Dice manufacturer Louis Zocchi passes away

Dice manufacturer Louis Zocchi passed away on April 15th at the age of 91.

If you've ever rolled dice with more than six sides, Zocchi is most likely connected to you having that experience. He and his company Gamescience were the first in the United States to manufacture polyhedral dice. He is also the inventor of the 100-sided "Zocchihedron."

Zocchi was well known on the convention circuit for his sales pitch, in which he described the dice manufacturing process--and highlighted the flaws in the dice made by his competitors.

In addition to dice, Zocchi worked on many games and magazines, including a number of wargames including Star Fleet Battles and The Battle of Britain. He was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming's Hall of Fame in 1987 and was presented with the E. Gary Gygax Lifetime Achievement Award at Gary Con in 2022.

 

[RealAlHazred]

Jolly Blackburn confirmed it on Facebook. My wife is a latecomer to RPGs, and I'm sad she won't have the opportunity talk to him at GenCon. He always had time to talk to passersby!

 

[Alzrius]

If it's true, that's a real shame. I got his autograph on his Lost Worlds book several years ago at Gen Con before a seminar he gave, and I still treasure it to this day.

 

[Retreater]

I've seen it reported by several outlets now.
I had the interaction of helping him set up his GenCon booth once. He had no help, just carting a wagon down the sidewalk one summer in Indianapolis. He got me in the vendors entrance. I helped him put out his wares. He told me about the dice manufacturing process and some gaming history. A nice way to spend an hour of my pre-con time.
Truly a nice man from my interactions with him.

 

[Celebrim]

I've seen a few reports that Louis Zocchi passed away on April 16th. I have not yet verified if this is true or not, as I have seen surprisingly little mention of it among the ttrpg community.

If you've ever rolled dice with more than six sides, his life is most likely connected to you having that experience.

He was the first person in the United States to manufacture polyhedral dice. He is also the inventor of the 100-sided "Zocchihedron."

He was a very good and kind man, as well as a pivotal figure in the industry, and I regret not getting to interact with him more.

 

[Retreater]

A very informative video interview with him. Just like being there.
You'll be missed, sir.

 

[Jahydin]

I wonder how many like me were introduced to him thanks to DCC needing funny dice...

Anyway, terrible news. Liked watching his energetic dice videos on YouTube. I have three full sets of his dice myself. Thought they felt great, but tired of constantly marking the numbers for visibility.

 

[Koloth]

I got the privilege of attending one of his 'Dice' panels at Dragoncon several years back. Lots of information in a short time. It was surprising how many ways dice can be off without looking like they are off. A giant font of dice knowledge has passed into the next realm. You will be missed in this realm.

 

[aramis erak]

I catalogue ordered from Gamescience several times. Always a good experience.

 

[Flying Toaster]

He is also the inventor of the 100-sided "Zocchihedron."

In the late 80s I had one of those, in lime green. It looked a bit like a golf ball and rolled like one too, taking some time to come to a full stop. Maybe someday I will find it in a box somewhere.

There are so many new polyhedral dice companies now, no doubt trying to take advantage of the TTRPG renaissance. Many of them do the design work in Western countries and then have the manufacturing done in China, where so many other toys and consumer goods are made. I wonder if they have improved their methods for plastic molding since Zocchi criticized the accuracy of competing dice.

Come to think of it, back in the 80s I remember dice accuracy being a topic of some discussion. Dragon magazine used to print letters, editorials, and whole articles about how to test your dice for accuracy and catch potential cheaters at the RPG table. I remember a number of advertisements touting lines of dice with claims of superior quality and accuracy. I do not seem to see quite so much interest in the topic today.