I have ever been involved in. It is just stupid not to know the rules so that I can be sure to abide by them and make sure my opponent's do to. I am the AUTHOR of the modern rules of Racquetball and Handball. I am the AUTHOR of the Standards of Ethical Practice for the U.S. National Assn. of realtors; and I am the primary author of the USBGF's Standards of Ethical Practice. I am 50% done with a completely rewirtten version of the rules for tournament backgammon...rules I have despised and been vocal about for 40 years because of the ambiguity and lack of guidelines for infractions which allow different tournament directors to interpret each rule as they please. As for baffle boxes, the rules we have for our chouette are perfect. They work well, and we NEVER have a problem. We use cups. The first roll you don't have to use a cup. You always roll through the box, even the first roll. Even when players use the same color dice on the first roll we've never had a problem knowing who rolled which die except on the rare occasion they both were dropped into the box at the same time. We have a rule that if someone rolls first and THEN the other player drops the die into the box and hits the first die, the number on the first die stands. Again, never had a problem or argument in 35 years. We have this rule not because we think someone is talented enough and nasty enough to aim for someone else's die, but because we want to eliminate any idiot from thinking someone really did try this and tried to do it on purpose.
2. I know that people have been able to set the dice and affect the outcome out of a baffle box but 1) it's pretty obvious when they are doing this, just like it's obvious at a crap table when someone is trying to set the dice and roll a certain way to think they can get a special roll; 2) this problem is eliminated with dice cups; 3) this problem is eliminated if the dice are dropped into the box instead of gently laid into the box; 4) this problem is eliminated if you have a good baffle box where the dice are forced to tumble in, tumble different directions (whether it misses the first baffle or not), and tumble out of the box and bounce and roll on to the board. My new box accomplishes this. It is a NON ISSUE. Forget that someone in LA 20 years ago was able to do this on a poorly-designed baffle box.
3. It does not take more time on your clock to use a box...it SAVES TIME to rarely have cocked dice and never have them on the floor.
4. People who object the the box because they love to shake the dice simply have not played enough with the box. You still get to shake the dice and you still get that same motion and feeling of shaking while you are thinking about what roll you need and whether you should double or what you want for lunch or whatever the hell you think about while you are shaking. You simply drop them into a different place. I have found that easily 75% of the people who have strong objections to using the box have not tried it, or only tried it once. I have also found that 75% of the people who try a box for a while prefer it. After the first time I used it, I never wanted to play without it, and the only reason I went into the box business was because I hated playing without it and no one else was making them.
5. It really makes the game look more professional. This part is my opinion of course, and others might not see it this way, but when people at the bar or restaurant or even tournaments see us using a box they think and say, "Wow, these guys really take the game seriously." It looks nice and the sound is nice and seeing the dice come out of the box and land cleanly every time just looks a lot nicer that watching some guys roll funny, throw dice all over the place, roll 3 or 4 cocked dice in a row because they aren't able to control themselves enough to roll a little more gently. It stops those petty arguments about people not shaking their dice. It stops those people who sit there and shake for 60 seconds. It stops those suspicious looks when someone rolls 6-6 twice in a row. It stops me from having to be a "bad guy" and tell my opponent I don't like the way he isn't shaking, or the way he's laying the dice on the board without dropping them, or the way he's laying his cup on the board when he rolls, or the way he's hitting his dice against the middle bar in a way the dice hardly get rolled. I have seen friendships lost over this crap. I don't want to have to police my opponents, but I also want to be sure I am getting a fair roll out of them whether they are cheaters or not. It pisses me off when my opponent rolls doubles on the bear off and doesn't shake the next time, and when he rolls 2-1 he shakes the hell out of them. Maybe he's not technically a cheater, but in my mind he's taking shots at me and I don't like that. The baffle box ends all of those concerns.
Lastly, I believe the box SHOULD BE REQUIRED if either player wants one and one is available. Even an inferior box with cups is better than no box with cups. For someone to tell me they just don't like the box and won't use it, currently, is their right under the rules and I am a person who lives and dies by the rules, but I must tell you, I resent it. I think it's rude. There are no compelling reasons not to use the box except "I don't like it" and there are many compelling reasons to use it, listed above. And to say no after I have gone to the trouble to buy the box and schlep it to a tournament and to say know when they know I strongly prefer it, is just not nice to me as a fellow competitor. I will let them have virtually ANY REASONABLE REQUEST they want. They want to bear off on the right, fine. They want the red checkers, fine. They want the bigger dice (which I really don't prefer), fine. They want to play in the other room where it's quieter, fine. They want me to start 15 minutes late so they can get some food, if it's okay with the TD, that's fine. They want to use a clock, even though it isn't mandatory, fine. Why not be a nice guy...we're friends and friendly competitors. I expect the same from them relative to a simple, fair request like using a box. Someday, I hope they won't have the choice.
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