[QUOTE=gman003-main;48232527]Using the same seed for every roll would give the same exact result for every roll.[/QUOTE]
roll20 does seem to use the same seed for a long period of time. Instead of having a seed for every roll or even every session it's just one seed that changes at seemingly random times (ranging from hours to just a few minutes from what I'm observing) and all the rolls are done off of that one single seed.
[QUOTE=elowin;48232560]Technically they're not even really using seeds. I'm not entirely 100% sure on how it works.[/QUOTE]
Okay, so having looked into it, they most likely use a setup like this:
A dedicated apparatus measures the intensity of a laser beam that has been carefully designed to output a specific intensity. However, because light is carried by discrete photons, it cannot output exactly that intensity. Measurements over any period of time will be either low or high - there's probably a feedback mechanism to ensure the average remains exactly right.
Since this is the result of quantum fluctuations, whether any given measurement will be high or low is unpredictable. The apparatus measures this, and reports it to a Roll20 server, with a high measurement being 1 and a low measurement being 0.
Now, judging by other entropy sources, the apparatus cannot provide random digits fast enough. So that entropy is fed into a pool, which is used as a seed for a pseudo-random number generator. A PRNG is not completely unpredictable - in fact, if you know the algorithm and the seed, you can exactly predict every result it will give. However, even a basic PRNG has such a long repeat period and even distribution that it's effectively unpredictable to humans. By resetting the seed for the PRNG from the entropy pool, it is tied into the quantum fluctuations and becomes unpredictable, provided that the entropy pool is fed with enough entropy (for instance, if they're using a 32-bit Mersenne Twister PRNG, they need to re-seed after 624 dice rolls).
Barring any implementation flaws, this is an extremely high-quality source of randomness, easily strong enough for cryptography, let alone rolling dice.
[QUOTE=cdr248;48231043]Can someone explain to me the appeal of dungeon crawling
I find it hard to believe that people have enjoyed full campaigns of just going through these things.[/QUOTE]
Honestly, because it's way... WAY... easier. No necessary NPCs for the PCs to fuck with, a straight path that they can't fuck up, and you don't have to roleplay that much.
(In other words, it's totally lame)
[QUOTE=Funktastic Dog;48232962]Honestly, because it's way... WAY... easier. No necessary NPCs for the PCs to fuck with, a straight path that they can't fuck up, and you don't have to roleplay that much.
(In other words, it's totally lame)[/QUOTE]
But fucking the NPCs and going off the path is like, half the fun in Pathfinder.
[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;48233002]But fucking the NPCs and going off the path is like, half the fun in Pathfinder.[/QUOTE]
Exactly!
Honestly I don't see the point in making PC's if you can't use them to ruthlessly slaughter NPC's and make your GM rethink his life choices!
I think if you're going to do a really memorable dungeon, you've really gotta commit to it. An ecosystem of some sorts with branching paths and plenty of secret areas and hopefully some juicy RP or world building sections
Though I'm never sure how much players appreciate world building, I like it as a GM and a player but a lot of people seem to get put off by it even if its done well and not the Tolkien style of seven pages of explanation.
[QUOTE=Vengeful Falcon;48233034]I think if you're going to do a really memorable dungeon, you've really gotta commit to it. An ecosystem of some sorts with branching paths and plenty of secret areas and hopefully some juicy RP or world building sections
Though I'm never sure how much players appreciate world building, I like it as a GM and a player but a lot of people seem to get put off by it even if its done well and not the Tolkien style of seven pages of explanation.[/QUOTE]
basically, do Ultima Underworld or Arx Fatalis, not Diablo.
But at that point, you're less doing a dungeon crawl, and more doing a big open world adventure that's set underground.
[QUOTE=Funktastic Dog;48233012]Exactly!
Honestly I don't see the point in making PC's if you can't use them to ruthlessly slaughter NPC's and make your GM rethink his life choices![/QUOTE]
Jade Regent, Curse of the Crimson Throne and Reign of Winter are the best APs released by Paizo.
