Let me start off by saying the answer to this question should be "don't be a dink" and a nut shot, but knowing that powers can work off of specific symbols, I'll ask it anyway.

The Goblin King's trait, The Strongest of the Goblins reads:

...but the 5 and 6 in the text of the power is represented by pictures of die pips (which, off the top of my head, is the only power I can think of actually written like that). So, now the dink question: If a player is using a die with numbers instead of pips, or a die with a symbol in place of the 6, would the power work?

Also, as a side note for comparisons sake, the same character's Epic Power reads:

...and the it's actually written "3-4" without the use of symbols. Why use two different representations for the result of a die roll?

That is a silly question, for a silly wording on a power. Why WOULD they word such a thing in that manner????

Note even close to the only use of those symbols. Ever since the 2012 rules hit, we've been seeing this type of notation. For example, check out page 10 of the current rule book... you'll see in the Critical Miss and Critical Hit discussion that die pips are also used.

Because this is still a relatively new notation fashion and stuff is missed occasionally would be my guess.



Anyway, to answer the actual question: 6 = VI = 0110 = six and so on

Thanks, now that you mention it, I remember seeing it graphically represented like that in the rule book, it seems like this is the first time I've seen it in a special power's text.

I agree, it was a fairly ridiculous question, and I would have ruled it "don't be a dink". But, while I tend not to be that much of a rules lawyer, this one kind of jumped out at me and I figured I'd better ask.

I didn't mean You were silly (in case I was unclear). It just baffled me that anyone would use such (poor) diction for a game piece!

One reason for the pips versus numbers could be that when they show the pips, it is the actual roll required, but when they show the numbers the roll could be modified to fit the parameters.

That's actually a good point. His Epic Power is a modified version of Leadership, which has other powers out there that can change how it works, whereas the other power is a power unto itself and probably won't be effected by something else.

It also occurred to me that this wasn't the first power to have pip images. Scarlet Witch/Wonder Man and (I can't believe I forgot this one, seeing as he was common enough that he showed up on a ton of teams during CW sealed events) Genis-Vell both had powers using them, too.

I guess it was just seeing two different representations of what numbers needed to be rolled on the same card threw me off.

It's not that ridiculous of a question at all. (see the Orc -vs- o,r,c, argument.)

What does that have to do with dice?

It's more an example of why previous rulings were silly. There never was a really compelling reason the prior "symbols MUST mean exact symbols" thing [re: grenades and Batman allies] was implemented other than "Uh, rules say so, I guess," and here's the end result of that. Had those not been enforced, this would not be a question for anyone at all, and it's the second time I've seen it since the Hobbit came out [in places other than Toronto].

Rules orthodoxy is fine and all, but it does teach people to be uncomfortable interpreting for themselves. Or, rather, encourages loophole hunting. [Which is a fine passtime on its own, don't get me wrong, but should not be clogging up the threads.]

yeah, this.



I was "meta-posting"

The foundational ruling for "symbol means that symbol" goes back further than the recent grenade and Bat Ally issues. You can argue the impact of ruling it differently then or ret-con to change it to something different now, but it's not by any means as new a ruling as those issues.

I prefer the 8 character representation of 6 - 00110110, but I understood anyway.


00000110 01001101 01101111 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110011 01110100 01110101 01100110 01100110 00100000 01110011 01101000 01101111 01110101 01101100 01100100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00100000 01110111 01110010 01101001 01110100 01110100 01100101 01101110 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01100010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010 01111001

Wow. I thought I was a nerd. Here's to you, top man on the totem pole, in my humble opinion. (Whatever that says up there).