Polyhedral dice are the sacred cow of the RPG universe.
Although I remain a huge fan of Kickstarter and all the fun ideas which emerge
from it I have my limits. Between dice rolling apps, jewelry and digital
bracers I felt compelled to write this. Although all the former are interesting
nothing will ever replace gaming dice. There is no substitute for the clack they
make when striking the table!
As a young boy I will never forget my first set of dice from
the D&D boxed sets. Some were baby blue, puke green, bright orange or yellow.
I had to fill in the numbers with a crayon and it was so much fun. The idea
that the dice were shaped like semi-precious or rare gemstones was mysterious
and cool. Soon I would find my way to the hobby shop to be awed by the endless
sea of colors and choices. And just as some small children collected marbles my
dice collection started.
I remember very fondly one summer when the D100 (Zocchihedron) was
released. Our little gaming club raced to the hobby shop just so we could all
claim one for our collections. Dice have been used in gaming for thousands of
years and really are a timeless tool. There is just something about the
randomness and tactical nature of holding and casting the dice.
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| Artifacts of the 80s |
The polyhedral sets are so unique to the RPG experience I
just cannot imagine not using them. My young son already has a small collection
which I have used to sharpen his math skills. I see the excitement in his eyes
I once had when we visit the hobby shop together. That curiosity and wonderment
is something you will never capture with an app on your IPAD.
