OUTGUNNED? No! Out Diced!!!

My newly arrived dice pool for Pete's OUTGUNNED Adventures campaign

Any excuse to buy more dice, right?

A contributing factor to my analysis paralysis the other day, when faced with a wall of beautiful new dice, was that I knew I'd already ordered nine "red blood splatter" d6s from the Dice Shop and they were on the way.

These have a specific gaming purpose. 

As I've made clear several times on this blog, one of the major issues I have with "dice pool mechanics" in roleplaying games is that they slow everything down when you're counting or collating or whatever you have to do with them.

Therefore I'm generally a fan of a single or double dice roll where you just look at the resulting number and "wallop" you've got your result.

The Tuesday Knights' current campaign is OUTGUNNED Adventures from Italy's Two Little Mice, which runs purely on dice pools. 

In recent sessions I realised - just after everyone else - that I was having issues with the "pips" on my six-siders and wasn't exactly as quick as I would have liked at picking out dice with identical numbers of spots on their top face.

Thus, it struck me that I needed dice with actual numbers written on them rather than spots. I had odd six-siders with numbers in my collection, but I really wanted a unified set of nine dice (the maximum size for a pool in OUTGUNNED).

Hence, my Dice Shop order.

I felt the blood splatter was appropriate as there does seem to be a lot of violence in our campaign.

Rain Doesn't Stop Play At Annual Medieval Festival

You can't really judge the steepness of the hill from this picture

Having missed last year's event, Rachel, Alice and I returned to King's Grove: England's Medieval & Renaissance Festival this year... only to discover that it had grown considerably since we were last there.

Oh, and after a summer of heatwave after heatwave, the heavens opened yesterday and it rained almost constantly while we were at the festival (there was a break of around five minutes when the sun came out in the afternoon).

The clue to the event's expansion was in the addition of "& Renaissance" to the official title.

It now more closely resembles what I imagine an American "Ren Faire" experience is like, with the overall focus moving away from the purely historical (as it was back in its Herstmonceux Castle days) and now embracing cosplay, LARP, witchy bits, and even tabletop roleplaying games and board games.

Naturally, I wanted to check out the roleplaying (and board) game area first. As well as tables for people to play games on in the tented areas, there was an Aladdin's Cave of funky dice, of all sizes and denominations, all beautifully displayed.

Rachel said I could have a set of posh dice as a birthday present, but there were simply too many to choose from and my poor, little addled brain just shut down because of the input overload.

After a long time blankly staring at the displays, picking some dice up and putting them down, I just couldn't decide and so we moved on... before I had some kind of emotional breakdown.

THE COSPLAY TENT

THE GRAND PARADE

There were a lot of amazing artisans and craftsmen selling their wares at the show, and the constant rain didn't seem to be putting people off moving between the various tents and covered stalls.

Probably my favourite artists were Lucan Thorndyke from Wyrd Bones (who we had a lovely, long chat with and wasn't at all bothered when I said I liked the "roleplaying game prop potential" of his work), the Medieval illuminations of Eric Verkade, and the t-shirts of Hive Mind Games.

As with the dice, there were so many incredible creations to choose from that I was mentally paralysed by the possibilities and ended up not buying anything.

However, I reckon there's a good chance I will eventually (once I can get my finances in order) buy a piece from Wyrd Bones to use in a Tuesday Knights adventure.

To be honest, all the art we saw was top quality and once again I was also (sadly) reminded that we simply don't have any more wall space at home for additional framed pictures. 

Soggy puppy

Quick family portrait during the five-minute break in the rain

Although there were a lot of other floofs at the event, Alice still attracted her fair share of attention, due a combination of her cuteness, her little rain coat, and her rather bedraggled appearance thanks to the weather (Once we got home, Alice had a nice warm bath in the sink).

The only real problem I have with King's Grove is that it takes place on the side of a steep hill.

While the woods are very atmospheric, especially as the festival evolves into something more "magical", it quickly becomes a complication for those of us with mobility issues. Especially when combined with the mud and rain, making the use of mobility scooters totally impractical. 

I couldn't help but wonder if this might actually be the last time I'm physically able to visit this annual event. 

