40K What if your a "Low Roller"??

[ShotgunFacelift]

After getting back into the hobby since a mult-year sabatical I have re-discovered why I stopped playing dice based games in the first place.

I'm a low rolla.....

Example from last night:
20 + Guardsmen shooting at 5x terminators.
My opponents lasguns causes me to roll 4 x Armor Saves.........I roll 3 x 1s, and a 5

To name one of hundreds of similar stories, 9 x assault marines dying against 10 armor saves caused by Gretchin, 6 penetrating hits only resulting in "Crew Shaken" the list just goes on and on

Though I lack the homework to show you guys video or other statistical proof of just how many times I roll between 1-3, I can describe the behaviors that have developed to cope.

1. -- Never EVER field plasma weapons (or any weapon with "gets hot")
Typically I get 1 shot out of the model before they self immolate, maybe

2. -- Flamers, flamers, flamers
The less dice I have to roll 3+ the better

3. -- Ablative armor instead of Ceramite Armor

I max out squad sizes (Tactical, Assault, Scout, Etc) in order to get them to survive 1 round of shooting.

4. -- Leadership tests....I just assume all of my guys are fearless.
I have failed 2 leadership tests, in the last 7 games.

5. -- Hail the Librarian, Hail the Psychic Attack!!
As I never fail psychic tests, I tend to field 2-3 librarians in a list....

6. -- If its going into HTH, lead it with a chaplain.
Otherwise its 100pts worth of horrible, horrible failure

Now as much fun as a pitty party sounds, I'm more interested in the gameplay applications of this effect.

If a player consistantly rolls low scores (3 and below) on the majority of his rolls what possible ways can you benefit in terms of using certain units or armies?

I have already found that Librarians (indeed all psychic units) are positively effected by my rolling habits.
And that I will almost never fall back, or become pinned.

So what can I do with this for Vanilla Space Marines?
What other armies would benefit most from Low Rolling?

[lewbot1]

you don't have to play warhammer, take up chess! then paint your rooks, pawns, queens and other stuff...

my brother is a low roller and when I still lived at home he would always hate playing against me as 90% of the time I would win (60% my supreme tactics, 30% his bad luck, 10% I felt sorry and lost on purpose...)

If you truly are a low roller, then a different army/style of play won't help you. In our game you cannot kill without rolling a dice (highly most of the time).

[Zarahemna]

Have you heard of statistics?

Random chance?

Use a cup if you are worried that you are a low roller. Even if you do roll low, it's random and that's all that matters. Random does not mean 'pattern free'.

[Sammy the Squib]

There will always be an element of luck to the game, the best thing to do is laugh it off. I know that might not be much good advice if you're losing all the time but there's not a lot else you can do.

What I will say is to get into a hobby or interest which relies 100% on skill and this can be your focus for serious study. Become an expert on a part of history or science which interests you or master chess or something. This can become your "main" hobby and playing WH could come second. It's more a psychological thing really, everyone likes to have something they consider themselves good at. If you choose something in which your proficiency relies 100% on your dedication then you will find that winning WH becomes less important because you have your "main" skill to fall back on when the dice don't go your way (if you see what I mean, it's kinda hard to explain)

The problem arises when people throw their heart and soul into a game and it becomes the be all and end all, they must be the best and master it. I was the same a few years ago, being a master WH player was very important to me and the fact that there were elements of the game which were beyond my control (dice rolls) used to annoy me quite a bit.

Once you see the fact that WH is nothing but a means for people with a similar interest to enjoy each others company then the focus changes and at the end of a game you can say "well, I lost, but did I enjoy it?" if the answer is yes then WH has done exactly what it's designed to do.

So combining all of the above I think you can cope. Of course I don't believe for a second you're a "bad roller", maybe use a cup if it makes you feel any better

[ArchonFarseerGuy]

Originally Posted by Sammy the Squib

So combining all of the above I think you can cope. Of course I don't believe for a second you're a "bad roller", maybe use a cup if it makes you feel any better

Or blow on them.

Yes, I do read obscure issues of Fanatic too much.

The theory behind it is that the hydrogen molecules do something that I forgot (too much science for me - I'm doing Law next year), or that the dice get so emotionally distressed by the experience that when you stop doing it, they roll really well because they don't want it to happen again.

One interesting post can be found here:

Originally Posted by Shonuff

Archon,

I've played WFB, W40k, BB, Mordheim, Necromunda an even "watched" 40k epic.
I had the same issue you are having. It's true. one game can effect the others.

But i found out "WHY".

it's not the order in which you played them, it's not Pixies or anything game related.

It's the dice.

I used to us the same cube of dice for my chaos, my necrons, my bugs and my bloodbowl (for breaking armor or weather, or kickoff etc.)

It wasn't until I got my own separate set of "BLOODBOWL" dice, to go with my block dice, did I begin seing WINs again.

Dice are like a lady in some aspects. They want to feel special, want to be focused on one game.

Trust me. If you haven't got separate dice....do it. If you hav got separat dice....buy new dice.

[Zema]

I gotta say, it does feel like i roll better now that i got my dice purple and gold dice!

[Pierced53]

Read Jervis Johnson's article of Standard Bearer in WD353 (UK).

To sum it up: you make your own luck. Bad players dwindle on their bad rolls and allow it to affect their mindset, good players do not.

It's worth a read.

[Zema]

Originally Posted by Pierced53

Read Jervis Johnson's article of Standard Bearer in WD353 (UK).

To sum it up: you make your own luck. Bad players dwindle on their bad rolls and allow it to affect their mindset, good players do not.

It's worth a read.

I can only agree with that, the dice don't make you lose, your reaction on the dice is the decider.

[Morden]

At first when i used dice i thought it was just the dice but alot of the time i useally find my dice are only good or bad depending my mood. If i am happy,etc there useally great rolls but if i am in a bad/tired mood there really bad.

I dunno anyone when i play my warriors of chaos out of say 3 games ill roll very badly in 2 and really decent in 1 game. But my orks there something different i have found my dice rolls not so bad since i almost need 5s 50% of the game but a few times i have even outshot a space marine army it has to be gork and mork i tell you!.

[Liffrea]

When it comes to chance some people bemoan their luck when the Lady frowns on you but as Philosophy said to Boethius “All luck is good luck to the man who bears it with equanimity.”

A few weeks ago I rolled all one’s on my veterans shooting four meltas from their chimera, I only needed three’s. Last week every shot from my BC was bang on target and I wiped out obliterators and Chaos terminators in two turns.

All good to me, sometimes fortune favours you other times the wheel turns and you’re stuck at the bottom. Look at it another way you may be a crap player with poor dice rolls but your sex life is amazing, I know which one I would rather have! Luck really is a matter of perspective.