alt Hacker NewsExactly. For a web app where you can't easily "slash" a server for disappearing, you need that "uncontrollable third source" to force the game to finish.
I looked at VDFs and custom MPCs, but they felt like overkill for a dice roll. Drand is basically a "pre-computed" MPC that anyone can verify with a simple curl. It hits that pragmatic sweet spot for a trustless audit without the "math homework" for the user...
For others learning about this, the attack this project addresses is someone (maybe the web server) waits until everyone else reveals their committed bits then they alone know the outcome and if it is unfavorable they don't reveal and possibly repeat the game until they get the result they want.