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Sunday, December 12, 2021

Hex Flowers: just use lowest of 2d6?

Note: This is a revision of an earlier blog post, based on comments. Keep in mind that some of the earlier comments refer to a time when I had buggered up the number order.

I had been looking at hex flowers, which are fascinating as an idea and enjoying a fair amount of creative efforts. I was wondering why they used the total of 2d6 instead of just the lowest, which is statistically the same and would let you use single die numbers in the legend:

There is an earlier forum post on FICTIONEERS where I originally mentioned this and got the numbers right, but for a take highest roll instead of take lowest. Another poster ("Qo") provided proof that the odds were the same. I've reformatted what Qo wrote below:

2d6 Total odds from AnyDice:  output 2d6


2d6 Lowest odds from AnyDice:  output [lowest of 1d6 and 1d6]

Odds breakdown

2d6 Total  2d6 low  2d6 high  Percent chance
   12          6        1      2.78
   2+3         5        2      8.34 (2.78+5.56)
   10+11       4        3     13.89 (8.33+5.56)
   4+5         3        4     19.44 (8.33+11.11)
   8+9         2        5     25.00 (13.89+11.11)
   6+7         1        6     30.56 (13.89+16.67)

So after thinking it through and mulling over the comments, the main problems is that due to the ordering, it still isn't much more intuitive. It is also less straightforward and may mislead some users into thinking that you just roll 1d6. I'm glad I looked at hex flowers and may use them in the future, but I'll probably be sticking with the standard 2d6 total for the legend.

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9 comments:

  1. GHDecember 20, 2021 at 3:13 AM

    Nice. I love it.

    The only thing I don't really like is that the 1 (most probable) and 6 (the least probable) are next to each other. This of course might suit certain mini-games.

    To mirror the way I use my HF, the navigation Hex would need to look more like this:

    6
    4 5
    2 3
    1

    which still makes sense if you climb from the bottom and read left to right.

    :O)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jake EldritchDecember 20, 2021 at 8:08 AM

      That's a really good point, I was focusing on whether the probabilities were the same but botched the order. Without the order being simple clockwise there's little advantage left to this 2d6 roll highest method.

      Delete
    2. GHDecember 20, 2021 at 11:42 AM

      I still like it, but need to ponder it some more.

      I'm still amazed that your method and the 2D6 method work out the same (save for the ordering of the faces).

      Delete
    3. Jake EldritchDecember 22, 2021 at 4:25 PM

      So I edited and put the post back up with the numbers the right way round. But yeah, statistically it's the same. There's just no strong advantage to my way as far as I can tell. I think it was interesting to examine anyway.

      Delete
  2. Polish MatthewDecember 20, 2021 at 5:16 AM

    I also would like a rule for staying in the same hex. Maybe if you roll doubles?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wr3cking8a11December 20, 2021 at 6:38 AM

      Some flowers just have hard walls on the edges you cant move through, which sometimes sticks you in a hex and sometimes moves you in a very specific direction

      Delete
    2. Jake EldritchDecember 20, 2021 at 10:05 AM

      Interesting idea, rolling doubles would work for everything but 12 (or 1 in 2d6 take highest), which has to be double.

      Delete
  3. GHDecember 20, 2021 at 11:45 AM

    I sometimes use doubles for special effects. But, yes 12 is always a double. Unless ... you start using 'side doubles' by pinching the 2D6 together and looking at the faces opposite the kissing faces.

    ReplyDelete
  4. GHDecember 20, 2021 at 11:50 AM

    Using a D8+d6 (or even 2D8) opens up some extra numbers equal which can be assigned to 'stay in hex' and can allow you to have a symmetrical Navigation Hex e.g.:

    https://goblinshenchman.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/d6d8nh.png

    ReplyDelete