What's /tg/s opinion on dice towers? Some players in my group use them and they seem pretty useful.
Is it worth getting one? And if so what kind? Anybody have tips about making one by hand?
>>44259857
Dice-rolling cups are better.
>>44259881
How so?
>>44259881
And dice poppers are even better yet.
>>44259899
>smaller and easier to transport
>more hands-on
>easier to customize how you see fit
>with the addition of a lid, can also be used to transport your dice
>>44259857
Helps to negate people doing crappy rolls for a fake result and prevents dice from spilling off the table.
>>44259899
Not that guy, but it looks less retarded
>>44259857
I used to have one before it was lost in a move. One player I had occasionally seriously hated the sound it made, so since I'm a nice guy I never used it there. It has the problem that I get lazy and leave all my dice in the tray part, so then when I roll more than one die at a time, I have trouble telling which I'd just rolled.
The big benefit is of course that your dice never ever have the chance of going crazy and bouncing off the table or landing cock-eyed or anything.
If I were to buy or make one, the big thing I'd want would be a little dice tray separate from the bottom of the tower dice landing area.
Sometimes furniture makers will just give you offcuts of their wood if you ask. Joinery isn't hard once you've got the basics of what joint to use for what kind of interaction.
>>44259899
Even as somebody who doesn't use them, they take up less space and look snazzy while still also giving you complete control over where your dice land.
>>44259857
>hard surfaces
>no felt/rubber cushioning
Dude, it's like he wanted to ruin the corners of his dice so they roll funny.
But dice towers are fun and a good way to keep the spaz in your group from losing your dice under the table all the time.
>>44260058
Are dice really that fragile? I'm a forgetful person so I wind up having to replace my dice about every year or so, but I don't think I've ever seen one get that worn down.
How hard is it to just shake your hand a bit and let go of a die?
>>44259857
>>44259881
I don't really get things that roll dice for you. Whats the difference to just shaking it in your hand and throwing it on the fucking table?
>>44260150
>>44260136
Removing some control over the dice roll allays paranoid people's concerns about cheating. It also (more importantly) stops people from accidentally rolling their dice off the table, which in many groups actively slows down play.
>>44260136
>>44260150
Keeps your dice from rolling off the table or landing in a weird spot. It also makes it harder to cheat rolls.
>>44260136
>>44260150
I see the appeal when you are playing something like optimized SR character where you are throwing shitloads of d6 to do thing you are good at.
they're fun toys but anybody who's played with one for more than a couple minutes knows that it becomes a pain in the ass
>>44259899
I don't know about players, but as a GM, a dice cup allows me to roll dice privately in more locations.
Example: Tonight I stood up and moved moved around the table to show a player a map. I also used my dice cup to block that player from seeing the results of my roll on an opponent's save.
I like the kind with a lid, too because they can be used to store a single set of dice or work as a miniature dice tray I you're not at a table or a smooth surface.
I also have small hands, so if I want to roll larger amounts of dice, I can just put them all in the cup and then let them loose! And as a matter of preference, dice cups are easier to store and transport. Plus they make a pleasant sound when you shake them, and they feel nice when you cup them in your hands and give them a shake-shake!
>>44260169
>>44260171
How hard is it to not roll a die of the table? Just fucking drop it form a small height. And why are you even playing with people who you don't trust to not cheat on dice rolls?
>>44260136
I've only encountered that kind of stuff playing 40k with randos trying to power game. Biggest benefit is really not having dice roll of the table or land cocked
>>44259899
I like the feeling of rolling dice in the cup. You roll them by doing a circular motion, then quickly press the top to the table and after everything stops moving inside, remove the cup. It's just fun IMO.
Besides, cups are handier than towers, and if you have some kind of lid for them, they can replace dice bags.
Some of them are very pretty too, and I don't mean the Q-Workshop crap.
>>44260257
An ounce of prevention and all that. And dice flying off the table is pretty common at my games
>>44259857
You can 3D print a tower
My friend made some that are pretty nice
Its about half the size of the one in op's pic
Its the only thing we use anymore
>>44260282
This Anon gets it!
>>44260100
It depends on the die, but they're just hard plastic, and that wears down, especially when it's struck against something harder. Moh's hardness scale applies; when two objects run up against each other, the harder one wins.
Casinos always have padded surfaces and replace 'em super fast. You don't need to be that paranoid in a casual setting, but if you're going to build a thing to roll your dice in, you might as well do it right.
>>44260169
It's not so paranoid. When I was younger I played with dice a TON and found I could influence the roll, and aim for one side. I couldn't get it all the time without rolling funny, but I could make that side come up way more often than chance by placing a given side up in my palm, holding the die that way while "shaking", and rolling it just right.
>>44260257
And this counts as "rolling funny." If I'm allowed to just drop it from a small height without the die rolling at least two flips, choosing the result becomes almost trivial.
Now, if they ever invented a dice tower that also sorted your dice by results THAT would be awesome. But I don't know how they could do that.
