Computers cannot produce truly random numbers on their own, so in order to do so it must use measurements of quantum fluctuations as a source of entropy, which are, as far as we can be certain, truly random.
Even physical dice aren't truly random, and factors such as the method of rolling the die, the friction of the table, and imperfections in the die itself can affect the roll. Thus, using a quantum random number generator to play a game might seem like overkill to most, when physical dice are good enough at what they do already for our purposes.
But if you are as much of a neurotic perfectionist as I am, then you too may find yourself attracted to the elegance of quantum randomness.
roll20.net is a free online virtual tabletop that uses a quantum RNG. However, the RNG can only be accessed from within the tabletop application. This one gets its entropy from measurements of fluctuations in a beam of light. It will roll up to 999 dice of any side up to 999, and can be controlled through a range of commands.
Here is the mephit.it dice roller. It's in italian but should still be easy to use. It will roll up to 99 dice (or -99 dice, whatever that means) of either d2, d3, d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20 or d100. Individual dice rolls and a history of dice rolls can be viewed in the 'Storico' tab. This RNG gets its entropy from atmospheric noise.
RANDOM.ORG The dice roller proper only rolls up to 60 d6's, but the integer set generator can generate sets of random integers with an absolute value up to 1 billion. It can generate 10,000 total integers at once. This source of entropy is also from atmospheric noise.
qrng.anu.edu.au uses fluctuations in a vacuum as its source of entropy. It will generate up to 50 numbers in a set, with values of up to 9999. To simulate dice, this RNG should be run 'with replacements'. This means that the selected value is put back into the 'bag' so that it can be selected again.
Oh by the way I have no background in statistics&probability, quantum physics, or computer science. I'm just a mad anthropologist/historian/viking with a thirst for knowledge.
It should also be noted that a good pseudo random number generator like a dice roller app on your phone or tablet is good enough for what we do too.
I'm well aware, I'm just a neurotic perfectionist and find this fascinating.
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Even physical dice aren't truly random, and factors such as the method of rolling the die, the friction of the table, and imperfections in the die itself can affect the roll. Thus, using a quantum random number generator to play a game might seem like overkill to most, when physical dice are good enough at what they do already for our purposes.
But, since the affects of such factors are truly impossible for a human to calculate, predict or utilize when rolling the die, the end result simulates randomness perfectly.
Even physical dice aren't truly random, and factors such as the method of rolling the die, the friction of the table, and imperfections in the die itself can affect the roll. Thus, using a quantum random number generator to play a game might seem like overkill to most, when physical dice are good enough at what they do already for our purposes.But, since the affects of such factors are truly impossible for a human to calculate, predict or utilize when rolling the die, the end result simulates randomness perfectly.
that's pretty true
I read in the past about how the most significant factor in the rolling of a die is the top face it starts with (apparently if a die starts with top face n it is slightly more likely to roll n more than any other value), but that particular article didn't clarify which kind of die they were doing tests on (probably d6, seeing as it is so popular that people refer to the die without specifying the number of sides) or the way they rolled the die
Since normally when I roll a die, I shake it in my closed hand then drop it, so that the starting top face is also randomized.
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Even physical dice aren't truly random, and factors such as the method of rolling the die, the friction of the table, and imperfections in the die itself can affect the roll. Thus, using a quantum random number generator to play a game might seem like overkill to most, when physical dice are good enough at what they do already for our purposes.But, since the affects of such factors are truly impossible for a human to calculate, predict or utilize when rolling the die, the end result simulates randomness perfectly.that's pretty true
I read in the past about how the most significant factor in the rolling of a die is the top face it starts with (apparently if a die starts with top face n it is slightly more likely to roll n more than any other value), but that particular article didn't clarify which kind of die they were doing tests on (probably d6, seeing as it is so popular that people refer to the die without specifying the number of sides) or the way they rolled the die
Since normally when I roll a die, I shake it in my closed hand then drop it, so that the starting top face is also randomized.
True, and also remember that many D&D dice are not even six sided so who knows how their geometry works.
Also, I vaguely remember a class where I learned that other than the d10, all D&D dice share some geometric quality, something about being able to contain them in a sphere such that each point touches the surface of the sphere. I remember wondering is this has some meaning or application about the "fairness", or randomness, of the roll of a dice using that shape.
Even physical dice aren't truly random, and factors such as the method of rolling the die, the friction of the table, and imperfections in the die itself can affect the roll. Thus, using a quantum random number generator to play a game might seem like overkill to most, when physical dice are good enough at what they do already for our purposes.But, since the affects of such factors are truly impossible for a human to calculate, predict or utilize when rolling the die, the end result simulates randomness perfectly.that's pretty true
I read in the past about how the most significant factor in the rolling of a die is the top face it starts with (apparently if a die starts with top face n it is slightly more likely to roll n more than any other value), but that particular article didn't clarify which kind of die they were doing tests on (probably d6, seeing as it is so popular that people refer to the die without specifying the number of sides) or the way they rolled the die
Since normally when I roll a die, I shake it in my closed hand then drop it, so that the starting top face is also randomized.
True, and also remember that many D&D dice are not even six sided so who knows how their geometry works.
Also, I vaguely remember a class where I learned that other than the d10, all D&D dice share some geometric quality, something about being able to contain them in a sphere such that each point touches the surface of the sphere. I remember wondering is this has some meaning or application about the "fairness", or randomness, of the roll of a dice using that shape.
You might be thinking of the platonic solids. All dice except the d10 is a platonic solid. it seems to me that in a platonic solid of uniform density, the center of gravity would be directly in the center, favoring no particular side.
Another thing lending well to the fairness of dice is the way they are labeled. You will notice that 20 is always on the opposite side from a 1 on a fair die, 2 is on the opposite side from 19, and so on. There's probably a rule as to where adjacent numbers go relative to each other, but I can't remember what it is.
EDIT: Ah yes, to find an adjacent number, I go to the opposite side and move one over, so that the 2 is next to the 20, the 19 is next to the 1, the 2 is next to the 18, and so on.
And that's why counter dice should not be used to roll random numbers. They are labelled in order with adjacent numbers next to each other so that it's easier to count with them.