Kickstarter- Dice Coins Reborn

An evolution of dice and coins that offers a more immersive gaming experience! Original Dice Coins reborn with a base unit & new size.

I like coins, especially fantasy coins, and like most gamers, I love dice. It's in my blood.

These Dice Coins are literally the dangerous combination of two of my loves.

You can snag one Dice Coin and a base from the Kickstarter for 24 bucks plus shipping, but if you are like me, you probably want the full set (with a base) for 99 bucks plus shipping. 

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Does the Stat Rolling Method Really Matter?

This last few weeks I've been seeing a lot of reposts of this picture, almost a meme(?) and it really got me thinking about all of the ways I've rolled up PCs and how much it actually matters.

My conclusion is that it really depends on the game, but players generally want higher-statted PCs, which makes sense because who wants to play a nobody?

Now with the older (I'm thinking B/X) having less than optimal stats weren't a big deal and the difference between a low stat and a high stat wasn't worth getting too worked up over. Of course it felt like there was some stat-creep in later editions and even that made sense to me. With all of this different classes coming out that had specific high(er) stat requirements. It seemed to me that the straight 3d6 (in order) soon moved to a straight 4d6 (drop the lowest) to 4d6 (drop the lowest) arrange as you want. I'm not going to look it up, but I also recall AD&D having alternate rolling methodologies (in the DMG perhaps) to help possibly get players the types of PCs they wanted.

When I migrated to HackMaster (4th Edition) stats went back to straight 3d6, but there was an additional fractional added (so a 3d6 + 1d100%) and you could buy fractional rolls with building points. Of course there was a cost that you maybe didn't want to pay, but it could help you get into that PC class you wanted. Knowing that as you leveled you'd get some fractional increases helped as well and there were some odd circumstances that could build you up as well. For example I really lucked out with my Double Specialist Invoker in that my school results gave me a +3 Intelligence, so I was rocking a 21 Intelligence.

Actually having a PC much, much smarter than me wasn't all it was cracked up to be as I couldn't actually access that intelligence as much as you'd think. Have to answer a riddle? Eff me man, I can't figure it out, but my PC is likely the smartest dude on the continent, if not the planet....he should be able to figure it out.

With the newer version of HackMaster gives you options, but you pay for them: straight 3d6 +1d100% gets you a nice bump in Building Points, swap two stats of the "straight 3d6" for only a 25 Build Point bonus, or just arrange the "straight 3d6" as you like for no Build Points. It also has a rule about if two of your stats are 5 or less or none above 13 you can start over (Shopkeep Rule) otherwise any other valid set of rolls have to be played/used for one session before retiring the PC from play.

For one of my PCs I had just about a set of Gawd-rolls. That kind of sucked actually. I do not remember what the straight 3d6 rolls were, but with the options given I could have conceivably chosen any race/class I wanted. The rolls were good enough that if not for the fact that two other GMs actually witnessed the rolls, I don't think I'd have been allowed to play that PC at someone else's table for fear of being suspected of cheating. The part that sucked about the rolls is that I just had too many options. This was pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I had a bit of decision paralysis about it. Ultimately I didn't make that choice myself. Instead I queried the group as to what they think we needed most, which was a tank. I ended up making the tankiest tank I could: Dwarven Fighter.

I haven't gotten to play this PC in years (kind of sad about it because I had a helluva lot of fun playing this PC, and not because of his ability scores!) but his current stats (mind you he gets some % bumps when leveling) at 9th level are off to the side.

His CON has a +4 bump from race that is offset by -2 bumps to Looks and Charisma. 

Now I'm not bragging about this PC or anything, just I think that there's a lot of range on what can be rolled, methodology-wise and there really isn't a good reason to hate on any particular method. I think the options given are usually there to make playing a PC one wants to play, viable. The simple straight 3d6 worked great when it didn't really matter too much.

Hell, lately...especially at a convention, I've just been rolling some d30's to quick generate stats based on the d30 DM Companion. I think the method used doesn't matter unless it results in too-high of a power level than what the players & GM want to see.

