(Authors Preface: this article was written after reading an installment of a certain metal-skulled' gaming comic strip. It suggested that MWAN, while a valuable hobby resource, couldn't after all help a player with his or her die rolling. Taking up that challenge has led me on some strange pathways. Follow me now, as we examine that amazing journalistic journey into the exciting and mysterious psychic dimensions of inner space.) Welcome, Seekers! For ages, Gaming Man has watched the dice fall for good or ill, and asked the question "Is die rolling just random statistical probability, or is there more to it?" One if the silliest things I ever saw in the hobby was one player blaming his teammate for "rolling badly." And yet ... and yet... A number of strange, unexplained events become evident when one spends decades on historical research in the wargaming hobby! Here, under carefully constructed laboratory-like simulation conditions, we use dice, not to move pawns forward on some child's game board, but as random probability generators determining singular events such as battle results. And looking back over a lifetime of gaming, we can see strange phenomena which are in fact too striking to ignore! And yet, these occurrences remain unexplained. Is there a government cover-up at work here? Is there somewhere a secret military base where the truth is being examined even now, perhaps with (and who knows) extraterrestrial help, making use of technologies we normal gamers can only begin to imagine? Or a conspiracy perhaps by a secret group trying to discover a new level of natural laws which govern the secret universe of the die cast? (1). Well, I wouldn't suggest such things in the pages of this respectable journal. And neither should you, unless you want to be called mad at The University. However--submitted for your consideration, Dear Reader, the following true events from my own life: In a certain wargaming club, one person is known for his ability to constantly roll extraordinarily good dice! Fact: It was Napoleon who said when asked about the most crucial skills of a general "Above all, let him be lucky." Are some people more lucky than others? Did The Corsican set up a secret police group who in fact sought out and hired such individuals, and was this the key to his phenomenal success in mastering Europe for so many years? One might well ask. At wargaming conventions, young novice players constantly equalize their ability versus older, wiser, more experienced and yes, clearly more deserving strategists, by rolling ridiculously high dice and smashing the tabletop formation of their elders! Are young innocents in fact protected by some invisible Psychic Shield, like in the old toothpaste commercials? Did the makers of those 1950s advertisements know something that we do not? What exactly is "Gardol," anyhow, that mythical substance supposedly placed on your teeth by the sponsor's product to prevent so called' 'tooth (read moral) decay?' (The moral decay of society was a great concern in the 1950s during the Cold War). What is this "Gardol." Well, its Lodrag spelled backwards, that's what. And don't try to deny THAT, 0 Beloved, because it is a fact. A certain Famous Relative of mine could only roll "Ones" during our childhood, when the old Avalon Hill Combat Results Table preferred "Sixes." He changes his life around years later and begins to experience constant average or even above average luck over a long period of gaming as an adult! Does improving your level of being change your level of "luck?" Psychics, occultists, and even many spiritual traditions have hinted as just such an idea. Go to any New Age bookstore, my friend, and check it out. As an Indian Mutineer faction player, I need to roll "Boxcars" or Double Sixes to blow up a bridge in the face of the advancing English army. No other result will save the game. My partner is a fellow MWAN Author who shall remain nameless for now, but is my witness--You Know Who You Are, Mr. S.H. Role playing to the hilt, and in need of some help, we take a break and pray to the Hindu gods. I roll boxcars-thank you, Rama, thank you Monkey King (2). The entire room turns at the sound of my (expletive deleted) response. Just a coincidence? Well, maybe. Yeah, and Santa Claus is real too, I suppose. Hey, I'm from Brooklyn! This happened at a major HMGS Convention only a few years ago! Believe it or not. Changing the "psychic channel" by making similar efforts often seem to make a change in the streak of die rolling "luck." I become an advocate of kissing the dice, to the dismay of others who own games (and the dice) we use. Truth or appearance? And don't you know other Garners who practice similar "superstitions" when rolling? I'm willing to 'bet' that you do And I don't even know you, or your friends! Truly amazing. Fact: The Duke of Wellington refused to call his climactic world changing battle 'La Belle Alliance,' as politely requested by that grandfatherly and redoubtable old Prussian Marshal Blucher. Sir Arthur, that most logical warlord who never lost a battle, insisted on naming them after the place where he had breakfast on the morning of each clash of arms. Did this influence his actual historical performance? Did his belief that it did make a difference? Can you prove it didn't? I don't think so.  Is there a dimension of human and parahuman affairs of which we (and I mean you) know nothing, which actually lies behind the history of the human race? And can it be applied to tabletop gaming? The world wonders. Yes Watson, the game is afoot! See my upcoming book The Universe Explained: The Meaning of Life in Six Hundred and Sixty-Six Volumes, (Infinity Press). But for now, let's simply say--YES! Certain sainted "lucky" players seem immune to these efforts to psychically manipulate the plane of reality. Being karmatically shielded somehow, they "bounce" the psychic energy directed at them back at me, and roll even better, despite my most serious and sacred invocation! Random results, or Something Else? Impossible I hear you say--and yet... The entire Role Playing section of the hobby, where the interaction between Fate and Luck is often examined in differing degrees of playfulness or seriousity (3). We have all been borne forth on the Wave of Probability, standing forth on the expanding and receding tide of dice "luck." Although I usually have better than average die rolls (Reflecting Clean Living? Good Vibrations? Nothing At All?), I too have been heir to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. As