As we headed towards the exit on Saturday we caught a glimpse  of the demonstration (in the Pageant Arena) by animal sanctuary Watermill Wolves. This was, of course, wonderful 'cos wolves are so cool (and one of the wolves was called Alice).

Apart from some "Medieval" treats for Alice, our main purchase at the festival was a copy of The Box of Death: Tales of Castle Rory, Book One. This is a Medieval swords-and-sorcery adventure set in a low-magic fantasy version of 13th Century Norfolk.

Again, we had a good chat with the author, Rory Marsden, who sold me on the book (and signed it for me; you know I'm a sucker for a signed book).

This is the first of a 10-book saga, although I did warn Rory that I was a very slow reader these days so couldn't guarantee how long it would take me to get through this first volume, let alone the rest.

The Eight Factors I'm Looking For In My 'Holy Grail' RPG

The idea of a 'holy grail' of roleplaying games is, of course, ridiculous, given the general fickle nature of gamers and how easily distracted we are by the next shiny thing coming down the pike.

Nonetheless, I have drawn up a short list of mechanical elements that I look for in potential 'holy grail' game systems (rather than setting etc) of the old school Dungeons & Dragons persuasion, to help curb my wandering eye a bit.

Some of these (such as the funky dice requirement) are purely aesthetic, but I love my dice collection and it's always sad to have to leave most of them gathering dust.

The emphasis on simplicity in my list also means the game is likely to be simple to hack, but conversely I'd also like to find a game that doesn't actually need to be tinkered with... too much!

I also like games systems where characters feel - at least, initially - as though they are in danger. Too much, freely available, healing magic dispels this "gritty" mood, in my opinion, and makes games feel too "cosy". I want players to feel that their characters' successes were really earned, rather than predestined or simply handed to them on a plate.

Some of my aspirational elements for a "holy grail" game come about because of the structure of our games group.

The Tuesday Knights meet only once a month, for a few hours, so I don't want to be running a mechanics-heavy game where a single combat could possibly last longer than one of our games' sessions!

Further to that, I don't want a game so fiddly and complex that we have to keep referring back to the rules books during the game. Not only does this slow everything down, but it also breaks the rhythm of the game and continually takes you out of the 'moment'.

As part of this, I'm always looking out for straight-forward dice mechanics, using either a single die (e.g. d12 for Twilight Sword or d20 for most D&D-inspired games) for skill checks/combat resolution etc or two, such as the great 2d6 system for Traveller-style games.

At the other extreme,  I want to avoid clunky dice pools (whether you're adding the scores, looking for certain numbers, or grouping them by result). This popular mechanic, in my experience, slows fast-moving games to a frustrating degree, especially in mass combat or repeated skill check situations. 

Anyway, here's my list of "holy grail" factors for old school, Dungeons & Dragons-style gaming:

1. Must use multiple polyhedrals, the full spectrum of funky dice (not just d20 & d6)

2. Ascending Armour Class

3. DM able to summarise monster stats in a line or two

4. Race and class (not race as class)

5. Levels and experience points

6. Limited magic and healing (probably no clerics at all) 

7. Speed & Simplicity of play

8. Survivability of 1st Level characters

These are the things I look for in a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game, what are the 'under the hood' elements that can tickle your fancy?

ROLL THOSE BONES!!!

New funky dice alert! I came across these "skull dice" by chance on eBay the other week.

And immediately knew they had to be mine.

Shipped from China in no time at all for £3.59 each (including postage and packing), I didn't even have to sign up for a costly crowdfunding campaign to get them. Just a quick click on eBay's 'buy it now' button.

They are wonderfully chunky cubes of resin, measuring 2cm on each edge and with that deliciously striking skull design.

As well as obvious atmospheric roleplaying game usage, this pair will be perfect for our next Halloween-themed game of Monopoly.

FUNKY DICE FOR THE WIN!!!

My Sicherman dice

Today I acquired - courtesy of eBay - a pair of Sicherman dice.

At first glance you might think these are just ordinary six-siders... but notice the "8" on the left die and the two "2"s on different faces of the right hand die.

