What is up with all the math?

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**LunaHound**

Dragoon65 wrote:I know people want to be the best that they can be but really guys?

Who cares about the probability of the average amount of wounds one squad will put on another? Isn't this a dice game? Isn't any dice game just a game of chance? Why would you play this game by crunching numbers for every squad and every action if the point is supposed to do something crazy and let chance decide how amazing it is? Would you not assault because your squad will only do 4.333333333333333 wounds to a unit? Or do you take the chance that every model becomes a frackin ninja and tears the enemy to bits while shouting, or growling, or gurgling or whatever your race sounds like?

Wait I think you are nit picking. Its not that people care about the chances of 4.333333333 wound to 4.4444444 wound.

The number crunching and math is more like assisting with dilemmas like...

Should I use this volley of 30 Loota shots to wipe out this Necron Warrior Squad
or

Use it on a Monolith

**Testify**

it's worrying how many people fail to understand that you can be casual AND play to win. I build my lists to be strong and synergise well, not game the system.

Similarly I won't charge terminators with horrors, unless there's one left and he's no where near an objective

**LunaHound**

Or, the math is already integrated into the players head.

e.g would you play Russian Roulette with a real gun? I would certainly hope that the math integration are pointing out that "no it is too risky"

lol :3

**snooggums**

Usually players will compare more than just averages:

A squad that can kill 4.333 T3 models 'on average' for a volley of shots that can't damage armor 11 may not be used if a squad that can kill 3.8 T3 models but has a chance to glance armor 11 in favor of overall utility.

**Yipyioh**

Grugknuckle wrote: So the question is, will their 30 strength 5 overwatch shots kill so many blood claws that I won't be able to beat them in hand to hand? How many fire warriors is too many to assault?

Well 30 shots with only hits on 6 makes it 5 hits, and 5S to 4T makes it 3 wounds if expecting the worst. Then 3+ armor saves gives you another 2 wounds gone so you wind up with 1 dead Blood Claw

**Dogface 76**

"Never tell me the odds.." -- Han Solo

**Plumbumbarum**

Dogface 76 wrote:"Never tell me the odds.." -- Han Solo

I hate that movie.

kb305 wrote:if you just want to move models around and roll dice without any thought behind it, its kind of a braindead waste of time isnt it?

This. 4+ kids games are like that, throw and move the figure, there are "events" on the board and who is first on the end wins, totaly random and cinematic.

**DOOMBREAD**

Without some attention to the mathhammer , you cannot use tactics effectively. For example, in order to use Guardsmen effectively, you must be aware that, on average, 50% of their shots will hit.

**scimitar**

Warhammer is highly dependent on mathematics, mostly binomial probability. However, it does has sufficient complexity to make is nigh impossible to actually solve all the mathematical problems, so some level of abstraction is required. Calculating the average wounds versus a MEQ target doesn't tell the whole story, but provides a useful basis for comparison of units and making choices.