How to handle unusual dice

By anthonybarnstable, in Star Wars: Destiny

You cannot proxy dice for the sole reason that every single character pull automatically becomes elite.

Edited by rowdyoctopus

You cannot proxy dice for the sole reason that every single character pull automatically becomes elite.

I still get a little angry that the characters don't automatically come with 2 dice... I know, I know, collectible game.

I was unaware of cardgamedb, is this some official FFG page? It seems to have a lot of their products.

FFG owns cardgamedb and provides all the spoilers that you see there.

One other thing to keep in mind... sure, little Timmy might cry that he can't play his luke with two dice because one of them is a misprint but should it become common knowledge that you allow tournament attendees to use misprints, spike with expendible income for days will start buying misprinted dice online (like my 3 damage side Han dice) and have a MASSIVELY unfair advantage beyond just having the best dice/cards in the meta. He will win almost every tournament even in mirror matches and once your regulars realize what you are allowing spike to do so you don't hurt little timmy's feelings, you will LOSE players and actively be hurting the longevity of the game in your area.

I wasn't completely joking about having a Han die availble should you allow misprints... it would easily be worth hundreds of dollars (thousands if the game really takes off) in your meta where Han sells for what, $30-40 at the moment.

Even if everything else we have all been saying does not sway you, ASK YOUR TOURNAMENT ATTENDEEs. I have a suspicion that the overwhelming majority of your player base will not care for this in the slightest and you will deter more players by allowing misprints than saying other players can't play a certain deck because of misprinted dice.

1. FFG acknowledge's them as misprints and offers replacement of the defective product, the booster pack.

2. Many games use to have odd rules like true line of sight. Once they figured out it didn't work once people started modding their miniatures, which is otherwise legal, they got rid if it. In the 90s... Heroclix currently dies not care about the physical size of the model.

3. Speaking of Heroclix, they not uncommonly have figures made with the incorrect dial. Above certain rarity they will not replace them. They are not legal for tournament play and use of one will at best get you a game loss if not a DQ.

3. An official errata is not the same as a misprint. The errata is a purposeful overwrite to the printed whatever on the game component. A card being errata'd so that it's use for play is different then printed is not equivalent to an accidental misprint.

4. MtG will allow misprints provided that the misprint in no way obscures or alters the function of the card. A spelling error or some odd color splash would be legal. A card showing the incorrect mana cost or attack/defense would absolutely not be legal. If you attempted to use one of those in a tournament as printed then you'd at best be taking a game loss or DQ. In this case we are not talking about an error in the card that doesn't effect play we are talking the equivalent of a 3/3 creature printed as a 8/3. That would not be allowed.

Seriously you should not be running events with this type of reasoning.

Heroclix does care about the physical sculpt for game effect purposes in many cases. Heroclix never cared about anything in the 90's as it released in 2001. As mentioned, Mad Hatter modifies his attack based on sculpt height (and he still does this even when played today). The Juggernaut wearing brown armor has a detachable brown helmet and the Juggernaut wearing grey armor has a detachable grey helmet, when the helmet is attached, it gives him additional effects and if you were to lose the helmet or have the incorrect colored helmet, you could not attach that to the Juggernaut and will receive no additional effect for it.

Many times erratas in game are created I response to incorrect printings. I can give many examples from Heroclix.

In Magic, how do you know when a card is misprinted? When it is misprinted, how do you know what the correct text is? Well, they have a rule that explicitly spells it out, leaving nothing open to assumptions, inferences, or interpretations and they have an official card database their rules reference and which contain the up-to-date text on every game element. Star Wars Destiny has neither of these things, so you should NOT use the rule from a game with these things to assume how a game without these things will handle these scenarios.

Using an incorrectly printed die would obviously be unacceptable in my view.

However, while this probably wouldn't fly at a bigger event, if I was a TO at a casual tournament I would allow a proxy as long as they bring the defective official die with them to show they have it.

Since the cards have the faces printed on them you could easily substitute a regular d6 with 1-6 corresponding to the card top to bottom. Again though, only if they can show the defective die to demonstrate they own the official product and that a proxy is necessary due to manufacture defect beyond control of the player.

I think this is the only acceptable, rational, and ethical response. Anyone saying they'll refuse to play against a player with a defective die, but who isn't willing to allow proxies, completely misunderstands the issue. This is a game. You have fun, the other guy has fun. Showing up with a bad die due to out-of-my-control printing issues, and I make a good faith gesture to remedy the situation with a regular d6 proxy, and you shake your head and say "no way", it's going to turn people off from any Destiny gaming outside of friends and family. That ain't going to foster a community nor any type of enjoyable tournament scene.

I agree that there is a social contract when you play a game to ensure both players have fun. There is also a social contract that you make when you play in a tournament that extends to following the rules of play at that tournament.

Now, the way you have worded the reply you make it out that a player who doesn't like the use of the proxy is the one who will break these social contacts. When in fact it is the opposite, the player who is bringing a D6 to proxy out the damaged dice will be breaking his contract with me to ensure I have fun, as I will be continually asking what is the Symbol that is represented by a 4? My eyesight isn't all that great so I probably don't know myself. This will slow the game down, and if the game times out will he be fair and acknowledge that his play of the proxy cost us time and forego a possible win by count back? You are also breaking the tournament rules and thus breaking your social contract to follow them.

How is it then on me if I don't let this diminish my fun, potentially take advantage of me and quite knowingly break the tournament rules? Actually, how is it that you have "a good faith gesture to remedy the situation" by not playing in accordance to the rules? Are you suggesting that cheating is OK if I do so in "good faith"?

