| Here is a collection of "Dice Advice" for | | | | rituals et cetera. In it they outline a |
| your edification and amusement. Do with it | | | | method of blessing a die by rubbing it on the |
| what you will. No guarantees. Some of these | | | | signature of a famous gamer... complete with |
| ideas seemed to make sense to me for a while. | | | | diagrams! Be sure to check it out.Rubbing |
| But then some other completely contradictory | | | | your dice on someone's head is a way of |
| instruction comes along and it too makes | | | | blessing the dice. Apparently red-headed |
| sense, in its own superstitious way. The | | | | people are not good luck though. (I don't |
| whole thing is rather confusing. Read on and | | | | understand this at all. Some of my best |
| you'll see what I mean.What to wear: | | | | friends are redheads!)Cleansing dice of bad |
| | | | luck is another method of blessing your dice. |
| Never thought about the best things to wear | | | | This can be done by burying them in salt, or |
| while gaming? Well don't worry, you don't | | | | washing them in cold water or mineral water. |
| have to get dressed up to have good luck. In | | | | (Holy water might work extra well, but maybe |
| fact, according to the traditional stories | | | | not for evil characters.) Just don't use |
| surrounding the game of Craps, "Dirt brings | | | | alcohol to remove bad luck from your dice... |
| luck. Wear dirty clothes and you'll be | | | | it may remove the ink from the numbers too! |
| lucky." (Hey, that explains that odd odour | | | | Of course, cleansing dice when they have been |
| wafting out of my local game store the other | | | | performing well, would be counterproductive. |
| day. There must have been a lot of REALLY | | | | You'll only be washing away the good luck |
| lucky gamers in there!)Where to sit: | | | | (and all that "lucky dirt"!).A "friend of a |
| | | | friend" used to put his dice in his mouth and |
| Well, sitting on a handkerchief while gaming | | | | spit them onto the table, for good luck. |
| is supposed to be lucky. (Best not to combine | | | | No-one ever borrowed his dice. Another |
| this one with the "Dirt brings luck" | | | | person, used to keep her dice down her bra. |
| concept... e astride your chair is lucky too. | | | | "Boobs bring luck!" she maintains.Punishment: |
| (Tipping your chair back is not lucky | | | | |
| however, especially when we were teenagers | | | | "Bad dice! Go sit in a corner and think |
| and anyone's mother caught us doing it. | | | | about what you've done." Uncooperative dice |
| Ouch.)Storing Dice: | | | | can be coaxed, cleansed, blessed or... |
| | | | punished for their bad deeds. Some folks will |
| "Never leave a d20 sitting with the #1 | | | | leave the offending dice at home when they go |
| facing up. It will get used to sitting that | | | | out to play: "House Arrest". Some gamers will |
| way, and roll 1's more often." The | | | | bring the dice to the game, but not let them |
| "scientific" excuse for this belief says that | | | | out of the dice bag. The bad dice have to sit |
| there is a "molecular drift" or "dice creep" | | | | there listening to their other dice friends |
| due to gravity, causing the die to become | | | | having fun and rolling merrily, while they |
| bottom heavy. This would make more sense if | | | | sit in the dark. Other bad dice get out of |
| dice were semi-liquid, but last time I | | | | the bag, but have to sit on the sidelines and |
| checked all my dice were solid. Check yours | | | | WATCH the other dice frolicking around. |
| now, just to be sure.On the other hand, "If | | | | (That's really too cruel, I think. It reminds |
| you leave a d20 sitting with the 20 facing | | | | me of high school gym class, when I so often |
| up, it will get tired of being that way, and | | | | waited for the turn that never came. Sniffle. |
| seldom roll any 20's." Hmmm. Besides, how can | | | | Sob. I'll be okay in a minute.)The worst |
| I tell which way all those dice jumbled up in | | | | things I've ever heard of people doing to |
| my dicebag are sitting all week between | | | | poor unsuspecting dice are, a) putting them |
| games? Oh, such anxiety! I think I need a | | | | in the toilet (not flushing though), b) |
| transparent dicebag!Where to throw the dice: | | | | ejecting them into the atmosphere with a |
| | | | slingshot, and c) taking a blow torch to |
| Well, on the table is good... but not just | | | | them. (This latter, as a dice lover, I regard |
| any table. Highly polished tables are bad | | | | as outright murder. "Someone call the cops, |
| luck... something to do with mirrors | | | | an innocent die is dying!" The dice, in this |
| reversing things, giving you the opposite of | | | | case, actually were innocent, and not "bad |
| what you want I guess.But having the dice | | | | dice" at all. They were sacrificed to the |
| roll off the table onto the floor is bad luck | | | | gods of luck in order to bring good fortune |
| too. When playing Craps the next roll after | | | | to a newly created character.)Testing Dice: |
| that is sure to be a 7 (the least desirable | | | | |
| number). Plus you might lose the die, a) in | | | | I'm not talking about Chi Squared tests |
| the cat's dish, b) down the heating vent, c) | | | | here. That's for another article.I'm talking |
| amongst the collection of cheesies, chip | | | | about testing the loyalty, balance and |
| crumbs and dust-bunnies under the gaming | | | | general luckiness of dice through such highly |
| table. Any bad luck associated with the dice | | | | rigorous methods as "dice stacking". During a |
| falling off the table can be remedied by | | | | lull in the game, stack up your dice on top |
| having the "Dealer", or the in our case the | | | | of one another. If any fall off the stack |
| GM, pick up the errant die and give it back | | | | they are obviously not very loyal to you, |
| to you. Of course, some GM's don't like to | | | | making you look foolish like that... so don't |
| come out from behind the screen for | | | | use them any more that night.If any fall off |
| anything... so if you keep asking them to | | | | the stack and land on really good numbers, |
| chase down your dice you just might find you | | | | well, that's different. Maybe they are going |
| luck gets a LOT worse all of a sudden "Why do | | | | out of their way to prove how lucky they are, |
| all the monsters seem to be going after me | | | | and you should give them another chance. |
| tonight?! Oh, would you pick up my d6, | | | | Kindness counts, I figure. (I'm not the |
| again?"What (not) to say: | | | | murderous type, as you know.) Call me soft, |
| | | | if you like, but I like my dice, and if I'm |
| Never say "You need anything but a 1", | | | | nice to them maybe theyll give me that |
| because that jinxes the roll. This goes along | | | | natural 20 when I really need it!!Thanks to |
| with the idea that while playing Craps no-one | | | | Maddman, Rogan, Voz, Ashtal, Kyle, |
| is to mention the number 7. By mentioning | | | | SolomonGrundy, Jangling Jack, Dr A, Bregh, |
| undesirable numbers, you are summoning them. | | | | LurkMonkey, Bagpuss, Keith, Rob, Jason, Kim, |
| So, logically (if I may use that word in this | | | | Cor, and Lawrence for input for this |
| context) calling out "Come on 20!" would be | | | | article.Brigid Skelton is an illustrator and |
| summoning a 20. Someone told me he always | | | | writer, and has helped to run the online |
| says "Hit! You bloody bastard!" while rolling | | | | store Advancing Hordes Dice and Miniatures at |
| to hit. (Apparently swigging beer before | | | | since 2003. Advancing Hordes specializes in |
| exclaiming this, is part of the | | | | unusual Polyhedral dice and fine miniatures |
| charm.)Blessings: | | | | from around the world. They carry dice with 3 |
| | | | to 100 sides, handmade dice, stone and metal |
| The Hackmaster Player's Handbook has a great | | | | dice in a myriad of shapes and sizes. |
| section in the back of the book on dice | | | | |