Base 8 is a system of counting that uses an eight digit system, instead of our normal ten digit system (Base 10). The digits used are 0-7, with "8" and "9" not existing at all. If you see the digits "8" or "9" you are NOT looking at Base 8!

Are there other systems like it?

Other than the Base 10 we use everyday, many people will be familiar with "Base 2," a.k.a., Binary. Binary is that computer language made entirely of zeroes and ones - the two digits allowed. People with lots of computer background, or who do web or photo editting, will also be familiar with Base 16, called Hexidecimal. Hex uses the digits 1-9 followed by the letters A-F, to represent numbers up to sixteen (A is ten, B is eleven, etc).

Why do I care about Base 8?

Well, if you're planning on doing True Dungeon in 2007 or 2008, it will be a good idea to have at least some grasp of it! In 2006 the three year Spider-Cult based plot was introduced, and we found ourselves facing down a final puzzle that utilized Base 8 (spiders being eight-legged and all). Look for it to pop up again!

How do I count in Base 8?

Now for the fun. Base 8 is really a very simple idea, that ends up extraordinarily complicated for most of us, due to the way we learned to count. We have all been taught to count in the Base 10 system, which goes by ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. We can look at a number and do the mental multiplication of each place in the sequence instantaneously, accompanied by adding up the totals, without even realizing we're doing it.

Base 10 example: You see the number "452" written, and you immediately know there are four "hundreds," five "tens," and two "ones." You add those together, and you get the result "four hundred and fifty two." As a matter of fact, I'll bet the majority of you reading this read "452" as "four hundred and fifty two" automatically, simply assuming we were dealing with ones, tens, and hundreds.

That's the habit you need to break yourself of in order to successfuly read Base 8 in the dungeon. Don't look at written digits and let yourself read over them automatically as a number you know. The places are not ones, tens, and hundreds anymore! Only the ones place stays the same in Base 8 (or any other base system). All places higher than the ones spot are adjusted according to the base system in question. The tens place becomes the place of whatever base you are dealing with (for Base 8, it becomes the "eights" place). The next space out is the base squared, followed by the base cubed, base to the fourth, fifth, sixth, etc... Another way to do it is simply to multiply the current space's value by the base being used, to gain the next space's value.

For Base 8, this means that the ones place (always the same!) remains the ones place. Multiply by eight, and the next spot is the "eights place." Multiply by eight again, and the third slot is the "sixty-fours place." Fourth is "Five hundred and twelves place" Continue multiplying by eight for each consecutive spot.

Base 8 example: You see the number "452" written, but this time you remember you're using Base 8. Recalling what each place is worth, you realize you have four "sixty-fours," five "eights," and two "ones." Four times sixty-four is two hundred fifty six, five times eight is forty, and two times one is two. Adding together two hundred fifty six, forty, and two, you get the result. The digits 452 in Base 8 are actually the value "two hundred ninety eight."

Confused yet? That's ok. It would take years of practice to gain any true ability to simply "read" the numbers in Base 8, as our entire brain is programmed with Base 10 since our childhood. The key is to remember to multiply each digit seperately by the appropriate place (ones, eights, sixty fours, etc), and to add the results. Don't be ashamed to use a scrap of paper for your work - we're adventurers, not calculators!

Need some practice?

Here are some practice numbers for you, written in Base 8. Highlight inside the parantheses to reveal the the numbers these digits represent, after you have made an attempt at calculating it yourself:

27 (Twenty Three (two eights, and seven ones))

4 (Four (the ones place is still the ones place))

126 (Eighty Six (one sixty-four, two eights, and six ones))

60 (Forty Eight (six eights, zero ones))

503 (Three Hundred and Twenty Three (five sixty-fours, zero eights, three ones))