A WTF? Kickstarter - Rose Whip Dice II: Unique Metal Polyhedral RPG Dice Set

A distinctive Rose Whip-inspired collection, meticulously crafted to enhance your role-playing with a flourish of elegance

Sometimes, things sound good but aren't feasible in real life. Such is the case with Rose Whip Dice II (there was a first?) If you can't read the numbers on the dice, it's worthless. The Rose and Blue dice pictured above and below? Totally worthless. Unless you are looking to cheat in your RPGs - in which case, totally worth it ;)

Why make, let alone sell, dice that aren't readable without holding it up to your eyes?

Thankfully, it isn't going to fund, and these dice can be relegated to the circular file.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.

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Kickstarter - Goblin Dice: Transforming the Way You Throw!

Alright, you NEED to watch the video for Goblin Dice! If it doesn't bring back memories of the Shake Weight (and various comedy sketch shows that did their own take on it) you are definitely a young one ;)

Notice also that you DON'T see the Goblin Dice device being shaken and the dice result in the same short. I suspect they didn't have a working prototype when they did the promo video.

Interesting idea, I just don't think it's needed. Still, I'd love to see some Goblin Dice in use at a convention :)

Now please allow us to introduce Goblin Dice - Your Ultimate Digital Dice Companion. With its innovative shake & read design and environmentally friendly kinetic energy conversion, paired with a sleek brass metal exterior, Goblin dice will be your instant solution for an enhanced gaming experience and more.

Eco-friendly Kinetic Energy: Our innovative design converts kinetic energy into electricity, requiring only a gentle shake to generate power. No external power source or batteries are needed - it's eco-friendly and hassle-free!

 

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.

DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar    

Lazy Sunday Morning Gaming Shopping

Erik did me a bit of a solid last week (and tried again this week) to post for me last week because Sunday I had to spend the day travelling early am to an undisclosed location......basically I had to stay up after NTRPG's midnight auction and head out to the airport at 4AM. I knew that day of travelling was going to wreck me and my internet access at my destination was unknown at the time.

Anyway, I'm still at my undisclosed location and this morning was a lazy day so I decided to head on over to the next town and peruse the "sights".......

....yeah this town was....rather...crunchy. Like granola crunchy.....like they don't put up flags for Pride month 'cause the flags are up year-round and painted on the street already.

Meh, not a big deal except.....except the only place I could find open to get a bite to eat before the bookstore opened was a vegan café. Actually had no idea it was a vegan café at first, but hungry is hungry and vegan "wings" made out of cauliflower is not far off of decent bar food of fried cauliflower......

The great thing about these hippy (there was definitely a hippy vibe in places) areas is that they have some great hole-in-the-wall stores. Tons of tiny shops packed with stuff. I wandered into an art supply store and found some pens that I like, but in sizes I normally don't see, as well as my favorite mechanical pencil and replacement lead, both at better prices than I'm used to! Went ahead and picked up a little notebook and a fancy-schmancy (well, seemed like it) Japanese marker that just works different than what I'm used to.

Up the street was the book store. Wasn't quite what
I was hoping for, but I did find a few books for my Appendix N collection and another book (not shown) that I only had a PDF of. That book was "expensive", relatively speaking, but the other books were cheaper than I'd find at HPB, so a win in my book.

I'm so, sorry....that wasn't an intended pun.

This one book, With a Single Spell, is already in my collection, but one of the author's other books, set in the same world, is something I pretty much buy every time I see it in a store. I'll pick it up and just give it to the first friend I find out hasn't read it. I'm going to read this copy on this trip and then gift it like I do the other book......

While the bookstore was a draw, the real reason I went down to granola-town was to visit an indoor "flea market". It wasn't an indoor flea market, despite what they advertised. Instead it was basically two of these small store fronts linked together and stuffed with a few, pretty sure it was five, but there wasn't a firm boundary between three of the places. Lots of nice stuff, reasonably priced with the exception of the clothes. Evidently "vintage" clothes are worth more than common sense would lead one to believe.....

I found some cool stuff, most of it was too big to pick up and travel back home with, but I enjoyed looking at the one booth just stuffed with DVDs, Legos, and action figures. There was stuff I liked, but nothing that had to come home with me......until I turned to leave and saw a little bowl of dice stuffed in the corner of a large display case. What caught my eye were the Gamescience dice, but it looked like there was some Holmes set dice and a couple other old-assed dice.....along with a giant 12 sided d4.

Totally worth the $8. Those Gamescience D20's are numbered 0-9 twice and inked in two different colors.

