[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-516518-105":59,"doc-detail-516518-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","exploding-6s-explained-why-the-mechanic-works","Exploding 6's Explained - Why the Mechanic Works","","A detailed, argumentative walkthrough of the “Exploding 6” damage mechanic in Firestorm Armada, addressing common complaints about excessive randomness and luck. The text compares the mechanic to known-percentage gaming and tactical shooting, then derives expectations using averages and a brute-force breakdown of exploding results. It further relates the system to D&D-style dice probability curves, explaining how skew and extreme low/high outcomes affect practical damage rather than perceived fairness.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":25,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/comic/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exploding-6s-explained-why-the-mechanic-works/516518/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/exploding-6s-explained-why-the-mechanic-works/516518.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Grenda","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-18","2026-10-07",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":81},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why do some gamers dislike the Exploding 6 mechanic?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Many players think it introduces too much variability and luck by making outcomes depend on rare Random Number Generator swings.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How is the expected number of hits estimated for a given number of Attack dice?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"As a rule of thumb, the text suggests multiplying the number of Attack dice by 0.8 to estimate the statistical mean (and treats each exploding 6 as counting as 2 hits in that reasoning).",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What does the document say about probability curves compared to D&D’s 3d6?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It explains that the 3d6 curve is symmetric with a bell shape, while the Attack Dice curve is skewed, can range from 0 to infinity, and has extreme results that are practically negligible.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},516518,1792189549,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":24,"category_name":25,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":81,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":34,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":81},7971474921005,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","Exploding 6's Explained  \nOverall, Firestorm Armada is a great game. The models are fantastic, the rules are generally straightforward, and the units and factions are fairly balanced. However, there are some issues with the game which deter gamers from trying it out. The most common complaint from this group is the Exploding 6 mechanic. Generally gamers think this creates way too much variability and luck within the game (gambling with the Random Number Generator) while happily playing games with more luck than they realize. This is my attempt to explain why Exploding 6's is a solid mechanic.  \nFirst, I'm going to make some assumptions about you, the reader. I'm going to assume:  \n1. You've played games with a known percentage chance of success/failure for a given action.  \n2. You've played at least one D&D type game, which uses 3d6 to generate stats.  \n3. You've played Warhammer or Warhammer 40,000 .  \nIf you don't fit one of these three, that's ok. I'm writing specifically for you too, and will briefly explain these system's mechanics so you can understand what I'm saying.  \nKnown Percentages  \nOne of my favorite games is X-Com: Enemy Unknown. It's a fantastic tactical combat game where you control 4-6 soldiers fighting aliens invading earth. The heart of the game is maneuver and firepower; you move, you shoot. Good positioning brings success, and bad positioning gets you killed, even late-game. Anytime you look to shoot something, the game will calculate a percentage chance to land a hit, based on a variety of factors. Generally, anything with less than a 70% chance to hit is not a shot worth taking; you're better off saving your ammo and finding a better position to fire next turn, or shooting something else. But you wouldn't know you should hold your fire unless the game told you this percentage.  \nIn FSA, the same principles apply; you move, you shoot. Positioning is very important, as it dictates what weapons you can fire, and how effective they will be against the target. However, the damage system and Exploding 6's make it almost impossible for a person to calculate the damage percentages. But just because it's difficult doesn't mean you can't figure it out. As a rule of thumb, you can multiply the number of Attack dice you're rolling by .8 to generate the statistical Mean, or average. For example, 10AD will, on average, generate 8 Hits... Even with Exploding 6's and each 6 counting as 2 Hits.  \nWarning! Optional Mathematical Proof (which I probably messed up)  \nI don't know how to write the statistics formula for Exploding 6's, but we can brute force it. For a given dice roll, three results are 0 Hits, two results are 1 Hit, and one result is 2 Hits. This means the base average is (0+0+0+1+1+2=4; 4/6=) 2/3 hits per roll, or .666 hits per roll. However, one result also generates another dice roll, which raises the total:  \nExplosion 1: 1/6*2/3= 2/24, or .08333 more hits  \nExplosion 2: 1/36*2/3=2/108, or .0185 more hits  \nExplosion 3: 1/216*2/3=2/648, or .0031 more hits  \nExplosion 4 is 1/1,296*2/3, or .0005, which is close enough to zero to ignore. So if we add all three Explosions to .666, we get .771. Apparently, that one in a million chance of rolling eight to nine 6's in a row, and thus generating 16-18 hits from one dice, really pulls the average up. But why guess when Ican use a computer? Using the using the free App 'RPG Roller':  \nThe computer says the Mean, or average result, from rolling one Exploding 6 one million times is 0.80. Why should I argue? Also, the highest result it achieved was 15 hits from one die.  \nKnowing the average for a given roll is useful, but not exactly the same as knowing the percentage. I don't know how to make this calculation (too many variables, and I've forgotten Statistics) but I can show you one way to find out.  \nD&D and Dice Curves  \nWay back in the day, when D&D first came out, you created a character, including a stat-line for their abilities. The game used a simple system;","cbCaifkq0OzwnAEI","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaifkq0OzwnAEI","pdf",147972,"English","# Known Percentages\n# Applying Exploding 6's to FSA Damage\n## Mean and expected hits\n# Optional Mathematical Proof\n## Brute-force explosion probabilities\n# D&D and Dice Curves\n## Comparing 3d6 vs Attack Dice\n# Interpreting Results for Damage","[{\"question\":\"Why do some gamers dislike the Exploding 6 mechanic?\",\"answer\":\"Many players think it introduces too much variability and luck by making outcomes depend on rare Random Number Generator swings.\"},{\"question\":\"How is the expected number of hits estimated for a given number of Attack dice?\",\"answer\":\"As a rule of thumb, the text suggests multiplying the number of Attack dice by 0.8 to estimate the statistical mean (and treats each exploding 6 as counting as 2 hits in that reasoning).\"},{\"question\":\"What does the document say about probability curves compared to D\\u0026D’s 3d6?\",\"answer\":\"It explains that the 3d6 curve is symmetric with a bell shape, while the Attack Dice curve is skewed, can range from 0 to infinity, and has extreme results that are practically negligible.\"}]","Exploding 6's Explained - Why the Mechanic Works | PDF",1791331470]