These are true math rocks. And, almost, totally pointless in a gaming situation. 

They only work as a pair (so I must be careful not to mix them up with my many, many other six-siders).

One die has faces numbered 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and the other is numbered 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4.

Invented by Colonel George Sicherman of Buffalo, New York, in 1978, these dice have exactly the same probability of generating each number between 2 and 12 as a normal pair of six-sided dice (e.g. one in 36 for a total of two; two in 36 for a total of three etc).

Sicherman dice are the only other design of a pair of six-sided dice that replicate the probabilities of 'normal dice' (while using positive numbers).

Except for doubles - you're screwed there as the probabilities are clearly not the same. 

So, what's the point of these dice? Who knows? It's just playing craps with probabilities, a mental exercise.

But they're funky dice I didn't have, so I had to add them to my ever-expanding dice pool.

I guess you could use them for Traveller (or any other 2d6 system where it's the total that counts, and doubles don't give you any bonuses).

I'm pretty sure it was the prodigious Simon Miles, of Dunromin University Press, who first introduced me to these special dice at some point last year, during a commentary on - surprisingly - RPG dice. But from the moment I saw the Sicherman dice, I knew I had to own a pair.

However, I fear this may have opened a fiery portal to the world of other obscure math rocks...

Miniature Haul At A Miniature Price!

Money Well Spent: £7.38's worth of tiny terrain for the tabletop

Because I can't help but be spinning multiple plates at once, even though I'm trying to streamline and focus all my hobbies, I decide to pick up some bits online that could make scatter terrain for either roleplaying games or my Dead Man's Hand skirmish wargame.

I can't recall if it was an Amazon advert or I was searching for something and found myself on the site, but this was the first time I'd explored Amazon Haul, its low-price Aladdin's Cave of affordable odds-and-ends.

Obviously, I knew of its existence, but had always assumed it was for household goods and fashion items... i.e. no interest to me.

But it turns out there's quite a bit of miniature modelling items on there.

The prices are so low that I thought why not chance a tenner (the minimum purchase to get free shipping)?

I got a pack of 10 transparent blue d12s (for £4.49), which shipped from within the UK and were with me a couple of days later, but the balance of my order turned out to be coming from China.

Yet, it only took a week to arrive and Amazon provided tracking details for every stage of the journey.

For £7.38, I picked up a collection of resin rocks and tree stumps, two packs of miniature trees, an ancient Roman column, and a tiny well (painted and ready for use). 

None of this stuff was produced with wargames' tables in mind, they're advertised as being for "fairy gardens", ornamental plant displays, bonsai decoration etc but they all look as though they will work perfectly for what I have in mind.

I need to base the trees, find a 'statue' to fit on the column (and probably drybrush the whole thing to make it look more aged), and possibly paint up the resin rocks but that part of the hobby is well within my limited skill set, so I'm looking forward to that.

As I said, I've never used Haul before - and won't be a regular customer - but I reckon I got good value for money on my first purchase.

A gamer can NEVER have too many dice!

The Roll of the Ancient Mariner: Dice, Dice Every Where...

Of course I love dice. I'm a gamer. I have way more dice than I could ever possibly need, yet I still keep buying them. Like I said: I'm a gamer!

The latest acquisitions for my infinite dice pool are all six-siders, but are devoid of numbers.

The first is a giant - 1.5" x 1.5" per face - red, wooden "yes/no" die. Why flip a coin when you can roll a die, amirite?

Now, as gamesmaster, I can divest myself of any responsibility and blame the die.

Is there a guard coming round the corner as you try and climb through the merchant's window this evening? <rolls big red die> The die says: "yes".

Next up is a hessian bag of wooden cubes with letters on (a couple have 'yes' or 'no' on them). They are pictured below.

These are possibly a dice-based iteration of the classic Ouija board, although - deliberately - no instructions were included, so you can use them how you like.

Don't want to accidentally summon Captain Howdy in the middle of a game!!!

I'm picturing the player-characters encountering a fortune teller armed with a set of these, generating random, on-the-fly predictions that will (somehow) come true later in the campaign.

