A Field Guide to Dice Superstitions - Or How We All Lost Our Minds - A Personal Confession & Conclusion

Oct 5, 2026

An anthropological, humorous look at the bizarre pre-game rituals and beliefs players attach to polyhedral dice in tabletop role-playing. It catalogs distinct “types” of dice behavior—from the pre-roll routines and dice-collecting preferences to dice imprisonment, mystical cleansing, and even sham “atheism.” The study contrasts rational probability with lived habits, then frames the meta-ritual of knowing it’s nonsense yet doing it for comfort, community, and entertainment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time6 min

AccessFree to download

The Taxonomy of Dice Rituals

Type A: The Pre-Roll Ritual

Type B: The Dice Collector

Type C: The Dice Disciplinarian

Type D: The Dice Mystic

Type E: The Dice Atheist

The Science (Such As It Is)

The Meta-Ritual

A Personal Confession

In Conclusion

AFIELD GUIDE TO DICE SUPERSTITIONS Or How We All Lost Our Minds An anthropological study of the bizarre rituals players perform with plastic polyhedrons. Yes,, I’m included. Yes,, II have adice jail. AField Guide to Dice Superstitions (Or: How We All Lost Our Minds) A N ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE BIZARRE rituals players perform with plastic polyhedrons. Yes, I’m included. Yes, I have a dice jail. When I first started playing D&D, I was a rational person. A man of science and art. I understood that dice were simply random number generators, small plastic objects governed by physics and probability theory. That was before I met my d20 . Now I have seventeen sets of dice, three of which are in “dice jail” for rolling poorly, and I refuse to roll any d20 that’s showing a 1 face-up between sessions because obviously that’s asking for trouble. I am, as the youth say,“cooked.” The Taxonomy of Dice Rituals Type A: The Pre-Roll Ritual Characteristics: Must perform specific action before every important roll. Observed Behaviors: Shaking dice in cupped hands while whispering encouragement Blowing on dice (despite no scientific evidence that breath affects plastic) Kissing dice (see above, but more concerning from a hygiene perspective) The “Dice Massage” – rolling the die gently to “warm it up” Ceremonial lifting and dropping from specific heights I personally fall into this category. Before any crucial roll, I must tap the d20 on the table exactly three times. Why three? Because five felt excessive and two felt insufficient. This is what passes for logic in my brain now. Type B: The Dice Collector Characteristics: Believes that different dice are suited for different purposes. Observed Behaviors: “These are my attack dice, these are my damagedice, and these are for saving throws.” Maintaining separate sets for separate characters Having “lucky” dice for specific situations Refusing to let others touch their dice (reasonable, honestly) My friend Gerald has forty-seven sets of dice. Fortyseven. He claims each set has a distinct “personality.”Gerald, if you’re reading this, please seek help. Also, can I borrow your sparkly purple set? It seems to roll well. Type C: The Dice Disciplinarian Characteristics: Believes dice can and should be punished for poor performance. Observed Behaviors: Dice Jail – Physical containment (usually a small container) where offending dice are imprisoned Forced Observation – Making bad dice watch good dice roll well Threats – Verbal warnings that continued poor performance will result in consequences Exile – Permanent banishment of consistently poor performers I maintain a dice jail. It’s a small cardboard box labeled “SHAME” in red marker. Currently incarcerated: One d20 that rolled three natural 1s in a row during combat A full set that failed every single death save last month A metal d6 that I swear is cursed (it’s not weighted; I checked. Twice.) Type D: The Dice Mystic Characteristics: Believes in cosmic dice karma and spiritual connections with polyhedrons. Observed Behaviors: 2 Only rolling dice on specific surfaces for “proper energy flow” Cleansing dice with sage smoke between sessions Arranging dice in specific patterns when not in use Consulting the dice for life decisions (don’t do this) Believing dice have souls (seriously, don’t) My mate Patricia does a full dice cleansing ritual before every session involving incense and crystal arrangements. Does it work? Well, her character hasn’t died yet, so I’m not saying she’s wrong. Type E: The Dice Atheist Characteristics: Claims to have no superstitions whatsoever. Is absolutely lying. Observed Behaviors: “I don’t believe in luck; it’sjust probability.” Uses the same dice every session “for consistency” Definitely has preferences but claims they’re“practical” Rolls dice between sessions to “test them”(this is a ritua

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the guide?

The guide humorously presents an “anthropological study” of the rituals and superstitions players perform with dice, despite knowing they are irrational.

What are the different types of dice rituals described?

It outlines five categories: pre-roll rituals, dice collectors, dice disciplinarians (including “dice jail”), dice mystics, and dice atheists who claim they have no superstitions while still acting ritualistically.

Why do players keep using dice rituals if they know it’s nonsense?

Players continue because routine feels comforting, shared superstitions build community, it’s entertaining, and it offers plausible deniability—“unless it works.”

What conclusion does the narrator reach about dice superstitions?

Dice superstitions are called irrational, but the narrator insists they will not stop and will only judge others’ rituals if they are “dif…” (text cut off).

Oct 5, 2026

Upload by Taylor Morgan