indicated clearly in the historical record, dice starting out as old carved animal bones, and were originally used as oracles for fortune telling or divining, as were tarot cards, Norse runes, tea leaves, I Ching coins, stalks of wheat, animal entrails, crystal balls, US political elections, and other magical "charms." Serious scientific examination of related phenomena has continued to the present day. Academic works on Gaming Theory included probability studies--the main gaming store in New York City, The Compleat Strategist, is named for one such weighty tome. Spiritual practitioners of actual magic rites today--people who consider themselves witches or "wiccans," for example--will tell you that magic cannot change your basic life pattern or the general weltanshauung/zeitgeist of the society. It can only increase your odds of personal success in a particular endeavor. But who among us would not like to do that? Religious folk perhaps, who feel that to do so would be violating honored commandments. Most of us would do it if we knew how, or believed in such principles. And many of us at least remain open to possibilities, even if we don't believe in such Other Worldly ways! Are there, in fact, invisible forces constantly surrounding us which are capable of interaction with our mundane physical reality? Ancient pagans in societies worldwide often believed in a personal guardian (Old Norse: "Hamingja"), whose job it was to regulate and moderate between the individual (yes, that's YOU, chum) and the Unseen World. Running up and down the ladder of the dimensions, it provides you with guidance and inspiration drawn from the Divine Realm with which we usually are not in touch in normal 'waking' reality or consciousness. The Old Norse believed we live in Middle World (aka Tolkien's Middle Earth), which you could conceive of as a transdimemsional sphere or plane of being; the physically manifest universe. It surrounded Inner World, the land of the gods ("Asgard"), and was in turn surrounded by Outer World, where dwelt the giants and monsters ("Utgard"). Each "garth," or enclosure, held beings appropriate to a different level of consciousness. Oddly enough, many other ancient societies held similar concepts. Is there actually an Inner Dimension whose energies can be manipulated/invoked to influence Natural Law? How to improve your dice luck, if we listen for a moment to the very different wisdom of our ancestors, who were perhaps more attuned to Realms and Talents now lost to us modern men, become blind and deaf to what we can no longer see and hear? Ah, how indeed? In both Greek and Norse myth, there are three sisters weaving our fates (4). They are Past, Present, and Future. In other spiritual traditions, there are also shorthand symbols of similar portent. Remember, however, that you must always pay for what you do. Nothing is for free-the karmic balance of the Universe remains constant at all times.. Do you really want to become indebted to some god/force/natural law just to win a wargame? (Well, of course you do, but I have to insert this mandatory warning to Choose Your Path Carefully, or this wouldn't be responsible journalism). Note: in some areas of the Multiverse, certain Natural Laws are void where prohibited, so supplement your psychic research with a well regulated program of regular moral awakening and effective dental care. And remember--only YOU can prevent psychic forest fires. Or not. Can we in fact break out of our own personal behavior patterns? The most popular literature of pulp fiction, which often serves as a transmission belt of real neat stuff, is full of stories of characters hypnotized by villains. Most end with the comforting maxim that "you can't by hypnotized into doing something that goes against your conscience/inner self/ moral posture, etc. But not in the stories of H.P. Lovecraft--so choose your path carefully; a mind is a terrible thing to waste (5). Meditate upon these things.. Change the basic assumptions in your previously unexamined "mundane" existence (6). Climb mountains, and seek out Wide Ancient Mentors who can tell you the Secret of Life. Spend years forsaking material gain, in search of Enlightenment. Then, and only then, can you truly charge yourself with the so called "magic" energy to become One with the Universe. Chant the sacred OM. Purify yourself from all base appetites and desires. Discover how something can be both true and false at the same time. What is metaphoric truth? Uncover the levels of meaning in a child's fairy tale, or other wisdom teaching. Get yourself in a mental Half Nelson, because it makes you think. What is the sound of one hand clapping? And then, see if your dice luck improves. Here's wishing you the standard so-called 'Good Luck!' in your efforts to control the dice. Heh, heh, heh. If they only knew.  (Author's Afterword) This manuscript was found outside a triple locked isolation room in Arkham Asylum For the Criminally Insane. How did I do it? (7) Once you have read the article this far, the author will disavow all know/edge if its existence. And yet--here it is, a witness to the Ineffable Truth by which many Universes are run. Cue your favorite spooky music: Woo woo woo-ooh-ooh! Because ifI didn't write it, then how did it get here? Most Scholarly Popular Culture Notes, or, For A Good Time Call: 1. Card game ILLUMINATI by Steve Jackson Games 2. The Lost Empire (aka The Monkey King) DVD Movie (Artisan) 3. Classic lost manuscript: "Introduction To Yourself: Dungeons and Dragons For Beginners" by Len Kanterman and Charles Elsden, CAMPAIGN magazine Sept./Oct. 1977. 4. Oh My Goddess (Ah Megami-Sama!) by Kosuke Fujishima, Japanese Manga/Anime/DVD Movie (Pioneer). 5. Various Call of Cthulu products can be hazardous to your mental health by putting you in touch with ancient evil face sucking gods. You don't want to know. In fact, this word is spelled impossible so you can't even pronounce it properly, which itself would put you in touch with (see above). 6. The War Against Sleep: The Philosophy of Gurdjieff, Colin Wilson, Aquarius Press, 1980). For an even quicker summation, listen to the film quote on Guided SelfObservation in the board room scene in Monty Python and the Meaninq of Life; which has however, nothing at all to do with hats.. 7. This literary device borrowed with great reverence from A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burghs, (Grosset and Dunlap, 1917), and used with psychic permission. Back to MWAN # 123 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com