They are also the three APs with the most waifus, interesting NPCs, non-dungeon based environments and campaigns.
Coincidence? [sp]I think not![/sp]
[QUOTE=Vengeful Falcon;48233034]I think if you're going to do a really memorable dungeon, you've really gotta commit to it. An ecosystem of some sorts with branching paths and plenty of secret areas and hopefully some juicy RP or world building sections
Though I'm never sure how much players appreciate world building, I like it as a GM and a player but a lot of people seem to get put off by it even if its done well and not the Tolkien style of seven pages of explanation.[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.tuckerskobolds.com/[/url]
I fucking love it when games have items but no rules attatched to them
Thanks Day After Ragnarok, you have a gun cleaning kit in a world where guns never get dirty and military webbing that does seemingly nothing.
[QUOTE=cdr248;48235183]I fucking love it when games have items but no rules attatched to them
Thanks Day After Ragnarok, you have a gun cleaning kit in a world where guns never get dirty and military webbing that does seemingly nothing.[/QUOTE]
u fukin kidden me i bought three of those shits
[QUOTE=gman003-main;48232920]Okay, so having looked into it, they most likely use a setup like this:
A dedicated apparatus measures the intensity of a laser beam that has been carefully designed to output a specific intensity. However, because light is carried by discrete photons, it cannot output exactly that intensity. Measurements over any period of time will be either low or high - there's probably a feedback mechanism to ensure the average remains exactly right.
Since this is the result of quantum fluctuations, whether any given measurement will be high or low is unpredictable. The apparatus measures this, and reports it to a Roll20 server, with a high measurement being 1 and a low measurement being 0.
Now, judging by other entropy sources, the apparatus cannot provide random digits fast enough. So that entropy is fed into a pool, which is used as a seed for a pseudo-random number generator. A PRNG is not completely unpredictable - in fact, if you know the algorithm and the seed, you can exactly predict every result it will give. However, even a basic PRNG has such a long repeat period and even distribution that it's effectively unpredictable to humans. By resetting the seed for the PRNG from the entropy pool, it is tied into the quantum fluctuations and becomes unpredictable, provided that the entropy pool is fed with enough entropy (for instance, if they're using a 32-bit Mersenne Twister PRNG, they need to re-seed after 624 dice rolls).
Barring any implementation flaws, this is an extremely high-quality source of randomness, easily strong enough for cryptography, let alone rolling dice.[/QUOTE]
Mother of balls my dice rolls are decided by a fucking laser? That's awesome as all fuck
We in the future son
Whatever happened to using good ol' static?
[editline]18th July 2015[/editline]
Or Lava Lamps.
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavarand[/url]
played some star wars d20 as a stoner wookie. punched about 5 people to death with my fists, almost instantly killed a party member by bitch slapping him, and then rolled a natural 1 on an astrogate check and crashed our ship
was a good day
[QUOTE=Kisame;48235227]u fukin kidden me i bought three of those shits[/QUOTE]
I've already told you that just because Ragnarok doesn't say anything about it doesn't mean I'm not going to homerule it in.
Since half the game is going to be you shits going through the desert and the fucking swamp known as the rest of the US you'll probably be getting shit in your guns.
[QUOTE=M.Ciaster;48235489]Mother of balls my dice rolls are decided by a fucking laser? That's awesome as all fuck
We in the future son[/QUOTE]
The result of the die is a superposition of the states until you open the box and collapse the wave function
[QUOTE=SiberysTranq;48236831]The result of the die is a superposition of the states until you open the box and collapse the wave function[/QUOTE]
yes
So the practical upshot of everything is, the dice ARE random you just have shit luck?
