Guest Author - Lloyd Brown III

Dice are a staple of role-playing games. In fact, they often become an obsession of their own. As a game store owner, I�ve met gamers with dice measured in the thousands, dice measured by the pound, and dice collectors who spend hours talking about their collections.

Well, maybe that last one isn�t so fascinating.

If you have a fondness for dice, you might be interested in learning a little bit about what�s available for you to choose from. If you don�t have a fondness for dice, it�s probably because you haven�t seen a set of dice sell for $650. While the basic 7-die set (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20) in opaque technically does all you need it to, that�s like wearing plain white homespun out to a party. You could but who does?

The best place to find these dice is at your friendly local game store. If you buy your game products at Barnes & Noble or Books-a-Million, if they have any dice at all, they won�t have a selection. Games stores often pride themselves on how many types of dice they carry, and an old, well-established store will have stacks of them.

Chessex offers dice by the pound to through game distribution, so if your game store doesn�t carry them that way, ask about it. The �pound o� dice� is not hand-picked, though�it�s a random scoop made partially of leftovers or discontinued sets. Plain vanilla individual dice usually start at about $.60 and go up to $1.25 each. Some of the rare pieces, like the d100, usually sell for prices up to about $7-8 each. Exceptional, one-of-a-kind dice can cost up to $100 for a single d20. I suggest breaking your purchases up every time you go to the game store. Buy the book you came for, and pick up a set of the latest Chessex pretties at the same time.

Chessex

Chessex is famous for their visually striking colors, usually with a swirl or pattern. My favorites are their Vortex, Nebula and Borealis lines. They also make unusual dice with different numbers of sides. Chessex makes the very cool d3s�d6s numbered 1-3 twice, which is perfect for that person in your group who�s not so quick with math. The Raw dice are untumbled�that is, their edges have not been smoothed off like the other dice you used. Stepping on a raw d4 could do some serious damage to your foot.

Crystal Caste

Crystal Caste makes both good-looking �normal� dice in patterns like Pearl and Speckled, but they also make some very high-end exotic dice, like their Dwarven Stones line. The Dwarven Stones are semi-precious stones like Turquoise or Lapis Lazuli. They�ve made silver and gold dice and dice out of unique meteoric iron, mammoth ivory and even real dinosaur bones.

Their namesake pattern is the unusual crystal-shaped dice.

Koplow

Koplow makes the usual sets of dice and also makes rock/paper/scissor dice, letter dice, month dice, pipped d10s and d12s, averaging dice, compass dice, bone dice (unfortunately made of plastic, not bone), loaded dice, round dice�the list just never seems to end.

Q-Workshop

Q-Workshop�s dice feature very detailed dice for different genres, usually featuring a decorative border and highly intricate designs. They offer Runic, Elvish, Dragon�s, Celtic and other designs.

Oddball dice

You can also buy d5s, d7s, d16s, d30s, d34s, and even a d100. Round with facets, it rolls for a long time. Don�t drop it, because it will break in half. Koplow makes double dice, which are smaller dice inside hollow transparent dice so that you can throw two dice at once. You can get dice made out of rubber, foam, plush, wood, aluminum, pewter, and all kinds of material.

Dice Bags

As important as your dice collection is the container you keep them in. You can keep them in a box. You can keep them in a Ziploc � bag. Many stores carry felt bags in two sizes, neither of which is sufficient for a real gamer. Leather or suede bags are better�they show that you care about your dice, and your dice almost certainly care for you.

Crystal Caste makes a bag with a skull face and a treasure chest�two good options. At my store, I carried dice bags made out of kangaroo scrotum. Gamers either loved them or refused to touch them.

Tradition demands, however, that the most tasteful gamers carry their dice in a Crown Royal bag. If you attend GenCon, the 25,000+ gamer convention in Indianapolis, you�ll probably see the largest collection of Crown Royal bags outside of the factory. I don�t even drink, and I use one.

Chessex www.chessex.com
Crystal Caste www.crystalcaste.com
Koplow Games www.koplowgames.com
Q-Workshop www.q-workshop.com