Not a bad haul for a lazy Sunday morning!

Is There Such a Thing as a Bum Die (or Dice)?

I was just off on a business trip to wonderful Fayetteville North Carolina, home of the 82nd Airborne and the US Army Special Operations command. During my eight years in the Air Force (working with the Army) I got to work with essentially all types of Army units....as long as they didn't jump out of aircraft (fixed or rotary wing). Because of that I never had a reason, or even opportunity, to visit Ft Bragg.

My current job brings me here a couple times a year and I look forward to it for several personal and professional reasons. 

A big plus on the personal side is that Fayetteville is also the home of Hobbit Hobbies, an odd game store that I just have to visit when I'm in town. Well, have to visit and pick up something. My general rule is if I step into a game store I would count as a Favorite Local Game Store (FLGS), I'm going to buy some stuff. Hobbit Hobbies is a relatively small store and fully half of that is models. The other half is spread out across wargaming, CCGs, minis, RPGs, model supplies, and even some comics and books. This place is packed floor-to-ceiling with stuff and I have totally lucked out on some awesome finds in the past.

...in the past. This time I didn't score anything huge, a couple minis and a Kaplow d30.

Now I love Hobbit Hobbies, but I think they sold me a bum die. I don't think I can return it, not that I would anyway, but...well.....totally my own damned fault. I should have insisted on the store removing the price sticker they put on it and giving her a few test rolls.  My first three rolls were 1, 2, 1....and it took a good dozen rolls to get above a 15.

Totally a bum die and I'm trying to figure out what to do about it. Since I'm already a bit of a dice snob, which I haven't been shy about in the past, one might wonder why I even bothered getting this new d30. I already have enough dice, including d30's, and I even bought a bunch of dice that my buddies at Monday Knight Adventures had made. 

Technically I do not need any more d30's but it's a d30! Can I really have enough? Truth be told I got distracted by a pretty yellow & black d30 because my main d30 is a really old (like early 80's Gamescience old) and this bum die called out to me, and I thought maybe....maybe I could (now I'm almost embarrassed to type this)...replace my cherished d30 for these business road trips.

After my last trip my little Pelican 1020 Micro Case I use for a dice carrier went missing. I assumed I had left it in my hotel room in Ft Hood, or in my room up in Dallas, when I took a side trip in the middle of the business trip. I was a little distraught at the idea of my main game dice going missing. One set of my Gamescience dice were a birthday gift from Barbara Blackburn (of KenzerCo fame) and I cherish them as much as the last two Gamescience d30's that Lou Zocchi had.

One of the Live Dungeons they have at the big cons tried to buy out all of Lou's remaining d30's, and he (Lou) thought he had done so when I showed up right after to get my hands on some. We chatted a bit and later during the convention when he was packing up he found two loose d30's in the bottom of one of his boxes. One was definitely old as he hadn't made that style in decades. Cool thing, for me, was that he actually tracked me down to give me the dice. So these dice are extra special to me....

...oh and I found the lost dice eventually. Evidently I had a whole tote of stuff I had bought while on that trip (a couple of visits to Ikea will do that) that I conveniently set aside and promptly forgot about. Of course this means I don't need this d30 and while it's a bum die, I'm not sure if I should try to jump through some hoops to cleanse and re-balance this die. It's a thing I've done and it worked then....but for one die, maybe better to just find this one a new home and let it be someone else's problem (assuming it is).

Kickstarter - Unleashed Arcana RPG Dice & DCC Sets along with D18s & D22s (Impact! Miniatures)

Dice. Fucking dice! They are my kryptonite. I can go weeks, even months, without looking for new ones, and then BAMN! I find cool dice that I want.

Note, I don't NEED any more dice. Shit, if I had any sort of self-control I wouldn't WANT any more dice. But I want them. They are my... precious.

Tonight I searched Kickstarter for ZineQuest. I quickly realized there were many more zines waiting to launch. So then I did a search for dice, and the first to catch my eyes was the Unleashed Arcana RPG Dice & DCC Sets along with D18s & D22s Kickstarter by Impact! Miniatures.

Again, I don't need more dice but I will be getting more dice.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Picking Up Some New Dice from Monday Knight Adventures (DCC/MCC compatible 14 dice set)

Just a head's up that today's post is 110% me "abusing" the privilege of being able to post "whatever I want" here at the Tavern.........

