What makes a good set of Dice?

[Archemedees]

Hey everyone, my first post on the forum, im not even sure if I should post this here, (if not could a mod please move it to the correct spot and my apologies ) Ive been delving a little into the world of D&D after a friend of mine invited me out to a sesion with his group. I noticed that the majority of them had cheaper plastic dice that tended to roll around alot, too much IMO. Ive been looking into prehaps design and making my own dice so I wanted to get some infor from expierenced players. Heres a couple questions

1. What Dice make up a good set I was tol I'd need one of each die (it is die for singular right?) going form d4 to d20 and perhaps 2 d20s and a second d10 with percentages?

2. Is dice quality something that would matter at all? As in if you could buy a little more expensive dice that were of much much higher quality would you?

3. I've been told the sharper and cleaner the edges of a die the better. Is this actually true for most people?

4. If precision machined high grade metal dice were available in the market is it something you'd be interested in? Or would it even matter?

Any info from anyone would be awesome!

 

[Morrus]

I'll slip it into the General Tabletop section, since dice are a pretty universal thing for RPGs!

Also, you've clearly pasted this from somewhere - it's in an odd font and in black. Those of us using the black skin won't be able to read it! If you select your text, you can remove the formatting using the little AxA button in the top left of the editor. Ive attached a little informational graphic to help you find it!

 

[Archemedees]

Thnakyou for the tip, and yes I did I originally posted on the West Coast Wizards site but its not very active so I wanted to post here

 

[delericho]

First, and most importantly, they need to be random. If not, they're useless, regardless of other considerations.

Secondly, they need to be easy to read, and if need be for the DM to read from across the table.

Thirdly, it is desirable if they're all different colours. In my last campaign we had a player who insisted on using a matched set of dice throughout and yet was somehow completely incapable of differentiating the d12 from the d20. Eventually, I got fed up encouraging him to change his dice, and just let him miss a lot.

In the specific case of metal dice - I would probably never buy them. My only experience with metal dice comes from one player in our group. His dice are lovely - truly, a work of art. He's also banned from using them, because of the damage that they do the tables when they're rolled.

1. What Dice make up a good set I was tol I'd need one of each die (it is die for singular right?) going form d4 to d20 and perhaps 2 d20s and a second d10 with percentages?

For a 'set', you really need: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. Optionally, a d10 with the 'tens' digits can be added, and is certainly worthwhile.

 

[Archemedees]

Thanks for the feedback, some people really cant tell the difference between a d12 and a d20?! Oh and for randomness Im thinking ill make the numbers on each side machined at different depths so that the center of mass is nearly perfect which means of course near perfectly random rolls. As for the table I can totally understand that bit i guess these may not be for everyone.

 

[darjr]

Consider it an opportunity to also sell dice trays.

 

[Morrus]

I have to be honest, I'm no dice junkie; but many people do collect 'em. For me, I just have one requirement: they have to be easy to read. Plastic, metal, makes no difference to me!

 

[Archemedees]

darjr - Good point now the question is what do people like in a dice tray.... lol

Morrus - Easy to read is definitely gonna happen

 

[Umbran]

2. Is dice quality something that would matter at all? As in if you could buy a little more expensive dice that were of much much higher quality would you?

Dice have to meet a specific minimum quality before I buy them, yes. But above that, being "extra quality" doesn't really mean much.

3. I've been told the sharper and cleaner the edges of a die the better. Is this actually true for most people?

In a technical sense, for *plastic* dice, a sharp, clean edge usually indicates a die that is probably more random. Pretty much all plastic dice start with a sharp edge, and are then polished down to rounded edges, in something like a rock-tumbler. That polishing process can introduce bias into the dice.

Mind you, if you really do the proper analysis, you'll probably find that your rounded-edge dice are random enough for game purposes. The differences are usually only relevant for places like casinos, for whom small changes in odds stack up in aggregate.

4. If precision machined high grade metal dice were available in the market is it something you'd be interested in? Or would it even matter?

Metal dice are heavy. Sharp, clean edges of a heavy die will generally mar wooden or plastic surfaces - not so great for gamers. Plus, the process of rounding corners on a metal die is likely different from the process for plastic, and wouldn't bias the die much.

Metal dice are typically far, far more expensive than their plastic counterparts, for no notable (to me) difference in quality other than aesthetics. I have a set of metal dice I use for one game, but that's because I was given them as an anniversary gift by my wife (7 years is the "copper" anniversary, so I have coppery dice). She gave them because it was cool to link our shared hobby to our life together, not because the metal dice actually work better.

 

[Ratskinner]

1. What Dice make up a good set I was tol I'd need one of each die (it is die for singular right?) going form d4 to d20 and perhaps 2 d20s and a second d10 with percentages?

I think that's the basic set one of each basic size with the 10's die.

2. Is dice quality something that would matter at all? As in if you could buy a little more expensive dice that were of much much higher quality would you?

err...define "quality"....I generally go by looks, although "precision" in the manner of the Games Science would be awesome.

3. I've been told the sharper and cleaner the edges of a die the better. Is this actually true for most people?

As I understand it, it affects how "true" the dice roll. If dice were available that were both pretty and "true" that would be truly awesome.

4. If precision machined high grade metal dice were available in the market is it something you'd be interested in? Or would it even matter?

I generally find metal dice are a little too heavy for my tastes. I've seen them damage minis & tabletops, and they tend to stop rolling a little too quickly for my tastes... or at least they seem to. There's a guy in my group who uses them.


EDIT: Also, CLARITY. I can't stand dice that I can't read, regardless of how pretty they are.