I welcome this opportunity to hone my improv skills (or lack thereof), conjuring up meaning from a splatter of random letters. It is human nature - apophenia - to see patterns in randomness.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Before The Tuesday Knights

After my aneurysm and stroke, I was looking for ways to keep myself entertained and so Nick, Pete and I started our Formula Dé League, playing monthly motor races and eating a lot of very hot curry.

As the Tunbridge Wells Formula De League we would race little plastic cars around boards representing a variety of Grand Prix circuits from across the globe.

The game uses the very clever mechanic of having the vehicle's different gears represented by different polyhedral dice. 

A moment of high drama during the Chinese Grand Prix

As with our current gaming we didn't always stick to the monthly schedule that we had drawn up in advance, but we still managed to rack up enough races for a couple of years (2006/2007) to give our league a sense of verisimilitude.

We each controlled a stable of two racers, competing for both individual and team glory.

Pete was Team Clover (Paddy O'Doors & Muhat Mecoate), I was Team Zerro (Damien Dash & Brian 'Whitey' Whitehouse) and Nick was Team Flamer (Antonio Wasp & Nick Nastily). Nick's Nick Nastily retired during the '06 season and was replaced by Jock Saway.

Press coverage of Nastily's retirement

During 2007, Steve joined us as Team Classic Rock for one race.

As well as creating newspaper clippings of key race-related stories, we even held "prize giving" ceremonies at the end of each year in local restaurants, handing out trophies and wooden spoons to the winners and losers.

A third year's racing was scheduled for 2008, but a resurgence of interest in roleplaying games led to the creation of the Tuesday Knights and that overtook our toy car racing exploits.

The TWFDL: Pete, Nick & I

The release of the Hollow Earth Expedition pulp adventure system had reignited Nick's enthusiasm for roleplaying games and he ran a short and sadly unfinished Edwardian campaign for Clare and I.

But it was the publicity around the publication of the Fourth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons that got me thinking about starting our own broader gaming group, replacing our board game nights (we also played the collaborative Lord Of The Rings games) with regular roleplaying sessions.

And so was born The Tuesday Knights. In the end we didn't play Fourth Edition, opting for the more old school Castles & Crusades, which was then replaced by Labyrinth Lord, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Regular board game meet-ups resumed in 2023, with the launch of Monopoly Club, where Pete gets to show off his ever-expanding collection of themed Monopoly boards for Clare, Rachel, and I.

Mission: Accomplished! It Must Be Christmas!

Here we are: Christmas Eve. The time has come for the final tally of the roleplaying game dice that came in my specialist advent calendar this year.

We ended up with a very ordered spread:

• 3d4
• 3d6
• 3d8
• 3d10
• 3d12
• 3d20
• Metal d20
• 3d% (that is, d10s with faces marked 10, 20, 30 etc)

And a pin badge along with, today, a plastic miniature of a mindflayer/illithid

This novelty advent calendar was - unsurprisingly given its contents - the perfect pre-Christmas present from Rachel... and has definitely set a precedent for future festive favours.

The standout piece has to be the hefty, spikey, metallic d20. Unfortunately, some of its delicate numbering is nigh-on illegible to my old man's eyes and I can't help feeling it would work better as a slingshot projectile for taking down Biblical giants from Gath.

MUSICAL MONDAY: All I Want for Christmas - A D&D Christmas Carol (Ginny Di)

"Whoa, We're Halfway There; Whoa Oh, Livin' On A Prayer"

Dice (so far) from my advent calendar

We're halfway (12 days) to Christmas Eve, meaning we're halfway through my "dice advent" calendar (a glorious gift from my gorgeous wife, purchased from the TikTok Shop).

So far, the doors have revealed an interesting mix of dice (and an unexpected pin badge), namely:

• 3d4
• 1d8
• 2d10
• 3d12
• 2d20

All are quality dice that will find a home in my ever-increasing pool of roleplaying game dice, but I'm particularly smitten by the transparent 12-sider that was behind door number 12 today. It reminds me of a Fox's Glacier Mint.

But why no six-siders? Will the next dozen doors reveal a run of d6s?

We'll have to wait and see.