Now I will admit that as a (RPG) gamer I like dice. I mean who here doesn't?!

I'm also a self-diagnosed dice snob, using my old-school Gamescience dice to exclusion of almost any others. Kind of a difficult position to be in since I cannot really get any more GS dice. Sure, there are some available, but my ability to get all the dice I want, like another d30, yeah.....just not going to happen. I lucked out getting the last two d30's Zocchi had, but that tale has been told (hence the link).

As an almost aside, I used to play HackMaster 4th edition (I know, as if I've never brought that one up before) and I went through a stupid number of dice in that game. Like at one point I HAD to have a metric shit-ton of d6s and d4s for some of my DS Invoker's spells (including some for penetration rolls), but luckily back then I had the means and ability to purchase Gamescience dice, so I have a good supply of dice I'm not currently using....unless I want some of the odd ones, like d3's, d5's etc. While I have some, they are mismatched and not quite what I need when I'm playing Dungeon Crawl Classics or Mutant Crawl Classics.

If you haven't played DCC or MCC, the game can get a bit crazy with odd dice rolls, but the extreme randomness is part of the game's balance. You can get by replacing some dice rolls with others, like using a d30 for a d14 and ignoring any roll of  15+, but that doesn't work out that great......and just sucks if you're dice fan, and most of us are dice fans.

What normally happens is I use my normal GS dice set and then somehow I manage to get into a DCC or MCC game and then have a last-minute burning desire, nay need, for the full range of odd dice for a DCC/MCC game. Then I have to make a run to the dealer's hall and cough up $30 for whatever I can get. One set of dice for a pick-up game is fine, but not enough......I like to use two sets of dice when I play because, well.....you know.....sometimes dice just go cold and shit. If I'm stuck using a bum d20 I guess I could grab one of my regular dice, but then I'm mixing sets.....

....and you know how the dice don't like it when you mix them up.....

.....and sure it works for a d20, but what if it's your d14 goes bad for a spell?

No, I need two matched sets of dice. Since we have North Texas RPG Con coming up I figured I'd grab one of my older "emergency purchase" sets and find another matching set. Well that was my plan....

....until I found out that a couple of guys I knew from my HackMaster 4th Edition days had contracted with Impact! Miniatures to get their own batch of DCC/MCC compatible dice made. They're making them under the company name of Monday Knight Adventures and the dice can be found on eBay for now. 

Now since I know the guys behind Monday Knight Adventures and despite their public attempts to sometimes come off as indifferent a-holes, they're actually good guys. Back in the day when I was fortunate enough to be on a business trip to Nashville, I'd make the 2 hour trip to sit in on their Monday night home game.....and when I needed some help play-testing some tournament adventures I knew if I flew across the country they'd free up a weekend to run through the adventures.

On a more personal note, when I was going through some tough times during my volunteer days, these guys (the whole group, not just the two behind MKA) epitomized the saying "Who's got your back?", which (ironically) was a HackMaster "thing".

Clearly I think it would be cool if anyone who is interested in supporting some good guys, or who needs some cool dice, heads over and picks some of these "Poisoned Skulls" dice off of ebay. Now I'm into this for more than just a cheap Tavern shout-out.....since I'm pretty much on business trips until right before NTRPG, I don't have the ability to make my normal GM thank you gifts this year. *Spoiler Alert* if you are reading this and happen to have me playing at your table this year, you're getting a set of these dice.

I figure this is pretty much a win-win-win.

New Release - Zucati Dice & Crayons / Holmage Dice Boxed Set - Limited Edition 1000 Numbered Copies

Zucati Dice & Crayons / Holmage Dice Boxed Set is a release that hadn't come up on my radar, and if it wasn't for a long time Taverner PMing me the link, I'd still be clueless. That being said, I'm not 100% sure of what exactly it is I'm seeing.

Note, the set clocks in at 45 bucks plus shipping.

The cover is a spot-on homage to the original Holmes Basic Set without being a copy:

I can find nothing on this "Dice & Crayons" release aside from the Etsy page. (edit - it's also available on the publisher's website at:  

https://www.zucaticorp.com/listing/1006974370/holmage-dice-boxed-set-limited-edition)

Note, this is not a stand-alone ruleset, but an adventure generator to use the set of Zucati dice with.

