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PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE POST BEFORE VOTING

I recently downloaded a droid app called Warhammer/40k combat assistant, it is an electronic dice roller that allows you to:
Set a number of D6 to roll
Roll scatter
Roll artillery
Quickly remove fails & re-roll positives (just specify you need a X+, remove negative, roll positive)
Roll massive amounts of dice without risk of cocking, falling off table, knocking over models ect.
Review statistics on how you rolled that game
Keep track of turns

I mainly use it as a great time saver as you don't need to count out or pick up dice.
Please let me know which option you would choose and if you want, why.

So on to the poll answers are:
I would. . .

A.) Allow it in friendly games only

B.) Allow it in friendly and tournament play

C.) Allow it in tournament play provided you let me use it as well (to prove it's not rigged)

D.) Never allow it

E.) Other - Please explain what & why

I wouldn't really care if you used it, and it trust you not to use a loaded program. However, I just don't see the point in it. Half the fun of playing these kinds of games is rolling the dice yourself, and I'd rather do that than show off whatever new gadget I bought.

I would allow you to roll with it in friendly games, but I would also insist on using it.

Normal mass production dice are somewhat defective in that they tend to roll slightly more 1s than any other result. The reason is the indented numbers and rounded corners. The program does not suffer from this defect, and therefore anyone using it would gain an advantage over those not using it.

In a tourny, no-go. Its not worth the hassle to say yes.

friendly games only. It would take too long to fiddle with it in a tournament scene. I'd rather you roll your dice so I can quickly follow what is going on.

Brother SRM wrote:However, I just don't see the point in it.

I prefer dice as well but the main point is time, clocks running out & you want to get in the last turns as quickly as possible, or in the case of orks Vs Bugs sometimes there's just not enough room on the table for all those dice. I would more use this as a supplement for dice rather than a substitute.

I personally hate electronics at the gaming table, it tends to distract people. Weather it be a dice roller on a PDA, a laptop with ones character sheet / rule books on it, or an app on ones iPone to keep track of everything. I much prefer dice, glass beads, paper, hard copy rule books etc...

Thaanos wrote:I personally hate electronics at the gaming table, it tends to distract people. Weather it be a dice roller on a PDA, a laptop with ones character sheet / rule books on it, or an app on ones iPone to keep track of everything. I much prefer dice, glass beads, paper, hard copy rule books etc...

Agreed, I always have hard copy of everything, even the times I use the app I just set in on the table & use it to roll only.

I would research it to make sure that it is 100 percent random.
I know there is one for the iphone and it is random

ncaa_40k wrote:I would research it to make sure that it is 100 percent random.
I know there is one for the iphone and it is random

No d6 program can ever be 100% random, as 100% is not divisible by 6 , there will always be that .000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000. . .1 % off-random

I think the real issue is if the use of the program detracts from the experience.

It is a whole other thing on if it is properly random (few random algorithms take it far enough but it is probably ok for our simple purposes).

To be blunt, I can play 40k on the computer many different ways and against other people.

Miniatures are about making something tactile, physical, real a manifestation of your involvement.

I would not want some wimpy electronic device to decide I am having a bad day, I would rather blame myself and save the device from becoming a smoldering ruin.

I see too many people who cannot seem to keep their nose out of the crackberry or Iphone we really do not need an excuse for them to keep the thing out all game.

I am a tech nut in many ways, I guess I prefer it to have a place and tabletop gaming seems inappropriate for the experience I would be looking for.

It is also a bit irritating to have that person also show me their device on ALL roll, at least with dice you can see it plain and simple.

It is odd I feel like a Luddite with the above statements but there you are...

In a friendly game, I wouldn't have a problem with it. In a tournament, however, I would just rather see dice hit the table. Better to accidentally hide some rolls behind a piece of scenery rather than to accidentally hit the roll button again and have a free re-roll.

That being said, I have a friend who uses one of the notepad apps on his iPhone and has reformatted his codex army lists on to it so he doesn't have to use his codex every single time.

I'd definitely let you use it in friendly games. I'd need to see it in person to decide on tournament play, with the caveat that if you use it, I do too.

I'd allow it but I'd probably be more than a little suspicious, personally though I wouldn't use it, I like rolling dice and physical dice make wound allocation completely see-through (just put the dice next to the affected model) while I could see having no dice rolled being abused by WAAC gamers "forgetting about wounds".

Not suggesting that's what anyone here would want it for, I'm just a suspicious

I voted C. Not necessarily because I don't trust you, or because the program might be rigged, but because I'm jealous. I wish I had a true smart phone. :(

My other ironic quirk is that even though have no belief gods, karma, fate or even luck, I'm incredibly superstitious about my dice. I feel that a computer program would be far less prone to such flukes.

Shas'O Dorian wrote:
No d6 program can ever be 100% random, as 100% is not divisible by 6 , there will always be that .000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000. . .1 % off-random

True, but then again, you can always program in base 6 I think...

I like the idea, it reminds me of something.

One day I was playing a casual game with ONE loaded dice, it always rolls 6's. never do this, i didnt know until the friend who gave it to me told me, but everytime i hit and wounded, my friend would freaking pick it up and roll his armour save! and pass every time! it was quite frustrating, dont do it. (i use it then put it in my pocket these days )

As Betty Boop said, "No, no, a thousand times no."

I am a purist. Roll the friggin dice. Sorry, but I am a technosavage, and I distrust things like this. If you didn't bring dice, I will happily loan you some. But if you are going to roll your dice on your little computer, why don't we just go play a Dawn of War skirmish instead?

I'd let you use it, though I prefer actual dice myself, i'm pretty good with time anyway.

In tournaments I would probably only let you do it for 35+ dice rolls.

Play a PC game if you want an e-dice roller. And I've yet to see a random number generator that's even close to accurate.

I have also downloaded it and was wondering the sme thing. here's my thoughts:

Pros: I play Orks and often have to roll more than 20 dice at a time. This app would allow any roll from 1-100 or more.

Cons: As stated above, Wound allocation would be screwed up as I couldn't put the dice next to each NOB.

Quandry indeed. But it's a nice Idea.

Skarboy wrote:Play a PC game if you want an e-dice roller. And I've yet to see a random number generator that's even close to accurate.

QFT. Unless you can show me the source code and explain how the handheld device in your pocket surpasses psuedo-random number generation through quantum state decay, solar ray collection, wishful thinking modulation, or something else equally mindblowingly boring and unavailable at this point, then it should stay in your pocket.

Friendly games are cool though.