"Show Your Work" the 3d4 vs 2d6 follow-up

Hey all,

This Saturday, I posted a video to the All Funnies and Games Youtube channel. If you haven't seen it already, you can watch the video here.

What's there is enough to answer our question, which was, "If you can select either 2d6 or 3d4 for a best two out of three roll-off, and leave your opponent with the other, which should you pick?" However, that's not all of the supporting number-crunching necessary to be sure of the result. (The result was 3d4, by the way). So, here, I'll be posting a chunk of dice mechanics-related content to, hopefully, give you some food for thought in looking deeper into these mechanics yourself.

Defining the Formula
- We will write our formula as xdy.
- x = the number of random number generators whose outcomes will be added together
- y = the highest possible outcome of each random number generator used, these random number generators can only produce a whole number between 1 and y
- each random number generator will produce one outcome, all outcomes will be added together, the sum of these will be called the "result" of xdy

Rules
Rule 1: The lowest possible result of xdy will always be x

Rule 2: The highest possible result of xdy will always be x times y

Rule 3: The number of possible die results will always be (x times y) - (x-1)
--For the purposes of rule 3, results does not differentiate a 7 made from a 2 and a 5, from a 7 made from a 1 and a 6, etc.

Rule 4: The number of possible die results made from different combinations of die faces will always be y^x
--For the purposes of rule 4, results DOES differentiate a 7 made from a 2 and a 5, from a 7 made from a 1 and a 6, etc.

Rule 5: The likelihood of getting either the most or least likely result is always 1:y^x

Rule 6: If (x times y) - (x-1) results in an even number, the most likely result will NOT be a whole number.

Rule 7: IF (x times y) - (x-1) results in an odd number, the most likely result will be a whole number.

Rule 8 [(y+1)/2] times x = average result of xdy.

Tables

Here's hoping this is some information that'll come in handy as you look into dice and statistics yourself. What resources have helped you plan probabilities in your own tabletop games? Let's talk about that in the comments. Happy Gaming, all.

My Hero Academia: Bottom 5 from 1-A

Hey all,

Today, we're talking My Hero Academia again. Last time was a lot of fun, so I thought I'd do the reverse of that. Today, we're doing the bottom five of class 1-A. These are the worst of the best, so they're still a cut above the rank and file, but by 1-A standards, there's something to be desired. We'll start with fifth from the bottom, and end with the worst student in class 1-A.

#5 Rikido Sato AKA Sugarman

It's a bad sign that we didn't even know this hero's power until the last arc of season 2. His power is . . . okay? Sugar makes him strong, and also dumb. More sugar = more strong and more dumb. To be fair, he barely made this list. There's nothing specifically terrible about him, he's just really, really, meh.

#4 Hanta Sero AKA Cellophane

This is literally the first image when you look up "cellophane" on google. "Cellophane mha" didn't yield any better results, and "cellophane" did not have one image of the My Hero character before reaching the load more results button. Every single time Cellophane is on screen, my first reaction is "Oh yeah, they have a tape guy." He is a silence from Doctor Who: I think his real quirk is that everyone, audience included, purges his existence from their memory whenever he is out of sight.

#3 Yuga Aoyama AKA Can't Stop Twinkling

This guy is everything done right in other characters, all done wrong in one character. Tenya is upright and knightly in a better way. Yaoyorozu is aristocratic in a better way. His ranged attack is not shown to be more powerful than Bakugo's or Todoroki's. On top of all of that, his weakness is that he gets stomachaches from using his quirk. In his own words: "Shooting my beautiful beam for more than a second hurts my tummy." A second? That's a seriously low threshold for a superpower. Also, sorry, dude. You can't be a superhero if you say "tummy".

#2 Katsuki Bakugo 

Bakugo might turn things around, and, honestly, I hope he does. His quirk is real cool to watch, and he's had enough backstory investment that, sure, I get why he's how he is. Still, how he is, is arrogant and violent. He attributes his strength to birthright. Thing is, we've seen people raised to not respond well to criticism. We've seen characters who believe that the strength of their birthright entitles them to be better than others. We've seen everything wrong with Bakugo. We saw it in Avatar: the Last Airbender, when we met Azula. Bakugo's an intersting character, but right now he makes more sense as a villain than as a hero, which is a problem in hero school. He would be a better fit for the League of Villains.