Each limited edition boxed set is serialized and is 1/1000.

All serial numbers will be distributed randomly with no choice for number selection.

Boxed set pictured is #1 of 1000.

Your box will be a different number.

The Holmage dice

These iconic dice pay homage to the most beloved set of dice ever created. The original “Holmes” dice were included in a boxed set of gaming materials made in 1977 – 1980.

These polyhedral dice are perfectly proportioned and updated with easy to read numbers, sharp edges, and modern durable materials.

This new set features the original 5 dice in the same colors, but not the same numbering, updated to modern numbering and also includes the D10 and D% as included dice in other colors. \

All primary colors, all raw.

In modern 100% injection molded acrylic.

Same quality and standards as our first run V1 Perfect Plastic Dice.

Includes original box art, original character sheets and an original map set with adventure generator table.

Named "Holmage" set in honor of the original Holmes dice.

Just want the dice?

42 sets of 7 dice for 125 plus shipping.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

 

Kickstarter - Spellbook Games Celtic Dice Boxes

Dice. I can never seem to have enough dice. Heck, I bought a box of 24 sets of RPG dice from Dollar Tree at the end of last year, and I'm apt to buy more at the drop of a dime. Because they are dice. 'Nuff said.

I store my dice in various glass jars for the most part, but a nice box or three would probably be the better solution. The Spellbook Games Celtic Dice Boxes Kickstarter seems to be a good option. I like the Celtic knot designs and the pricing is right. Heck, I suspect Rach will want to snag a box or to for herself.

Prices start at $19 for a basic box and increase from there. I'm in at 99 for three boxes with the bells and whistles, as I know my better half will be appropriating one of the boxes ;)

We are Spellbook Games, a Father/Son duo producing Tabletop RPG supplements, 3D printed gaming miniatures, and now expanding to the world of beautiful and customizable dice boxes.

With this Kickstarter we are going to launch our first line of Dice boxes with Celtic inspired tabletop gaming designs.  These boxes are made of durable yet light Paulownia hard wood and engraved in house by our artist. The Kickstarter will allow us to purchase new tools and equipment, including an advanced engraving machine, to enable production of these boxes on a large enough scale to support demand.

The Boxes are available in 4 selectable finishes depending on what pledge level you select. Amber, Ebony, Weathered, and Wildwood.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. 

The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. 

DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle 

are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, 

or wherever you listen to your podcast collection.

Amazon Prime Day RPG Sales

Let's just dive in, shall we?

edit: Sigh - the thumbnails and links all work in the preview, but apparently not in the full post share... nevermind, you need to disable your adblocker - Tenkar

Note: Some prices are time-limited.

The following dice have 80% off coupons, making the sets a buck a set with free shipping:

 

 The bundle of 6 sets of dice is discounted 18.69:  

 This set of metal dice has a 20% coupon, making the price 16 bucks

15 sets of dice for less than 13 bucks

Simply lots of dice on sale

Zweihander is on sale for 27.55 (limited time - Lightning deal)

Boss Monster: The Dungeon Building Card Game on sale for 10 bucks

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are the affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection.

Kickstarter - Foldable Metal Dice for RPG Tabletop Gaming (d20)

I thought I had seen just about every option for unique dice, but a foldable D20? Fuck it, I'm in. I'm going to be 53. It's been decades since I kept a condom in my wallet, but a D20 might see some use ;)

Pricing is Canadian. Five dice came to about 38 bucks plus shipping to the US. Ask me how I know. I DARE ya ;)

Foldable Metal Dice - if you collect dice you need at least one...

Do You Have a Travel Player's Kit?

I'm going to come right out and admit it.....I don't game enough.

Now I don't need to roll dice every day, but once a week would be nice. In more than one of my previous jobs I've had to travel....a lot, like a hundred nights a year a lot. The job I'm in now has me gone for two-weeks a go. Frequent travel makes having a home group, well at least a weekly game-having home group, damned near impossible.

Now that the internet is available in even the crappiest location and we have things like Zoom, having an online weekly game is an option.