I can 100% empathise you not getting the correct dice and having the terrible end of the FFG replacement policy but that does not support the argument that I would or should allow a proxy dice.

The most acceptable solution would be that the player wanting to use the card without the dice asks for a loaner before the tournament or doesn't play that card.

Which tournament rules specifically did the opponent break? The die is not damaged, the die is perfectly in tact as it originally was when opened directly from the booster.

As for some of your other points: you mention having a tough time seeing your opponent's cards from a distance, but you have no problem seeing their dice from that same distance? Would that issue be entirely resolved if they just played that one die much closer to you? I think some reasonable attempts to accommodate special needs should be acceptable, but unreasonable refusal to attempt anything to accommodate special needs seems quite unsporting.

As for others claiming a die that does not match a card makes the die incorrect, how are you determining it is the die that is wrong? Why is it not the card? Why does it have to be a mistake rather than an intended variation by FFG (not by the original designer, but it could have been made after it was out of his control by the company producing the game, FFG)? I have certainly played other games where there were multiple game elements that looked similar but had different game functionality.

p4: "If a player’s die or card becomes damaged during the course of a tournament, he or she has an opportunity to find a replacement...."

FFG defines a defective dice as one that that does not match the card, if that happens you qualify for the replacement of the whole booster. As per the FAQ on Parts Replacement "If there is a factory defect with a die, we will send out a sealed booster pack as a replacement."

p3: UNSPORTING CONDUCT

Players are expected to behave in a mature and considerate manner and to play within the rules and not abuse them. This prohibits intentionally stalling a game for time, placing components with excessive force, inappropriate behavior, treating an opponent with a lack of courtesy or respect, cheating, etc. Collusion among players to manipulate scoring is expressly forbidden.

The organizer, at his or her sole discretion, may remove players from the tournament for unsporting conduct.

The dice while they are in the pool are a bit closer to me than the cards and far move visible than when they are removed and placed on a card. A proxy dice leaves me no choice, but looking down the card to corresponding icons, that isn't exactly in the best range for my vision. But as this solution only addresses one of the problems you face I am still inclined to suggest I would be asking you replace the dice as it is damaged. You will still slow the game, and you are still breaking the social contracts with me as an opponent and the tournament on the whole as you are not playing by the rules.

If the card is wrong then replace it, as per p4 on damaged components.

Seriously, the problem I have is this whole argument pivots around the idea that I am not abiding by my social contracts with you, and that I and the Tournament Leader would have to be terrible people for not allowing you to play with a dice that was defective. Why am I a jerk for saying no, play by the rules, play by the social contracts with regards to me and the rest of the people at the tournament. You cannot justify any of that just because you were unlucky enough to have been sold a booster with a defective dice in it. Which if it was a BB-8 or Rey's Staff you would be quite happy to make a customer service claim to have the damaged dice replaced by a booster. Yet because the dice is either a very important rare or legendary you then want something else.

The rules for a damaged or defective die state that it must not match the collector's number of the card to be defective. They go into no further explanations beyond that. Players have been pressing in every other rules question thread that players should NOT draw inferences or make assumptions based on the implied intent of rules text and yet everyone is so willing to do it here. Why is this one scenario so different from every other rules question?

Go ask FFG, you'll give the office a laugh.

1. FFG acknowledge's them as misprints and offers replacement of the defective product, the booster pack.

2. Many games use to have odd rules like true line of sight. Once they figured out it didn't work once people started modding their miniatures, which is otherwise legal, they got rid if it. In the 90s... Heroclix currently dies not care about the physical size of the model.

3. Speaking of Heroclix, they not uncommonly have figures made with the incorrect dial. Above certain rarity they will not replace them. They are not legal for tournament play and use of one will at best get you a game loss if not a DQ.

3. An official errata is not the same as a misprint. The errata is a purposeful overwrite to the printed whatever on the game component. A card being errata'd so that it's use for play is different then printed is not equivalent to an accidental misprint.

4. MtG will allow misprints provided that the misprint in no way obscures or alters the function of the card. A spelling error or some odd color splash would be legal. A card showing the incorrect mana cost or attack/defense would absolutely not be legal. If you attempted to use one of those in a tournament as printed then you'd at best be taking a game loss or DQ. In this case we are not talking about an error in the card that doesn't effect play we are talking the equivalent of a 3/3 creature printed as a 8/3. That would not be allowed.

Seriously you should not be running events with this type of reasoning.

Heroclix does care about the physical sculpt for game effect purposes in many cases. Heroclix never cared about anything in the 90's as it released in 2001. As mentioned, Mad Hatter modifies his attack based on sculpt height (and he still does this even when played today). The Juggernaut wearing brown armor has a detachable brown helmet and the Juggernaut wearing grey armor has a detachable grey helmet, when the helmet is attached, it gives him additional effects and if you were to lose the helmet or have the incorrect colored helmet, you could not attach that to the Juggernaut and will receive no additional effect for it.

Many times erratas in game are created I response to incorrect printings. I can give many examples from Heroclix.

In Magic, how do you know when a card is misprinted? When it is misprinted, how do you know what the correct text is? Well, they have a rule that explicitly spells it out, leaving nothing open to assumptions, inferences, or interpretations and they have an official card database their rules reference and which contain the up-to-date text on every game element. Star Wars Destiny has neither of these things, so you should NOT use the rule from a game with these things to assume how a game without these things will handle these scenarios.

Cardgamedb.com is the official database. If your card does not match what is there, or your die does not match the card found there, it is a misprint. End of story.