What two dice do
Two dice make 36 combinations, and more of them add up to 7 than to anything else. That is why the middle totals come up so often and the ends so rarely:
| Total | Ways | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or 12 | 1 | 2.8% |
| 3 or 11 | 2 | 5.6% |
| 4 or 10 | 3 | 8.3% |
| 5 or 9 | 4 | 11.1% |
| 6 or 8 | 5 | 13.9% |
| 7 | 6 | 16.7% |
Board games
- Catan. A 7 moves the robber one roll in six. The 6 and 8 hexes pay out 13.9% of the time each, which is why the red numbers are worth settling on.
- Monopoly. Doubles come up one roll in six. Three doubles in a row sends you to jail, a 1 in 216 run.
- Craps. On the come-out roll, a 7 or 11 wins (22.2%) and a 2, 3 or 12 loses (11.1%).
- Backgammon. Doubles let you move four times, not two.
At the D&D table
A greatsword or a maul does 2d6 damage. Games built on "Powered by the Apocalypse" use 2d6 for everything: a 10 or higher (16.7%) is a full success, 7 to 9 (41.7%) is a success at a cost, and 6 or lower (41.7%) goes wrong.