Let's change the subject.
Like a lot of gamers, I dislike d4s probably most of all. There are three reasons for this:
1) Rolling them just isn't exciting. They plop on the table, rattle for a millisecond, and you have the result. This is problematic for dice, because the thing that makes rolling dice fun - the thing that makes it special - is the moment of suspense: the dice have left your hand and you are watching the graceful parabola of their movement and listening to the familiar clatter of their impact with the table, and your eyes flick to that spot at which you surmise they are about to stop, and you get this strange feeling of subconscious satisfaction at the way you can predict their motions although you are never quite sure exactly when and where they are going to come to a standstill...and there is a moment's pause as you wait for them to stop in which your brain considers a wealth of possibilities passing before it (win or lose, succeed or fail, live or die) and then the orgasmic climax of the number revealing itself. Although I usually only actually orgasm on a natural 20.
The d4 is the dice type that creates the least suspense because the time between release and result is too short. It's a quick, unskilled and disappointing lay. It blows its load too early and leaves you frustrated and a little bit displeased with yourself and what your life has come to.
2) They are not tactile. They are angular and feel not so much as discrete dice in their own right, but broken shards of bigger, better dice. All other dice types have a friendly, solid, almost avuncular feel. They are smiley, trusty comrades. d4s are harsh, cruel, nasty to the touch.
3) Even setting aside these considerations, the spread of results, and the maximum possible result, are both boring and anticlimactic. The difference between 1 and 4 almost makes you feel as if you may as well not have bothered rolling. And '4' is not an exciting number when other dice types give you 6, 8, 10, 12 or 20. That's a shallow way of looking at the d4, but an important one: even a good result is not very good.
I wholeheartedly concur. It's too angular and pointy. I have the same issue (though much less pronounced) with the d8 and the d10 (at least the d8 is platonic)
ReplyDeleteIf I have one goal, it's to redo DND so that all you need are d6, d12, and d20. Nice and chunky.
...this post makes me sound like the Sir Mix-A-Lot of dice.
I can't belive you've turned your blog into a race-hate dirge against d4's. After all they've been through...
ReplyDeleteI kind of fancy doing a post on each dice type now.
Deletehttp://www.ezwebsite.org/photos/files1627/flatland_square.html
DeleteI have a set of twelve-sided d4s. I like them much better.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that just rolling a d12 and dividing by 3?
DeleteIt is, but without the difficult sums.
DeleteMine have Roman numerals so they're not mistaken for normal d12's. They're great.
DeleteGet a dice cup and shake them in that. Then plonk them down on the table, and invite the player whose 4HP character is being shanked by a dagger wielding Kobold lift the cup.
ReplyDeleteSuspense!
I'm disappointed you didn't come up with four reasons. Because then I could've rolled a d4 to select which one I liked best.
ReplyDeleteBest comment.
DeleteSomething in me feels very sad that you would turn against the most maligned of dice. It feels like too easy a target. Why does nobody pick on the d20, out there on its own when every other (canonical) dice is neatly nested in an array with intervals of two between each. Not to mention the too-rolly thing.
ReplyDeleteThe d20 is too iconic. And it's nice to roll. Although it's a capricious swine sometimes.
DeleteThey're perfect for drop-die tables.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the dungeon generation technique previously espoused on this site.
ReplyDeleteWell, sometimes in life we have to do things we don't like for the greater good.
DeleteI've never been a big fan of the d4 either. I agree with all your reasons for not liking it, but I think you can add one more. If you accidentally knock it onto the ground without realizing it, it can be rather painful to find.
ReplyDeleteIf there were a Top Ten list of reasons for hating 4 siders, that would be #1.
DeleteAgreed. Even if it's one of the models with truncated corners, it's best to hang up a "no bare feet" sign when playing with d4s.
DeleteThey're nowhere near as cool as d12s but depending on the rules I've certainly gotten use out of d4s... for example, Earthdawn has exploding dice... reroll any top numbers. So a d4 is the most likely to end up getting that reroll and I've piled up some serious damage that way.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I've always found them a bit difficult to pick up.
As difficult as they are I kind of like d4s. They're like little plastic no-nonsense caltrops, and the slap they make when they land is like being punched with a knife.
ReplyDeleteI have eight-sided d4s.
ReplyDeleteExcellent put up, very informative. I’m wondering why the opposite specialists of this sector do not realize this. You should continue your writing. I am confident, you have a great readers’ base already!|What’s Happening i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I have discovered It positively useful and it has aided me out loads. I am hoping to contribute & assist different users like its aided me. Great job.
ReplyDeleteCccam Server | Best Cccam Server | Cardsharing Server | Best cardsharing
Yes, but what are your thoughts regarding the 12 sided d4?
DeleteThe d4 has the distinction of being the only thing more painful than a LEGO when you step on it.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I bought these:
ReplyDeletehttp://somekingskent.blogspot.ie/2011/03/magnificent-radical-metal-d4-some.html
Very nice. I also have casino dice for my d6s, which were a gift, and I love how they roll and feel in the hand. The quality of the machining is incredible. I'd like to get my hands on some precision backgammon dice too.
DeleteYou know, you've actually explained the gut reaction I had to a board game called Kemet. In that game no dice are used - at least not for rolling. However, each player, representing a god of an Egyptian city-state controls 3 "pyramids" (red, white and blue) represented by a d4. The upwards facing number at the pyramid's point represents the level that player has upgraded a particular branch of the tech tree so far.
ReplyDeleteWhen this idea was explained - and more importantly shown - to me I was for the first time EXCITED by d4s. I think d4s do a much better job at representing something still and permanent than something random and chaotic.
In other words, they're better when they don't do dice things. Still, Kemet seemed to get good mileage out of it.
I like Crystal Caste's d4s that come with their "crystal dice" sets. (The rest of the dice in those sets are shit, but the d4s are nice.) They look sort of like elongated d6es, with the smaller sides rounded off so they can't actually land on them. They still tend to drop more than they roll but at least they bounce somewhat.
ReplyDelete