So I was thinking about how we could improve our system of writing out die results.

<hit> <eyeball> <crit> <blank>. Hard to see it in a glance. So I am proposing we develop a shorthand system do describe the die results.

+ is a hit

# is a crit

b is a blank

~ is an evade

@ is a focus

So it would look like +#@b from the previous example. It is easier to read for me. What do you guys think? Would something like this be more trouble than it is worth? +++

Editing the symbols as you guys come up with better ideas. Dumped the brackets to make it easier to write and more compressed.

++# @@~

bb~ ##b

Hm. Why isn't blank simply < > ?

Not a bad idea, though. It could catch on.

good idea for the blank. I like it. <#>< ><+>

shouldn't a crit be a <*>? elso why not <@> for focus?

Absolutely horrible to try and type those on a tablet. Some of those symbols are 3 keyboards deep. I've stopped even using the brackets when listing dice results.

Of course, I have also switched to booms and kabooms as it avoids confusion.

I understand about the tablet. But you could always write it out as normal if you are using one. But having standardized symbols could still make it easier to read on a tablet.

I actually thought about using <@> for a focus. It looked a little too bold when next to the other symbols. I am not opposed to it though.

<boom> <kaboom> <eye> <blank>

It's the only way I've found to differentiate hits (aka what causes damage to be dealt) from booms (aka, "hits" on the dice).

It's not a bad idea . . . but it would make ZERO sense if you weren't a forum vet. What happens when new people join the forums and get really confused by all the 8@~() gibberish? Then you have to go back and explain . . . it's not like it's that difficult to just say "two hits and a crit."

Please, no. It's hard enough to keep up with all the acronyms and abbreviations that you guys keep coming up with. Just speak English please.

As far as shorthand goes, when playing vassal, I have found that the format "#h #c #f" for "Number of hits, Number of Crits, Number of focii" works just fine, and has never led to any confusion.

EDIT: or "#e #f" for green dice.

I have already complained about the use of boom and kaboom. This does not make it better.

Why can't we just use the names that the symbols actually have?

<boom> <kaboom> <eye> <blank>

It's the only way I've found to differentiate hits (aka what causes damage to be dealt) from booms (aka, "hits" on the dice).

Boom Clap Sound of my dice

My dice roll on and on

Lalalalala

I have already complained about the use of boom and kaboom. This does not make it better.

Why can't we just use the names that the symbols actually have?

Because the symbols don't actually have names. No where in the manual does it say anything such as 'a filled in explosion is called a hit/boom/explosion, while a empty circle explosion is called a crit/kaboom/empty circle explosion.'

And as such, the instinct is to call the filled in explosion a "hit." However, the term hit is already used in the game to describe what happens when either Blount shoots, or there are uncancelled <booms> and/or <kabooms> after any <evades> are applied.

Therefore, calling a filled in explosion a hit is bad and incorrect. Take for example the following statement "Arrgg, I hate tie fighters. I got 2 hits and a crit on it but the thing still didn't die. Determination is OP." Now, is the person complaining that he rolled <boom boom kaboom> and it didn't kill the TIE fighter (which is logical, it's likely to have rolled at least one <evade>, and from the context Determination discarded the face up damage card), or did he have 3 separate attacks connect and do damage, but due to Determination getting rid of the faceup damage, the TIE is still alive?

You see, it's ambiguous to call a filled in explosion a hit. And since there is no defined name, going with <boom> at least differentiates it from hit.

The symbols just make me think you're censoring yourself from cursing lol

I agree calling the star symbols 'hits' is confusing, especially to new players. That's why I would call these symbols 'stars', because after all it's Star Wars, and then when you roll a crit you can call it a 'crit star', which sounds like a new ultimate weapon of the evil Galactic Empire.

What we really need is FFG to add the icons for hit, crit, evade, focus, etc. to the smilies.

Then you can just type in :hit: or something similar and get the actual symbol.

Or actual dice icons (these are the ones from VASSAL):

Or just use the first letter from each?

H = Hit
C = Crit
F = Focus
E = Evade
B = Blank

K = Kaboom

I think it really doesn't need to get more complicated than that.

I think I can type out the word faster that I can hold shift and find the correct number key.

$%@& this @*$&!

It's *not* a "hit"! Chances are it'll just impact on the surface.

It is an interesting idea and could be useful is some places when a LOT of dice results are being thrown out but as others have pointed out it would be one more level of slang to learn which can confuse new forum members. There's also potential issue if they get used when those actual symbols may be getting used.

Now I have gone to usually calling the filled in explosion symbols on the red dice [boom] and the open ones as [kabooms] but that is to distinguish them from the actual game 'hit' and the effects of a critical hit. I occasionally also use [squiggle] and [eye] but I don't know how often I've heard of people having problems with Evade and Focus.

I sent a request for clarification to FFG in May of last year and Frank confirmed that referring to the die results as <hit>, <crit>, <blank>, <focus> and <evade> are correct. The reason I asked is that, indeed, the rulebook doesn't specify <hit> and <crit> as die results specifically. However, the tutorial video FFG put out does ( reference video here ). If the question is whether or not the use of the term "hit" is ambiguous, the answer is yes. It can be ambiguous. What matters is the context. I've kept with the idea that <hit> is an attack die result, and "Hit" is a status effect, and it's worked out well for me so far.

"Hit" and "miss" are certainly a bit ambiguous and cause problems.

Who hasn't heard of someone who thinks/thought that the only way a Gunner triggers is if the attack fails to turn up any explosion symbols? To me this is a good reason to use a few more terms to make the distinctions a bit clearer.

I don't really have a problem calling them hits and crits. That is what they end up being if they are not evaded. They are technically 'potential' hits and crits, but they only stay that way for the duration of the dice rolling, which is usually mere seconds. I don't see the need for new terms that are only needed in the abstract and for a few seconds.

A problem is that those dice results are also used for other things as well. I can hit a target without rolling any hits. If a given die roll calls for me rolling a hit does that mean if the attack could hit then the die is good?

There is a reason to use something other than hit and crit to describe dice results.