Randomization Tables and Dice Questions

[LD]

If I am designing a game that contains several "randomization" tables, what are your thoughts on dice use?

A randomization table of 1d6 allows for equally likely outcomes. Likewise a 1d20 table would allow for that, but I am concerned that most people don't know where to get a d20 and I would like my game to be accessible, so I would like to use d6.

However, if I want equally-likely weighted outcomes for randomization tables with 12 or 18 options, a roll of 2d6 and 3d6 do not allow for likely percentage probabilities...

Is there a better way, or if I am seeking to create a distribution of equally likely dice-rolling probabilities do I just need to require a d20?

Speaking of that, are d10s easier to find than d20s? Would it be unlikely that the average Euroboardgame player or RPGer does not have a d10?

I have looked at http://anydice.com/ but although it identifies problems with my ideas, it does not present solutions without an ideal input idea.
I also perused: http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Multiple-Dice-Probabilities

[Xathan]

If you want to use dice, then yes, you need to stick tables with 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 20 options (Don't forget the poor d12 does exist) to keep an equal probability of all outcomes. Well, almost.

Percent die, typically rolling 2d10 with one d10 being the first digit and one d10 being the second digit (although d100's do exist) can let you get very close to equally likely probabilities. For 18 options, for example, most probabilities would come up 6% of the time, and two 7% of the time, assuming I did that math right. It's not perfect, but it does work.

[LD]

Thank you. That is what I was concerned about; which led to my follow-up question regarding d10s- where can someone find a d10 other than in a gaming store? I'm concerned that most people wouldn't have one, which could limit a game's appeal.

Thankfully we live in the computer age, so most people could just hop on the internet and generate a random number or run an spreadsheet program or an app, but I'd still feel more comfortable if I knew that d10s were more accessible.

[LD]

Hm. This just occurred to me; I have one clunky idea to get 18 choices be equally acceptable with a d6... but I fear it may be too clunky.

Separate the 18 choices into 3 sets of 6.

Roll d6 three times:

d6=1
d6=3
d6=2

Now, roll another d6, rerolling if roll a 4, 5, or 6. This determines which set you use.

d=3

So you use the third d6 roll and count up 2, getting 14 as the number.

I suppose that is the only way to do it.

[Xathan]

Hm. This just occurred to me; I have one clunky idea to get 18 choices be equally acceptable with a d6... but I fear it may be too clunky.

Separate the 18 choices into 3 sets of 6.

Roll d6 three times:

d6=1
d6=3
d6=2

Now, roll another d6, rerolling if roll a 4, 5, or 6. This determines which set you use.

d=3

So you use the third d6 roll and count up 2, getting 14 as the number.

I suppose that is the only way to do it.

That is clunky...but does work, looking at it.

And d10's are pretty much only found at gaming stores, this is true. But most gamers I've met who have d10s have TONS of them, especially if the played white wolf. Also, with the ubiquity of smartphones, anyone can get a simple app to roll dice for them anymore. I wouldn't let dice availability limit you in anything unless you're talking about d24s, because no one carries those it seems.

[Humabout]

Alternatively, you can roll multiple independent d6s and not add them.  A table would look like this:

Roll	result
1, 1	A
1, 2	B
1, 3	C
1, 4	D
1, 5	E
1, 6	F
2, 1	G
2, 2	H
2, 3	I
2, 4	J
2, 5	K
2, 6	L
and so on	and so on

[EDIT]
This will give you a number of results equal to the number of sides on a die raised to the power of the number of dice rolled, btw.  Use fewer-sided dice for fewer results - e.g., 1d4, 1d4 = 16 results.

[LD]

Thank you Xathan and Humabout. I like your alternative system Humabout.

[Humabout]

Anytime man!  I only use d6s, so it's a useful workaround.

[sparkletwist]

That's the system used by Maid RPG, too. They call it a d66-- a name I don't really like, because there are only 36 possibilities, but I digress.