#1 Minoru Mineta AKA Grape Juice

Alright, here he is. Mineta is the worst member of class 1-A. His powers are odd, but they're actually not bad. He says that if he uses them too much, he'll bleed, but that's got to be a high threshold, because we've never seen it happen. He has a decently tactical mind, and has proven useful in several tests, made a respectable showing in the sports festival, and played a key role in defending the USJ. However, his behavior is absolutely reprehensible. We know the reputation lawyers have for unscrupulous behavior, and Mineta would have been drummed out of law school for sexual harassment at this point, let alone hero school. Frankly, the inappropriate touching could, in most cases, be attributed to unfortunate hand placement and claimed as an accident, but the comments he's made, and his attempt to peep through the wall between the locker rooms should have has him drummed out of any reputable institution. Barring that, I hope the creators clean up his act, or at least take him out of the spotlight, in the seasons to come.


So, there's class 1-A's bottom of the class, in my opinion. While Bakugo kind of needs a plot resolution at this point, the rest could disappear without much notice (and I think Aoyama might have already dropped off. I can't remember the last time I saw him in an episode). If you enjoyed the article, share it with a friend, or check out what I've got on youtube at All Funnies and Games. Thanks for reading, and have a great day.

The Royal Game of Ur

Hey all,

Not a full post today, but I had to share this video I saw. This is such a wonderful celebration of what games are and have been and could be: and I wanted my readers to get to see this too, and enjoy it like I have. Happy gaming, all.

My Hero Academia: Top Five from 1-A

Hey all,

With the recent conclusion of My Hero Academia season 2, I thought it'd be fun to revisit the series and go over some of my favorite characters. To be clear, I've only seen the anime, and know nothing of these character's actions in the manga.

This top five will include only the students of class 1-A, and Deku gets the honorable mention of being a Shonen protagonist, and so, the plot of the series is on his side too much to make it a fair contest if he's involved. We know more about him than anyone, and the universe he lives in goes out of its way to make him as awesome as possible.

Looking at you, Great Will of the Macrocosm
Yeah, she's not in My Hero, but come on, Deku's got plot armor.

So, with Deku excluded, let's look at the best of class 1-A. Spoilers ahead, obviously.

#5 Ochaco Uraraka AKA Uravity

Uravity has been a principal in the series since episode 3, but it wasn't until the tournament arc that we saw more than the cheerful exterior charm to this character. Not only did she come up with the same plan that Deku was going to suggest, but she improved on it. She turned making things float into a powerhouse attack that could go toe to toe with at-will explosions. Her performance rightfully shocked the audience, and she's only become more of a combat threat since her internship with Gunhead. 

#4 Mina Ashido AKA Alien Queen AKA Pinkie

Ashido is the least narratively fleshed-out character on this list, yet we do have some key details about her character, personality, and quirk. She consistently operates from a place of optimism. When things start to look dark her first thought might be mild panic, but she's one of the few characters to avoid outright defeatism and melancholy. Her quirk seems like it could be pretty powerful, and I hope the summer training arc ahead shows us some more of what she's capable of. Also, unlikely as it may be, I think an internship with Best Jeanist and a name change to Acid Wash would be a fun direction to take the character. 

#3 Tenya Iida AKA Ingenium

Tenya Iida is not only 1-A'a class rep, but he's the epitome of the "class rep" archetype. Straight-laced, rules oriented, and visually carrying the classic black hair and glasses look that absolutely screams "the responsible one in this show." Kyoya Ootori would be proud. Yet, there's an intensity of character to him that fits the other common archetype to adopt these looks and mannerisms. There is something of the cruel mastermind to his character. The glasses and hair are also reminiscent of the Gendo look. With Tenya, there is a mixture. His law-abiding nature quickly devolves into bitter vengeance at the injury of his brother. Though he regrets this lapse of morals, there's no guarantee that Tenya's darker side won't surface again as the battles intensify and the mathematics of war seek to corrupt the innocent heroism he once aspired to. 

#4 Tsuyu Asui AKA Su AKA Froppy

Froppy is just great in a way that few characters can attain to. She's got nearly Ashido's optimism combined with a hearty portion of sass and blunt truth. What's more, she showed a greater capacity for practical heroism in her internship than any other hero. Granted, some had far less opportunity to shine, and some heroes like Best Jeanist and Uwabami, did very little in comparison to the hands-on training provided by Selkie. Even without the drug bust, Selkie expected more of his intern; and Froppy rose to the occasion. Not only did she show herself a capable combatant, but well capable of taking orders and working on a team without letting ego cause problems. To date, almost no one else has shown the ability to follow into battle quite like Froppy. 