[QUOTE=thisguy123;48237138]So the practical upshot of everything is, the dice ARE random you just have shit luck?[/QUOTE]
Well of course
Dice superstition is just that
But if you're not doing the correct habits you'll have horrible luck
ex: if you don't cover your dice whenever grapple rules are mention, you're doomed until you uncurse them by touching them to your ear
in online rollers, this might require you to get creative
[QUOTE=thisguy123;48237138]So the practical upshot of everything is, the dice ARE random you just have shit luck?[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=elowin;48232272]The makers of Roll20 insist that every roll is entirely random, but my pet theory is that when you roll multiple dice at once, the entire roll is using the same seed, thus producing similar results across all the dice. But who the fuck am I to say.[/QUOTE]
I'm still fairly sure that something along these lines is happening.
[QUOTE=elowin;48237204]I'm still fairly sure that something along these lines is happening.[/QUOTE]
More likely, you humans just suck at intuiting randomness.
Try actually recording every dice roll in your next session. Just keep an Excel chart open, every time someone rolls a 10, put another check there. I bet you it actually is randomly distributed, you just only remember anomalous events.
What good military based RPG rule sets does anyone know of? My friend's trying to do a modern war themed campaign and it feels really awkward working with the D&D 5e ruleset.
[QUOTE=Obvious Shizz;48237466]What good military based RPG rule sets does anyone know of? My friend's trying to do a modern war themed campaign and it feels really awkward working with the D&D 5e ruleset.[/QUOTE]
You could use the WH40k rules and just NOT use the big laser cannons and chainswords.
[QUOTE=Obvious Shizz;48237466]What good military based RPG rule sets does anyone know of? My friend's trying to do a modern war themed campaign and it feels really awkward working with the D&D 5e ruleset.[/QUOTE]
Only War.
Obviously, if you're going for modern, restrict shit that wouldn't be possible with today's tech.
GURPS, hue.
I'll recommend savage worlds for everything. Works pretty well if you want to be commanding small squads as well.
[QUOTE=SiberysTranq;48237190]Well of course
Dice superstition is just that
But if you're not doing the correct habits you'll have horrible luck
ex: if you don't cover your dice whenever grapple rules are mention, you're doomed until you uncurse them by touching them to your ear
in online rollers, this might require you to get creative[/QUOTE]
We typically invent stupid spells and "cast" them using roll20's macros. A personal favourite of mine is "Slap (afk player) Awake!"
Of course, if you're that worried about your online dice rolls not being enough like real life rolls, you can always use Tabletop Simulator.
Especially if you're one of those groups that doesn't tend to use battle maps or care if the tokens match your character.
[QUOTE=Vengeful Falcon;48237523]I'll recommend savage worlds for everything. Works pretty well if you want to be commanding small squads as well.[/QUOTE]
Savage Worlds is definitely good if you want to handle large amounts of PCs/NPCs in combat and has also some neat mass battle rules and the combat does have some neat tactical maneuvers. However, it doesn't really have the crunch that some people might want from a tactical setting.
[QUOTE=IAmAnooB;48237507]GURPS, hue.[/QUOTE]
gurps has pretty detailed rules and the tactical shooting book that turns it up to eleven but I don't think it has rules for groups or mooks? (haven't read much gurps tho, probably wrong) so any bigger shootouts will probably take forever
I'd go for savage worlds but
[QUOTE=cdr248;48237880]Savage Worlds is definitely good if you want to handle large amounts of PCs/NPCs in combat and has also some neat mass battle rules and the combat does have some neat tactical maneuvers. However, it doesn't really have the crunch that some people might want from a tactical setting.[/QUOTE]
[editline]18th July 2015[/editline]
there's this savage worlds thing called Modern Ops tho, might wanna look into that?
[editline]18th July 2015[/editline]
and of course there's always the comedy option of
PHOENIX
MOTHERFUCKING
COMMAND
[img]http://puu.sh/j3Rre/ef85c46c47.jpg[/img]
tables everywhere, in on and around me
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QhusT8fGBs[/media]
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