Connected Cloud Challenge - IoT Gaming Table - Blog Post 2 - Game Dice
By Brian Childers - April 2020
We need to understand the requirements for our gaming table and understand where the PSOC 6 will come into play. To do this, we will review some of the functional requirements of the gaming table through exploration of game dice mechanics.
The Dungeons and Dragon game uses polyhedral dice with varying amounts of sides on the die. These types of dice are commonly found in game stores and in bookstores. Within D&D nomenclature, different dice are referenced by the letter d followed by the amount of sides. Some common examples are: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. The most common die that you may be familiar with is a d6 - which is a six-sided die - which most typical games use.
On the other side of the extreme, percentile dice, or d100, works a bit differently. You would generate a number between 1 and 100 by rolling two different ten-sided dice numbered from 0 to 9. One die (designated before you roll) gives the tens digit, and the other gives the ones digit. If you roll a 8 and a 4, for example, the number rolled is 84. Two 0s represent 100. Some ten-sided dice are numbered in tens (00, 10, 20, and so on), making it easier to distinguish the tens digit from the ones digit. In this case, a roll of 70 and 1 is 71, and 00 and 0 is 100. However there is a d100 die available from various vendors should you really want to roll a d100 die! 
When dice need to be rolled as part of the gameplay, the rules will tell you how many dice to roll and what type of dice to roll as well what modifiers to add. For example, "2d6 + 2" means you roll two six-sided dice, add them together, and then add the modifier of +2 to the total. The same d notation appears in the expressions “1d3” and “1d2.”
To simulate the roll of 1d3, roll a d6 and divide the number rolled by 2 (round up). To simulate the roll of 1d2, roll any die and assign a 1 or 2 to the roll depending on whether it was odd or even. (Alternatively, if the number rolled is more than half the number of sides on the die, it’s a 2. [1]
Does a magician's blasting magic missile hurt a gold dragon or just bounce off its iron-hard scales? Will the ogre believe an outrageous lie? Can your character swim safely circumvent a raging waterfall? Can a character avoid the main blast from an ice ball, or does he or she take full damage from the cold? In cases where the outcome of an action is uncertain, the Dungeons & Dragons game relies on rolls of a 20-sided die, a d20, to determine success or failure.
Every character and monster in the game has capabilities defined by six ability scores. The abilities are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, and they typically range from 3 to 18 for most adventurers. (Monsters might have scores as low as 1 or as high as 30.) These ability scores, and the ability modifiers derived from them, are the basis for almost every d20 roll that a player makes on a character’s or monster’s behalf. Ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws are the three main kinds of d20 rolls, forming the core of the rules of the game.
All three rolls (ability, attack and saving) follow these simple steps:
1. Roll the die and add a modifier. Roll a d20 and add the relevant modifier. This is typically the modifier derived from one of the six ability scores, and it sometimes includes a proficiency bonus to reflect a character’s particular skill.
2. Apply circumstantial bonuses and penalties. A class feature, a spell, a particular circumstance, or some other effect might give a bonus or penalty to the check.
3. Compare the total to a target number. If the total equals or exceeds the target number, the ability check, attack roll, or saving throw is a success. Otherwise, it’s a failure. The Dungeon Master (DM) is usually the one who determines target numbers and tells players when ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws succeed or fail. The target number for an ability check or a saving throw is called a Difficulty Class (DC). The target number for an attack roll is called an Armor Class (AC). This simple rule governs the resolution of most tasks in D&D game play. [2]
Sometimes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw is modified by special situations called advantage and disadvantage. Advantage reflects the positive circumstances surrounding a d20 roll, while disadvantage reflects the opposite. When you have either advantage or disadvantage, you roll a second d20 when you make the roll. Use the higher of the two rolls if you have advantage, and use the lower roll if you have disadvantage. For example, if you have disadvantage and roll a 16 and a 7, you use the 7. If you instead have advantage and roll those numbers, you use the 16. [3]
Next we will look at gaming engines that have implemented the D&D ruleset.
Connected Cloud Challenge - IoT Gaming Table - Summary