#1 Shoto Todoroki

Todoroki has, from the start, been one of the most consistently powerful characters on the show. He was admitted to UA on recommendation, which carries some distinction. He also spent season one and a bit of time in season two essentially operating at half power. His back story is dark, and to sum it up briefly, his mother was forced into a marriage intended to create children with powerful quirks, and Todoroki gets his white hair, brown eye, and ice powers from her. His father, Endeavor, is a pro hero who used his status to force the marriage and breed an heir powerful enough to challenge rivals Endeavor couldn't fight on his own. From his father, Todoroki inherited his red hair, blue eye, and fire powers. His arc has been one of accepting himself, and accepting his heritage as his own to do with as he wishes. He has learned to accept his fire powers without accepting the criminal actions of the father he inherited those powers from. Through all of this, he has emerged as a potent and heroic character with the potential to truly be one of the greats as the series goes on. 

So, there we have it, my top five favorite members of class 1-A in My Hero Academia. I'll probably do more of these types of articles to cope with the hiatus, however long that turns out to be. If you enjoyed the article, share it with a friend, or check out what I've got on youtube at All Funnies and Games. Thanks for reading, and have a great day. 

Ultra-Instinct vs Super Saiyan

Hey all,

For those who didn't know, I've been writing episode reviews of Dragonball Super on My Looney Bin, check them out and take a look at what else is there, it's good stuff. Anyway, the latest two-parter put me in the mindset to compare the origins of Super Saiyan against what we're seeing so far in Ultra-Instinct.

Super Saiyan first appeared in as Goku was fighting Freiza on planet Namek. On the upside, there was a lot of build-up in the lore. We probably heard the phrase Super Saiyan at least half a dozen to a dozen times before we saw one, which made the power-up feel like a part of the world that predated this incident and didn't feel like a deus ex machina. Ultra-extreme on the other hand has really only been built up in the audience's meta-understanding of things, i.e. Goku didn't get a new form last arc, so it's bound to happen. I think Android 17 said it best when he said, "But, somehow Goku instantly overcame that overwhelming difference in power." Rinse, and repeat. Super Saiyan felt like something brand new, and, while I can't rag too hard on how absolutely amazing Ultra-Instinct looks, these power-up forms are less incredible and more routine.

So, if Ultra-Instinct is a little routine, and kind of out of the blue at the same time, what's it got going for it? For starters, the aesthetics of both the character design and the fight choreography are absolutely amazing. These fights might have surpassed the high points of the Zamasu arc as the best fighting in Super so far. What's more, Ultra-Instinct is doing what Super Saiyan should have done as far as slowing down the future power creep a little. Once Goku powers down from Ultra-Instinct, he can't just hop right back in, and he genuinely seems to have some trouble understanding what he's achieved, and it suggests he might not know how to turn it back on, even when he has the energy again.

So, some pluses and minuses; but enough still here that, no question, I'll be coming back to see where this arc's going. 

Session Brainstorming: Dark New World

Hey all,

Thought I'd share some brainstorming I've been going through for what might be my next tabletop excursion as a GM. Some of you might know that at the moment I'm going through a Fallout inspired game in the GURPS system, and I'm looking at where to go after that. I've thought a lot of this through already, but I'll try to retell it in the stream of consciousness from my initial planning, just to give some insight into the campaign planning process.

For starters, inspiration on this one comes a lot from the music of Alestorm. Metal album covers have been inspiring fantasy roleplaying since the earliest days of the hobby, and there's no reason for modern times to be an exception to that. So, we start with intense metal that drives home the chaos and uncertainty of the seafaring lifestyle: what next?

Well, just for the sake of being ready for player assumptions, it seems like a good idea to be prepared for a Pirates of the Caribbean influence, at least in character design and player expectations. That's fine, the cover of Black Sails at Midnight was taking us toward dark fantasy elements anyway.

So, what else helps with this tone? Personally, I think the setting is well rounded out by the Cthulhu mythos, which, combined with the other elements we've already drawn from, creates a great dark retelling of European journals of the new world. If everything Cortez reported was true, and had it's origins in the mythos, that's a fun setting to play in.

Naturally, we've got to go with World of Darkness or Call of Cthulhu or something like that for the rules. Dread might work for short format, but I'm feeling something a little longer.

I want to introduce the unknown early, and establish a mystery that, true to Lovecraft, never really resolves. The goal is not full understanding, and, in fact furthering understanding of the threats of the new world is the enemy of sanity. We'll need to keep things mysterious and desperate, with only a fool's hope to go on.

So, let's establish early that a sister expedition is being sent a hundred miles north, and will leave about a month after arrival. From there, we can shipwreck our players at the hands of some Eldritch horror of the sea, and leave them no recourse but to strike across the untamed jungles: braving the cyclopean ruins, the cultish natives, and the strange and monstrous wildlife in a desperate race to reach the last ship home to Spain. Yeah, that'll be a fun little romp.  ;)



What are some of your favorite settings for good rpg games? Let's chat that in the comments below. Happy gaming, all.