How We Roll: The Difference Between Standard and Spindown D20 Dice

If you're a tabletop gamer, you're likely familiar with the D20 dice. It's a 20-sided die that's essential for many tabletop role-playing games. However, there's another version of the D20 that's popular in the gaming community: the spindown D20.

So, what exactly is a spindown D20, and how is it different from a standard D20?

A standard D20 has 20 numbered faces, with each face equally likely to come up when rolled. It's often used to determine the success or failure of a character's action in a game.

On the other hand, a spindown D20 is a 20-sided die that has sequential numbers arranged in a specific order, usually in a clockwise direction. This makes it easy for players to track certain game mechanics that require counting or tracking. For example, if a game requires players to keep track of how many turns have passed or how much damage a character has taken, a spindown D20 can be a handy tool for doing so.

Spindown D20s are commonly used in collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering, where players need to keep track of life totals, and in role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, where they can be used to track hit points, spells, or turn order; it's a handy tool for tracking various game mechanics!