dice

[earcaraxe]

is my info on d4s and d20 making a comeback true? I very much prefer the ed3 version, that doesnt use those dice. The reduction of the variance of the random variables was a welcome improvement in my playing group.

[Lys]

You may want to . The short version is that the d4 is only used for Steps 1, 2, and 3, while the d20 is only used for Step 19 (d20+2d6) and above. The idea is to make it so that you don't have to roll more than 3 dice until you get to Step 37.

[earcaraxe]

thank u very much!

[Kasbak]

I for one hated the reduction in variance. I loved the wider range of possibilities the older dice system provided. I'd much rather have results in the extremes, that make great success or great failure more likely, than have everyone perform just on average more often. Just different tastes for different play styles though.

[Telarus_KSC]

Steps 14-18 were the real problem. There were a couple of "hiccups" in the odds there in 1st edition. I like this new chart.

[Lys]

I hate failing much more than I like succeeding, so I tend to favour consistency over extreme results. I'd happily give up great successes if it meant I never had to suffer a great failure again.* It then follows that I very much prefer lots of small dice over fewer big ones, as this tends to cluster results more around the average. That said, I think the new step chart is all right. As Telarus says, the big problem in 1st and 2nd Editions were Steps 14-18, so by making the d20 only come in at Step 19 it's not so bad.

*Bit of a funny attitude for a Weaponmaster player, but I make up for it by being impulsive and not thinking things through. ^-^;

[Utsukushi]

Are we sure if 1st Edition had done it this way, we wouldn't be here now saying, "Well, since Step 19-29 was always the problem..."??

I'm just curious. More seriously, I trust Mataxes pretty absolutely when it comes to the math under the Steps. His old articles on it cover not just the statistics, but also consider the psychology... and both aspects not just for each Step, but over the whole progression. So this is one place I'm unreservedly looking forward to trying out the new arrangement!