The New York 1d6
In tabletop RPG books, dice are correctly notated as “1d6,” that is, [quantity of dice]d[die size]. 1d20, 6d6, 3d8, and so on—all correct. Much as the serial comma is the Oxford comma, in this case the quantified 1d6 becomes the New York 1d6.
Compare:
- “roll 1d6” (correct) vs “roll d6” (incorrect) vs “roll a d6” (incorrect).
- “1d6 goblins” (correct) vs “d6 goblins” (incorrect).
- “longswords deal 1d6 damage” (correct) vs “longswords deal d6 damage” (incorrect).
Without the New York 1d6, manuscripts find themselves full of irregularities and unevenness in their dice notation as they move from one die to many. The New York 1d6 ensures precision and standards at all points: one die and many dice use identical notation.
Thank you.
Notes & Use
The New York 1d6 applies only in cases in which the die notation is used as a stand-in for the value rolled; in the case of multiple dice, they are added together. When a longsword deals 1d6 damage, it means the longsword deals 1–6 damage; when fireball deals 6d6 damage, it means the fireball deals 6–36 damage.
In the case of multiple die rolls not added together but kept as separate results, such as on a mutator table, write “roll 1d20 thrice” or “roll 2d6 four times.” (Compare vs “roll 3d20” or “roll 8d6,” which suggest adding the values together.)
When referring to the physical polyhedrons, such as a die-drop table, write “drop a six-sided die” or “roll three four-sided dice.” While perhaps laborious, this once again ensures clarity, in that it is the objects that matter, not their mathematical values.
It is never correct to pluralize 1d6. “3d6s” is just as bad as “a fistful of d6s.”
The “d” in 1d6 is always lowercase. Compare “1d6” (correct) to “1D6” (incorrect). This applies to smallcaps text as well.
The 1 (or other quantifier) in 1d6 functions as the indefinite article: it is not “roll a 1d6” or “roll those 2d6,” but simply “roll 3d6.” In the cases of specific dice requiring the definite article, define the die size early, then simply refer to the dice without the full 1d6 notation, e.g. “Roll 2d6 as the Escalation Dice. Roll the Escalation Dice each subsequent hour. Each time a ghost wakes up, roll the Escalation Dice.”
The New York 1d6 applies to table headers. Compare “1d6 | Encounters” (correct) to “d6 | Encounters” (incorrect).
In the case of dice notation outside the standard, such as “d66,” the New York 1d6 generally does not apply. For example, “d66” refers not to one sixty-six-sided die, but rather to 1d6 rolled twice and read as digits; accordingly, the New York 1d6 does not apply.
This article may be updated in the future to answer additional questions and edge cases.