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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Luda" data-source="post: 7413338" data-attributes="member: 6951016">Sorry about my late reply Kevin. I typed one up a couple of days ago and then got a forbidden gateway error and it was all lost. So, trying to recreate it.Firstly thanks for the reply and thanks for the info. I think I must have been a little unclear so I'll try and clarify and I will almost certainly recreate parts of my earlier post as well as adding some new stuff. You are the expert here so excuse me if it seems like I'm trying to teach you stuff you already know.When you mention that Mayfair used to repack dice that makes sense since the fancier gemstones packages you own show what look like gamescience dice.The dice set I had:* standard six RPG dice (4,6,8,10,12,20)* rounded edges* came in a fold out package that looks a lot like fancier one you have in your superb collection* one part of box was substantially black (I don't recall seeing the red like you have on your site)* the rest of the front had images on it like treasure* a central clear bubble which held the dice* inside there was a printed sheet with rules for a game using all six dice (because if it hadn't used all six then knowing me as I do, I would be wondering why it hadn't used all six).* the advertising or box said something about "world's first transparent polyhedral dice"* came out well before 1987; was 1984 or 1985 I think.The simpler blister packages you own: * apart from the dice colours they contain, they are identical to those photographed on Boardgamegeek.* BGG gives the year GEMSTONES game came out as 1987. I assume this is because the back of the packet has a large "copyright 1987" at the top.* This is late 80s, not early 80s, and d10 were widely established.* They DO contain a d10.* They do NOT contain a d6.* The fancier packages on your site contain the same five dice as the blister packets.* The fancier packages match all the features I remember mine having. I was stunned when I saw the black section because I had been trying to visualise how there was treasure and clear bubble and big bit of black, and was starting to think myself out fo their being black at all.I need to reiterate that the set I had was all six dice and was on the market for several years BEFORE the blister pack photographed on BGG. I wouldn't be surprised if they eliminated the d6 from later versions because having only the other shapes makes the package exotic and more marketable, especially to parents who didn't play RPGs but saw stuff like their kids played with and thought it would make a cheap gift.Decahedronal d10 have been around widely since at least 1981 because they were included in Moldvay Basic D&D. This is interesting because I'm told early Mentzer Basic D&D came out in 1983 with only five dice. I think it was around 1984 that the d10 was added into the Mentzer set.In 1983 TSR released Star Frontiers which included two standard d10s in the box sets, though these are quite dissimilar in design to the d10 in the D&D set despite being packaged by the same publisher. FASA's Star Trek RPG Second Edition came with two d10s as well and was also released in 1983. (First Edition game with the icosahedral d10s.) Mine look like Gamescience d10s.Unfortunately, Mayfair ceased operations earlier this year so there's probably no one to talk to there. I can try writing to Asmodee, who bought all their assets, but who knows if anyone from Mayfair has been kept on, let alone someone who remembers a dice set from at least 32 years ago.I did see some advertisements on your site and I'm thinking in absence of anything else, looking through some old magazines might be worth doing. The world's first transparent polyhedral dice, or whatever the phrase was, certainly seems like something they'd want to boast about and so would splah a little advertising money on.Again, thanks for the reply. It has given me a few things to think about.</blockquote>

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