(A) the layout on the alpha test site is getting better!
(B) what do you think the best move is? personally, I thought I saw three reasons why it might be better to take the die with value 5, but at least one of them is FALSE  -- or at least misleading -- do you see which one(s) and why?

• If I leave g.  with only dice showing even values, she'll only be able to make skill attacks that sum to even numbers, and I'll have more chances of rerolling safely.
• I get to reroll BOTH the d10 and the d12 and I increase the chance that one of them will roll out of skill attack range.
• My z4 stays at its maximum and there might still be an opportunity for a speed attack

Game #41  •  ElihuRoot (Nickie) vs. glassonion (Naga)  •  Round #1

Your turn to attack

z(4) (10) (10) (12) z(12) Button: Nickie Player: ElihuRoot

W/L/T: 0/0/0 (3)  •  Score: 33 (-2.7 sides) Dice captured: f(20) 4 z(4) 3 (10) 2 (12) 2 f(6) 4 (8) 5 (8) 6 (8) Dice captured: z(12), (10) W/L/T: 0/0/0 (3)  •  Score: 37 (+2.7 sides)

Player: glassonion Button: Naga f(6) (8) (8) (8) f(20)

Basic puzzle

This is NOT a hard puzzle. It's just is the sort of thing I'd give to a beginner  after explaining the rules, just to see if they're paying attention. yawetag has three possible attacks -- which one is CERTAIN to lose? and which of the other two is clearly the best?

Game #92: Round #2

Opponent's turn to attack

Button: Lucky (6) (10) p(12) (20) (X)

Player: ElihuRoot W/L/T: 1/0/0 (3) Dice captured: p(4), (X=14), (10) Score: 23 3 (6) 5 p(12) 17 (20) 4 (8) 7 (12) Score: 30 Dice captured: (10), (X=10) W/L/T: 0/1/0 (3) Player: yawetag

p(4) (8) (10) (12) (X) Button: Grist

It is your opponent's turn to attack right now.

Last action time: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 05:49:48 +0000

Full house

I'm not rerolling the d30, of course. But the two obvious choices are to use by d20 against his f8  or to use my d18 against one of his d20s. I'm pretty sure I know which one is better, but I confess my head aches trying to prove it, and I could easily be wrong. [Doesn't that mean I'm not pretty sure?]

Your turn to attack

Button: Yeti (10) (20) (30) (30) (X)

Player: ElihuRoot W/L/T: 1/1/0 (3) Dice captured: none Score: 39 2 (10) 1 (20) 11 (30) 9 (X=18) 1 (6) 1 f(8) 6 f(10) 6 (20) 6 (20) Score: 62 Dice captured: (30) W/L/T: 1/1/0 (3) Player: blackshadowshade

(6) f(8) f(10) (20) (20) Button: Mantis

If Crab were some other button, I wouldn't know what to reroll.

OK, everyone sees at a glance

• I should capture the f10 with value of 6, that's clearly better than any other capture
• I'll win if I survive with my d10, and tie if I survive with my d8 

That along probably would incline me to reroll the d8, even though it only has a 25% chance of rolling out of C.'s ability to recapture me (the d10 has a 40% chance of doing that). But what if the score were a bit different? If  Crab's d12 that has already been captured were instead another d10, C.'s score would be only 63 at this point int he game, and I could win by surviving with either my d8 or d10.  Would it then make more sense to capture the d10 with my d10? That 40% chance of rolling out of danger is compelling, is it sufficient? 

Game #82: Round #1

Your turn to attack

Button: Crab (8) (10) (12) f(20) f(20)

Player: ElihuRoot W/L/T: 0/0/0 (3) Dice captured: (12), (20) Score: 41 8 (8) 8 (10) 5 f(6) 2 (10) 6 f(10) Score: 65 Dice captured: f(20), f(20), (12) W/L/T: 0/0/0 (3) Player: Caligari

f(6) (10) f(10) (12) (20) Button: Mirumoto

OK -- you *know* what I would do in this situation. Don't you?

There's one obvious die for me to capture -- isn't there? And, conditional on that, there's one obvious choice of die to make the attack -- isn't there? But how can that possibly be right?

Game #66: Round #4

Your turn to attack

Button: Hammer (6) (12) (20) (20) (X)

Player: ElihuRoot W/L/T: 2/1/0 (3) Dice captured: none Score: 34 2 (6) 6 (12) 15 (20) 19 (20) 1 (X=10) 6 (6) 9 (10) 1 (10) 9 (12) 8 (X=13) Score: 25.5 Dice captured: none W/L/T: 1/2/0 (3) Player: glassonion

(6) (10) (10) (12) (X) Button: Niles