If you want 18 possibilities, you can simulate a d3 with a d6 without actually having to reroll anything-- either divide by 2 and round up, or subtract 3 from the face value if you roll a 4 or higher. (Whichever way makes more sense to your mind)

If you want to get really strange, though, it's perfectly possible-- if cumbersome-- to simulate all kinds of other dice with a d6. You can simulate a d2 by a similar method to the d3: dividing by 3, odds and evens, or whatever else you want, as long as 3 faces generate a 1 and 3 faces generate a 2. Once you've simulated a d2, you can use the result like binary (essentially doing the same thing that a d100 roll does with 2d10) and essentially roll any power of two: d4, d8, d16, and so on.

[Steerpike]

Speaking personally, I found the oddly shaped dice associated with roleplaying a selling point when I started gaming.  How is the game being distributed?  Online?

I doubt that d10s are more widely distributed than d20s.  In fact - wildly guessing here - I'd hazard that after d6s, d20s are the most commonly owned type of dice out there.  I certainly own more d20s and d6s than other die types.

One way to accomplish what you want purely with d6s without resorting to clunky mathematical tables that substitute values (which, again speaking personally, I would find far more off-putting than using an oddly-shaped die) might be to use nested charts: randomized tables which then lead to more randomized tables.  Lots of popular games - I'm thinking here especially of tabletop wargames - require several d6 rolls on multiple tables to do various things (in Warhammer 40K, for instance, you roll to hit using one table, then to wound using another, then an armour saving throw).

A little more context about the content of the randomized tables might be useful in devising a solution.

[LD]

Steerpike;
In answer to the question-

My hopes for the game are as follows:
1. I initially designed it as a board game so I could discover the core, simplest mechanics that are necessary to fulfill my vision.
2. The game is designed to be mostly compatible with https://www.thegamecrafter.com/ the Board Game Print on Demand site's rules. But no one really buys games that are print on demand, so that's really more of a vanity idea and a way to get a mock-up printed.
3a. If among testers, the game took off, then I would start a company and deal with all that mess. A 150 to 250 dollar prospect. But on the bright side, once those fees are paid and taxation (state, local, city) is figured out, the company would only cost about 50-60 a year to run (and about 10 hours/year to figure out taxation) and I could pump out other items.

But I'd probably want a website... based on my current recollection of old research, that would be between 7 to 25 for domain and 10-40/yr for hosting (wordpress would probably be cheapest).

The company's strategy would not be to run a POD game creation but to run a Kickstarter campaign to essentially attract pre-orders and potentially attract/demonstrate that distributors should actually carry the game so it in theory can actually arrive in game shops. For the game to succeed on Kickstarter, I would need to reimagine some aspects of the game and allow for personalization to favor Kickstarter vanity pledgers. Also, there would be a big question about the following before I put it on Kickstarter- could I find a printer to do the game for cheaper than the POD site could do it? There would need to be many hours on the phone to figure out how to work things out with distributors, etc. I would not want to have to do fulfillment myself- that would be a nightmare of at minimum 100 boxes sitting around the house and potentially up to 2000 boxes.

3b. Better scenario- my game proposition can be sold to a game company. Highly unlikely.

4. Concurrently; after the board game is working well- repurpose it to design the role playing game/board game hybrid... similar to the forum games here or a wargame. This version can be a bit more complicated and this version could accommodate odd dice. It would be sold through RPGNet or other online markets. I probably would want to start a company here as well but I wouldn't necessarily need a domain name or a host. I'd just run the company website on the cheap on a free blog site.

*. Note. This game has a different theme from the current forum games and it plays quite differently in that a turn is finished after 5 minutes and a bunch of rolls.

**. So essentially getting the board game to market is a high effort, high cost method.
Getting the RPG pen and paper to market is a low effort (medium if start a company), low cost (medium if start a company) method. The RPG is more likely to see the light of day than the Board Game, but my design of the RPG will benefit immeasurably from my work with the board game.
--
The table I was having an issue with was a "random event table"... I wanted more than 6 events for the board game and I didn't want to require something other than a d6.

Regarding Warhammer's exploding tables system: that's intriguing. If I end up with more events than the 18-20 I have now, I may have to use that.