Roll them bones or point and click?

With so many GMs and players having laptops at the table it becomes an item for discussion, do you roll dice on the table or point and click on the computer?

There are definite advantages for using the computer at the table. For starters you don’t have to worry about dice falling on the floor (unless of course that’s where you’re playing), that “cocked” die that no one’s really sure it if a 20 or not, or the odd player that forgets their dice (I don’t think anyone would forget their laptop!). It’s also great for GMs as they can roll in secret and there’s no telltale sound of dice hitting the table as well as handle hundreds of dice rolls quickly and efficiently.

Of course, for every pro there is a con and computer dice rolling is no exception. There are many dice rollers out there and some of us are even crafty enough to program our own, which in some groups begs the question, is it really random enough? When someone at the table clicks and for the sixth consecutive time a 20 comes up you start to question things but when it happens on a die that anyone can lean over and check no one thinks about it twice. There’s also the concern that someone could just sit there and continuously click away until they get a result they’re happy with, leave it on the screen and use it for their next roll (luckily there aren’t too many of these players around).

For some though there is nothing quite like the feel of dice in their hand and that familiar sound of dice rolling on the table. Whether it’s a brand new set for the first time gamer or, as in my case, any one of the many crystal dice I have that have been rolled for years it’s the one thing that all of us that have played role-playing games have had a chance to share and will continue to share no matter how modernized the game becomes.

So which do you prefer, dice or computer? Do you prefer one over the other all the time or is it different depending on whether you’re the GM or a player? Do you mandate that your players use dice or does it not matter to you?

For me, I’ve been a dice roller for years and will continue to be so when I’m a player but I’m toying with the idea of using the computer when I GM next especially since more and more of my notes and campaign material is already on it. As for my players when I GM, it doesn’t really matter to me, of course my group is a bit ‘old school’ and prefers the feel, sound, and randomness of the dice.

So do you roll or click?