Are Colonist.io Dice Rolls Fair? Understanding Randomness and Perceived Unfairness

If you've ever felt like the dice in Colonist.io favor your opponents or give you bad luck, you're not alone. Many players notice streaks or patterns that seem unfair. Here's why that happens, and why our dice rolls are truly random.

How Dice Rolls Work in Colonist.io

Every dice roll in Colonist.io uses a computer-based random number generator (RNG) to simulate rolling real dice. There are no hidden algorithms to favor any player or team. The outcome is as unpredictable as rolling physical dice.

Why Do Dice Rolls Sometimes Feel Unfair?

• Streaks are more likely than you think. In a typical 50-turn game, there's a 57% chance that some number will be rolled three times in a row. That means it's expected to happen roughly every other game. It's not a bug, it's math.

• Selective memory: You're more likely to remember bad rolls than good ones. This can make the randomness feel unfair.

• Short-term vs. long-term: In a single game or a few turns, dice rolls might look uneven. Over many games, the results balance out to the expected probabilities.

How Colonist.io Ensures Fairness

We published a detailed blog post with probability math, 1-million-game simulations, and the exact algorithm behind Balanced Dice: Designing Balanced Dice

You can also try our open dice roll simulator to see how distributions work over different numbers of rolls.