>>44260350
You'd need a visual sensor (or sensors) and a dice-face-detecting algorithm, plus moving parts to sort the dice accordingly.
At that point you'd be better off using a digital dice roller.
>>44260395
What about a set of dice that can detect which side landed on top and sending this data to a small computer that displays the results sorted however you like?
Like a small tablet that displays value, but you still physically roll the dice.
>>44260424
Then you have the challenge of crafting dice with such intricate parts inside that are still actually balanced.
Again, better off just using a digital dice roller.
They're gaudy, distracting, take up space on the table, take longer to roll with, and provide no real benefit over just rolling a die normally if you're not a retard.
>>44260424
Actually, I think someone was trying to do that recently. Someone was making computerized d6s to roll for games, and you could even program in the sides in case you wanted to use them for other games, like show a picture of a heart or something on a side.Don't remember it doing particularly well though...
>>44260481
>>44260481
>They're gaudy, distracting, take up space on the table, take longer to roll with, and provide no real benefit over just rolling a die normally if you're not a retard.
>no real benefit over just rolling a die normally if you're not a retard.
>not a retard.
The prosecution rests.
>>44260512
I know, I saw it on KS or Indiegogo, don't remember where exactly. These were electronic dice, probably greatly balanced and programmable. If I recall, they crowdfunded it successfully.
The things is to sort values. I know it's like rolling in a app, but you can feel the dice in your hand and that's something I personally like.
>>44259857
If I were to get a dice tower, it would be a complicated obnoxious Rube-Goldbergian thing. Does something like that exist?
>>44260785
Probably not for sale, you'd need to build it yourself.
>>44260282
I hate that flipping over motion you have to do with dice cups, very annoying. Nothing can beat the tactile sensation of shaking the dice in your hand and rolling them on the table. Mind you, a nice dice tray might be a good idea.
Maybe I'm just not that competitive, but I never felt the need in any of my groups to enforce a dice tower. A little dice pit/bowl thing to roll them in so they don't leave the table, sure. But I never go as far as to accuse anyone of cheating.
>>44260242
>I also have small hands
I'm really sorry, but I'm cracking up over here over that.
I never used them, but I'm considering getting this one, just because it's such a snazzy piece of terrain, especially for Infinity.
The shop I play at has one and we used it in our games. I love this thing.
The dice tower itself is not perfect though, dice can land inside the door, making it difficult to read the result. But I think moving the bottom slope up a bit will fix it.
>>44260257
>>44259857
You can make simple one out of foam core and toothpicks, with multiple plans available on the internet.
Pretty useful in my opinion as a wargamer. I don't have to worry about my dice going awry and knocking over miniatures, ending up cocked, or in some nook. This is especially true in terrain heavy games such as Infinity.
They also make the roll result abundantly clear to my opponent.
>>44261325
Between that and "shake-shake", anon became Mr Poopy Butthole by the time I was done reading.
>>44261464
but it's not even elbow macaroni.
>>44262269
See?
>>44259857
They're important if you roll on surfaces that fuck up the energy distribution of dice like glass.
Otherwise they are not nearly as good as rolling a die 7 to 8 inches.
Source: Gamescience
>>44260257
>just drop it from a small height
Which is not a proper roll.
>>44260257
This. Unless you're playing with somebody who is genuinely disabled in some way and they can't help tard flailing then this shit isn't needed.
Has it ever occurred to you people they might just ENJOY having a dice tower? Plenty of them look pretty cool.
And some tables are better for rolling than others. No matter how much you pretend only retards do it normal people accidentally throw dice on the floor pretty often, especially if its a table surface that only rolls properly with a bit of force in the throw.
What about, what would you call them, "dice runs"? "dice trays"? "dice areas"?
Edged trays, probably long and thin, lined with some soft surface like felt, which dice can be rolled in. Personally, with board games, I've often rolled dice in the upturned lid of the game's box.
>>44263133
I imagine your mother also told you that lots of normal adults wear diapers so you wouldn't feel bad.
>>44259857
Do you really need one? I mean in most cases where people get autistically in to their dice like D&D you're playing a collaborative story game so you actually don't need a 100% random dice anyway.
>>44261366
What is this fucking Hotwheels playset bullshit?
How do dice towers deal with something like a d10 dice pool? Will they work fine in most commonly available ones or would I need to scale it up to prevent the dice getting stuck in bunches?
Does anyone have any dice tower pdfs? I have only one, but it's kinda shitty.
>>44263766
I don't think you can rightly call any dice tower "common" but most of the designs I've seen tend to have rather small trays.
You might want to look for one with a bigger tray or perhaps no tray at all.
>>44261366
Is that a dice tower or Infinity scenery?
.
.
.
OR IS IT BOTH?
>>44259857
I think they share stupid. What's so hard about just rolling dice like a normal human being?
Less accessories and gimmicks at the table the better.
>>44265514
Sometimes a normal human being likes to build small projects for fun
Sometimes a normal human being is a cheating dickhole
