Dice Rolling Superstitions: So, Are You Feeling Lucky?

Here is a collection of "Dice Advice" for yourgamer... complete with diagrams! Be sure to check
edification and amusement. Do with it what youit out.Rubbing your dice on someone's head is a
will. No guarantees. Some of these ideas seemedway of blessing the dice. Apparently red-headed
to make sense to me for a while. But then somepeople are not good luck though. (I don't
other completely contradictory instruction comesunderstand this at all. Some of my best friends
along and it too makes sense, in its ownare redheads!)Cleansing dice of bad luck is another
superstitious way. The whole thing is rathermethod of blessing your dice. This can be done
confusing. Read on and you'll see what Iby burying them in salt, or washing them in cold
mean.What to wear:water or mineral water. (Holy water might work
Never thought about the best things to wearextra well, but maybe not for evil characters.)
while gaming? Well don't worry, you don't have toJust don't use alcohol to remove bad luck from
get dressed up to have good luck. In fact,your dice... it may remove the ink from the
according to the traditional stories surrounding thenumbers too! Of course, cleansing dice when they
game of Craps, "Dirt brings luck. Wear dirtyhave been performing well, would be
clothes and you'll be lucky." (Hey, that explainscounterproductive. You'll only be washing away
that odd odour wafting out of my local gamethe good luck (and all that "lucky dirt"!).A "friend of
store the other day. There must have been a lota friend" used to put his dice in his mouth and spit
of REALLY lucky gamers in there!)Where to sit:them onto the table, for good luck. No-one ever
Well, sitting on a handkerchief while gaming isborrowed his dice. Another person, used to keep
supposed to be lucky. (Best not to combine thisher dice down her bra. "Boobs bring luck!" she
one with the "Dirt brings luck" concept... e astridemaintains.Punishment:
your chair is lucky too. (Tipping your chair back is"Bad dice! Go sit in a corner and think about what
not lucky however, especially when we wereyou've done." Uncooperative dice can be coaxed,
teenagers and anyone's mother caught us doing it.cleansed, blessed or... punished for their bad deeds.
Ouch.)Storing Dice:Some folks will leave the offending dice at home
"Never leave a d20 sitting with the #1 facing up.when they go out to play: "House Arrest". Some
It will get used to sitting that way, and roll 1'sgamers will bring the dice to the game, but not let
more often." The "scientific" excuse for this beliefthem out of the dice bag. The bad dice have to
says that there is a "molecular drift" or "dicesit there listening to their other dice friends having
creep" due to gravity, causing the die to becomefun and rolling merrily, while they sit in the dark.
bottom heavy. This would make more sense ifOther bad dice get out of the bag, but have to
dice were semi-liquid, but last time I checked allsit on the sidelines and WATCH the other dice
my dice were solid. Check yours now, just to befrolicking around. (That's really too cruel, I think. It
sure.On the other hand, "If you leave a d20 sittingreminds me of high school gym class, when I so
with the 20 facing up, it will get tired of being thatoften waited for the turn that never came.
way, and seldom roll any 20's." Hmmm. Besides,Sniffle. Sob. I'll be okay in a minute.)The worst
how can I tell which way all those dice jumbled upthings I've ever heard of people doing to poor
in my dicebag are sitting all week betweenunsuspecting dice are, a) putting them in the toilet
games? Oh, such anxiety! I think I need a(not flushing though), b) ejecting them into the
transparent dicebag!Where to throw the dice:atmosphere with a slingshot, and c) taking a blow
Well, on the table is good... but not just any table.torch to them. (This latter, as a dice lover, I
Highly polished tables are bad luck... something toregard as outright murder. "Someone call the
do with mirrors reversing things, giving you thecops, an innocent die is dying!" The dice, in this
opposite of what you want I guess.But having thecase, actually were innocent, and not "bad dice" at
dice roll off the table onto the floor is bad luckall. They were sacrificed to the gods of luck in
too. When playing Craps the next roll after that isorder to bring good fortune to a newly created
sure to be a 7 (the least desirable number). Pluscharacter.)Testing Dice:
you might lose the die, a) in the cat's dish, b)I'm not talking about Chi Squared tests here.
down the heating vent, c) amongst the collectionThat's for another article.I'm talking about testing
of cheesies, chip crumbs and dust-bunnies underthe loyalty, balance and general luckiness of dice
the gaming table. Any bad luck associated withthrough such highly rigorous methods as "dice
the dice falling off the table can be remedied bystacking". During a lull in the game, stack up your
having the "Dealer", or the in our case the GM,dice on top of one another. If any fall off the
pick up the errant die and give it back to you. Ofstack they are obviously not very loyal to you,
course, some GM's don't like to come out frommaking you look foolish like that... so don't use
behind the screen for anything... so if you keepthem any more that night.If any fall off the stack
asking them to chase down your dice you justand land on really good numbers, well, that's
might find you luck gets a LOT worse all of adifferent. Maybe they are going out of their way
sudden "Why do all the monsters seem to beto prove how lucky they are, and you should give
going after me tonight?! Oh, would you pick upthem another chance. Kindness counts, I figure.
my d6, again?"What (not) to say:(I'm not the murderous type, as you know.) Call
Never say "You need anything but a 1", becauseme soft, if you like, but I like my dice, and if I'm
that jinxes the roll. This goes along with the ideanice to them maybe theyll give me that natural
that while playing Craps no-one is to mention the20 when I really need it!!Thanks to Maddman,
number 7. By mentioning undesirable numbers,Rogan, Voz, Ashtal, Kyle, SolomonGrundy, Jangling
you are summoning them. So, logically (if I mayJack, Dr A, Bregh, LurkMonkey, Bagpuss, Keith,
use that word in this context) calling out "ComeRob, Jason, Kim, Cor, and Lawrence for input for
on 20!" would be summoning a 20. Someone toldthis article.Brigid Skelton is an illustrator and writer,
me he always says "Hit! You bloody bastard!"and has helped to run the online store Advancing
while rolling to hit. (Apparently swigging beerHordes Dice and Miniatures at since 2003.
before exclaiming this, is part of theAdvancing Hordes specializes in unusual Polyhedral
charm.)Blessings:dice and fine miniatures from around the world.
The Hackmaster Player's Handbook has a greatThey carry dice with 3 to 100 sides, handmade
section in the back of the book on dice rituals etdice, stone and metal dice in a myriad of shapes
cetera. In it they outline a method of blessing aand sizes.
die by rubbing it on the signature of a famous