Before, not so much.....so I had to be prepared for pick-up games as they became available. Back when I played HackMaster (I know, not another HackMaster story) I was also a member of the HackMaster Association, which gave me a nation-wide group of people I could reach out to for a game while travelling. Normally I was too busy....the travel was a business trip after all, but a couple of times when I was in Nashville I did manage to make the couple-hours drive down to Chattanooga to take part in one group's Monday night weekly home-game.

I also had a player or two driving through Boise stop in for a game at my house (I was the GM so the sporadic game schedule was on my terms).

The thing is I had to be ready for a pickup game, so I had a travel game kit. I actually had two, one as a player and another one as a GM, but I never used the GM kit and ended up cannibalizing it for convention games.

I never liked the dice I had in my play kit. Kind of cool dice, but waaaaaay too tiny. I'll have to post pics sometime. Anyway I was in my local game store and they had some small dice and I figured I should update my kit and make it ready for an upcoming trip next month.

Here's my player's kit....which is housed in a fancy gift card tin. I did take the liberty of spray-painting the tin in prep of some future decoration plans. The lid is lined with thin craft foam, making for a small dice tray (got to have my DRZ.....designated rolling zone). The actual contents of the player's kit:

• Two sets of dice
• PC Sheet(s)
• Note Cards
• More note cards (graph-paper)
• Pencil
• USB Thumb Drive

Whenever possible I keep PDF copies of my PC sheets. Hand-filled sheets are great, but don't necessarily travel or store well. I print these out multiple pages (2 in 1) and then at 60% size, which makes it small enough for the tin and is still legible. The note cards are standard 3 x 5 cut down to 3 x 4.75" and then rounded with a simple punch. The pencil......it's a fricken pencil. It's actually the same size as I found it, basically a golf pencil with an eraser, but no reason you couldn't cut down a regular pencil and/or use a Fisher space pen (well, but the price!). The thumb drive I use to hold PDFs of my game rules, which I rarely use because of things like laptops and tablets that are ubiquitous these days. What I use it more for than anything are copies of my PCs. Usually the hotel has a printer I can access and I'm able to print off bigger sheets before the game. The tiny one is a back-up...just in case.

So that's it....that's my travel game kit. I do have a couple meeple minis I could toss in, but I don't really see me using a mini 'cause either the GM has them or the game is online.

I can't help but to wonder if I'm the only one with a mini/travel game kit and if not, what do other people add in that I don't?

Monday Afternoon Edit: I went ahead and took a pic of some of my dice. The big dice are my beloved d30's (well, two of my Gamescience d30's), the next largest would be my "regular" Gamescience d20s. The purple ones are the new travel dice pictured above and the tiny ones.....those are the "big" metal d20's from my tiniest set of dice. I kept more than two sets in one of those emergency pill bottles you'd keep on a keychain.

I'm an Elitist When it Comes to Some of my Game Gear

I'll freely admit to being a great many things when it comes to gaming, and most of the adjectives (I'm sure) aren't pretty....like me....seriously, why do you think I use these cartoons instead of an *actual* picture of me?

OK, I kid......but what I'm leading up to is the simple fact that I'm a dice snob. I have a ton of dice and I have purchased a wide array of dice.....I do have some cool ones in my collection, but......BUT I generally only game with one brand of dice: Gamescience.

I do believe dice can be lucky or unlucky and in general I am superstitious when it comes to my dice. I have lucky charms and once I even had my dice cursed and had to do a lot to remove said curse. Now I *know* that most of these beliefs are probably BS and most of my experience in the matter is anecdotal. I also know that run-of-the-mill dice have their flaws. When I was taking Statistics in college I did a few stat experiments where I rolled all of my then-normal (ie. not Gamescience) a few hundred times and recorded the results. Sure enough, my "lucky" dice had an abnormally high distribution and the "unlucky" dice had an abnormally low distribution.

Now I used to run into "Col." Lou Zocchi pretty much every year I went to Origins. Great guy, will talk your ear off for 20' and you'll enjoy most every second of it. He'll gladly go over his spiel about how Gamescience dice roll true compared to "regular" dice, and I believe every bit of it. Everything jives with my personal experience and when I replicated my stats experience I got a pretty equal distribution of numbers, not unlike the experiment done over at the Awesome Dice blog.

