Worked protocols

Coin flip examples for small, reversible decisions.

A coin flip works best when the stakes are low, both outcomes are acceptable and everyone agrees on the mapping before the result appears.

Choose the first player

Write “Heads: player A starts; tails: player B starts.” Select one flip, leave the call field optional, then keep the receipt visible until the first turn begins. If the game rules already define turn order, use those rules instead.

Break an operational tie

Use the coin when two lunch options, meeting times or equally small chores are genuinely interchangeable. If one option has a hidden cost, deadline or safety consequence, surface that information instead of randomising it.

Resolve a tabletop edge case

Agree on the two interpretations and assign faces aloud. One player presses the button while the others can see the receipt. For rules that specify a d20, percentile die or modifier, use the prescribed dice procedure rather than replacing it with a coin.

Make a remote call reproducible

Share the screen, copy the result into chat or export the current CSV. The receipt contains the session time shown by the browser and the result summary. It is useful coordination evidence, not a tamper-proof timestamp or server audit log.

Use a batch to demonstrate variation—not to guarantee balance

A batch of 20 flips may produce 13 heads and 7 tails without indicating a broken generator. Batch mode is useful for teaching variability or recording a small exercise. It should not be used to certify statistical fairness from one run.

Decisions that should not be flipped

Do not randomise medical, legal, financial, employment, consent, safeguarding or gambling decisions. Do not use a result to override a person’s right to opt out. When the decision has consequences, define a real decision process instead.

Flip a coin now or read the randomness method and limits.