Somewhere in my house I have a metric butt-ton of GS dice from when I played HackMaster 4th Edition. I needed a LOT of d4's and d6's for my DS Invoker, between penetration dice and the fact that I just did a lot of dice-worth of damage. My current dice set, pictured below, is what I've been using for the last couple years.....mostly because those other dice are MIA, most likely in a box somewhere.

You'll note that I have basically two sets of green dice, four different d10's and a couple d30's. One set of green dice was a gift for my birthday (maybe my 40th?) from Barbara Blackburn. Anyone who knows Barb, except for Ken Whitman, knows she's a freakin sweetheart, so I'm using the hell out of those dice. I bought the second set because I rolled a lot of pairs of dice for the new HackMaster game....which is why I also have the four extra d10's, so I can roll a d 1,000 (red, orange, yellow, & blue).

Now those d30's...those are near and dear to me for sure. Some of you might know I do some d30 stuff. I have a few d30's, but not like these. I'm not quite sure how the whole Gamescience company sale from Lou to whoever owns it now went down...I heard he got it back at some points, but I really don't know squat about it. I just remember that Lou was selling older dice he had made and Gamescience had a separate dice selling booth at the con. Anyway, I went to Lou to buy more dice that I didn't need and I wanted some more d30's. Unfortunately he was all out, not just of his convention stock, but everything he had & would ever have. The live dungeon folks had come through and bought him out. I was pretty bummed, but not much I could do.....I BSed with the Colonel for a while and wished him well.

Two days later as I'm walking the hall seeing if I could find any last-day-of-the-con deals, Zocchi stops me at his booth. While he was packing up he happened to find two.....2! more d30's. These were no-kidding his last two d30's. The green-ish one was a normal dice, but the yellow....the yellow was very old, one of his earliest designs. Instead of being numbered 1-30 it is number 1-10 three times, with one set having a "-" and one a "+".

Most of my dice are inked with a permanent marker, but the d30's are "inked" "old-school" using a black china pen, which is essentially an adult art crayon.

Kickstarter - Hyperborea Dice (North Wind Adventures)

Have I mentioned my weakness for dice in the past? heh

I'm in for two sets. :)

From North Wind Adventures, creators of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea™, come HYPERBOREA DICE, a beautiful set of nine (9) polyhedral dice, and a 4 x 6-inch Colombian leather pouch.

We have partnered with our friends at Gate Keeper Games to produce the HYPERBOREA DICE! These dice are being created using GKG's special "Neutron Dice" formula. Each die has three layers, featuring a shining band of pearlescent icy blue nestled between two transparent outer layers. The colour scheme represents the glacial ice of HYPERBOREA and its scarlet, bloated sun (Helios).

The "Neutron Dice" formula
Each die has the high and low numbers centered on the two clear halves for high-speed number recognition, and the d20 features the North Wind Adventures Xathoqqua (Tsathoggua) logo on the "1" face. 

Kickstarter - Mutant Murder Hobo Dice

Glow-in-the-dark d20s in four different radioactive isotopes.

Dice. They really are my kryptonite. Glow in the dark dice in different colors? Damn it Jim (Wampler)! I'm a gamer, not a dice collector! Ah, who the fuck am I kidding? I'm both, and four glow in the dark D20s for 10 bucks or add a dice bag to the mix for 15? Yeah, it looks like more dice for my dice collection...

Damn you and your Mutant Murder Hobo Dice!

Face it. You don’t care what the adventure is called. You’re just there to blow the reactor. And nothing says that you mean business when you kick in a bunker door like rolling a glow-in-the-dark high-impact d20 across the table — unless it’s rolling a different color glow-in-the-dark d20 on your next action! These 20mm glow-in-the-dark d20s come in four different isotopes, so there’s a die for every mutant murder hobo occasion. Charge one of these chemiluminescent babies up with an LED flashlight, and they even glow in different colors with the lights on! 

Proven by the super-science of the Ancient Makers to roll better and luckier than normal 20-sided dice, each Mutant Murder Hobo d20 glows when charged, and all those extra photons create a mild propulsive force that only adds to the spin, span, and sass of each toss of these deadly d20 dice.

Kickstarter - FantaSOAP Tears of Unicorn, Sputum of Troll & Chant of Dryad

A collectable series of magic potions, filled in awesome flasks containing RPG dice and creamy soaps inspired to fantasy creatures!!!

Yep, it's another Soap-n-Dice Kickstarter. What makes FantaSOAP Tears of Unicorn, Sputum of Troll & Chant of Dryad Kickstarter different?

So, what makes this one different? Liquid soap and potentially glass bottles.

Everyone knows how much Role Playing game players like their dice. They are a little treasure for all of us. We want to create special items designed to RPG, boardgames and tabletop games lovers, the perfect gift for your lovely master or for those who dream of dice just closing their eyes... :)

Ah, a nice bottle of Scotch!

In this first phase of the FantaSOAP campaign we want to create awesome flasks, with the aspect of a magic potion, inspired to fantasy creatures, spells, mith and folklore, filled with special customized creamy soap, enriched with special related soap flakes. After using the soap you'll find a special set of RPG Dice hidden in it. We will attach to each flask a scroll with a special spell, related to the "magic potion". 

The Flasks: We will send to you cute ampoules in glass or plastic, with a paper scroll attached on it. Flask's models will be sent randomly, according to availability. 

The Soap: We will fill flasks with HQ creamy soap, enriched with HQ soap flakes. A specialized company will create it for us, according to our requests. Soap will not be HOMEMADE, but professionally produced. We consider it a good warranty. Scent and soap will be related to the subject of the model, please see specific description below. 

The Dice: You'll find a special set of RPG dice into the soap. Dice will be professional crafted and HQ. Colors will be related to the fantasy "setting" of the magic potion.

Fuck, not Scotch!

Wait, I can't choose between glass and plastic? I don't want glass and slippery liquid soap in my bathtub.

Kickstarter - Dragon Themed Polyhedral RPG Dice Set

After numerous requests, the Dragon RPG Set is here! New colors and great exclusives! THE DRAGONS ARE BACK!

Have I mentioned my dice addiction? heh

Here I am, backing another dice Kickstarter. Go figure. Let me present the Dragon Themed Polyhedral RPG Dice Set Kickstarter. 

In a sea of competitors, we'd like to list out what makes these dice unique and why we believe they will hold a place of honor in your dice bag! 

• Dragon Breath Swirl We're very proud of the coloration of our swirled dice. They feature a blend of two colors with an iridescent glimmer that came out fantastic! We think they are super cool and the blending method perfectly captures the billowing dragon breath attack! Glitterwing Dragons These glimmering dragons are infused with glitter and shine in the light. These new dragons rely on the same glitter effects from our Oblit-O-Tron and Black Death dice that have been well received with our customers. The glitter is incredibly fine and creates a lustrous shimmer.
• Larger Size Like all the dice we produce, these dice are larger and stand out on your game table. They tower over lesser dice and are easier to read.
• Draconic Design The thematic design on the maximum face of each die captures the power of the dragons!
• Choices Once funded, you will have the choice of any of the two base colors! As we unlock additional dragons, this will only add to the available options.
• Dragon Hoard Along the way through the project we will be unlocking several bonus stretch goals. If you select one of the Dragon Hoard reward levels, you can expect to receive one of each of these with your rewards shipment!
• Project Exclusives We have several items exclusive to this project. They are unique and fun and, of course, dragon themed!
• Dragons Awesome in their own right. Death from above!!

You can get a set and a pin for 14 bucks. I'm in for 70, as I want the 6 1/2" die.

Kickstarter - GoDice | Incredibly Smart Connected Dice For Any Game!

Elevate game night and RPG to a whole new level - Play online and offline with friends & family.

GoDice is fucking cool!

Godice is fucking expensive!

GoDice is the “Kindle” of board games - A slick, compact and cool (physical) connected dice set, with TONS of quality content for everyone: family games, bar games, educational games, fun games, and so much more. 

The data from the GoDice syncs immediately to the app. Make your moves , tap your decisions, and watch the score rise in real time. Papers, score sheets and writing are replaced with a cool digital experience! Complex RPG calculations (multiple dice and battles) are done instantly and automatically -  So you can enjoy the fun, luck, and strategic elements of the games. 

GoDice transforms screens into a fun and social "board" game!  It turns screen time into quality time.  Play with your friends online, or round up a group of friends and family to get started (when screens are involved, the younger generation will gladly join the party). GoDice brings people to play TOGETHER. 

I don't need it, but my God I certainly do want it!

The D&D dice package is 99 bucks.

Watch the video. See the potential.