Proud to be a Dice Goblin
The Dice Hoards of Dragons and Goblins
It is no secret that I am a dice goblin. I hoard dice like the precious click clack math rocks that they are. Sometimes it confuses people on why someone would collect such strange little things. True, you can indeed play D&D, Pathfinder and Call of Cthulhu with one set of rpg dice sets but there are numerous reasons people may collect more than one. Dice come in all different colors, materials, sizes and can be mass produced or are a handcrafted art piece. Dice also come in a variety of prices and rarity.
As I talk about Dm Bork and my dice hoards please keep in mind that these hoards have been growing over many years and were only purchased when we had the means. Many were purchased via sales and some were gifts. This article is talking about why I personally love having lots of dice and the opinions here are my own. Please do not feel that your gaming experience needs to have lots of dice or that your hoard of dice needs to be judged. As long as you are happy that is all that matters.
On that note here are the reasons that I absolutely love being a Dice Goblin and all of the dice accessories that I keep on hand for my gaming experiences.
The Click Clack Math Rocks of the Goblin Fox
I am a dice goblin in the definition of I definitely have quantity over quality. I would say out of the many dice sets I own only 3 or 4 of them I would consider super nice/expensive. One of those is my coveted fox dice that one of my players got custom done for me where there is a fox face for the highest number on all dice but the d4, that one has a fox tail. I love the variety of styles, colors, sizes and just random pieces that I own. Granted there are also two sets of dice that are for display only.
DM Bork's Dice
I am also the cause of DM Bork having a sizable dice hoard. I would say he is more of a dice dragon than a dice goblin. Many of his sets are placed aside to be used with only a specific character (both currently in play and future characters). There are a lot of specialty dice that he has as well, including opalite dice from Norse Foundry and some nice metal sets from Die Hard Dice. There is also a lot of Halloween themed dice that were purchased for DM Bork’s birthday.
Types of Dice
Many of the plastic sets that you can find at gaming stores are made of plastic resin or acrylics. The plastics are usually on the cheaper side of the spectrum where metals and gemstones are on the more expensive side.
There are lots of materials that can be used to make dice. One reason that I like to have more than one dice set is so I can have a variety of different materials to choose from. I have some dice that I only pull out on special occasions because they are made from special materials other than plastics. Dice can be made from aluminum, gemstones, glass, rocks, stainless steel and other metals, and from rare woods.
Gem Stone Dice
The set of gemstone dice that I have was purchased from Norse Foundry. Gem stone dice are a pricier option of dice depending on the stone or gem that it is cut from. This set of mine is synthetic cats eye. Dm Bork has a set made of Opalite. I find that gemstone dice are more fragile and I tend to only roll them on soft / plush surfaces. I also avoid using them in my dice tower. I have these more as a show piece and use them to roll only on special occasions.
Metal Dice
I personally own two copper sets, one from Die Hard Dice and one from Norse Foundry. DM Bork owns two Die Hard dice and one metal Foam Brain dice set. Metal dice make the nice thumping sounds across the surfaces. Please note they are heavy and have sharp enough edges to cause damage. The set featured above is what caused a lot of the marring of my wood dice tray.
Opalite on left is DM Bork's next to my blue synthetic cats eye.
Top two sets are DM Bork's from Die Hard dice, the bottom is mine.
Glow in the Dark
Another reason to want dice is for the features. Some dice have liquid cores, some have glitter or totems inside. I personally enjoy the glow in the dark dice. Granted, it is super impractical, and the times I roll the dice I do need the lights on. I personally enjoy taking the time to make them glow and doing a few spooky rolls to make my dice goblin heart happy. The best way of getting them to light up for a longer period of time is using a UV flash light on them.
Kraken Plague Dice with our Plague Doctor and my IcyFieldDice
A selection of DM bork's IvyField Glow in the Dark dice sets.
Dice Sizes
Dice now come in a variety of sizes depending on brand, type and if the maker purposefully made them extra small or large. From my biggest 55mm to the smallest of 10mm each size has a different amount of click clacks that it makes as they roll. DM Bork and I have 5 different sized dice between us and it makes a collection of uniqueness.
The Chonkiest of Dice
The two dice sets shown here are Titan Dice by Wiz Dice. The one in the plastic is called Stardust and the one in the box is Nyx. Both sets measure in at 25mm sets. They are quite amusing to roll, though they do not fit through our dice tower, making a satisfying thunk on the table.
The Tiniest of Rollers
These Alchemical Elements mini polyhedral sets were purchased from Dice Depot and measure in at 10 mm. Originally I bought the two eye racks from Target because a fellow dice goblin said that they fit standard sized dice... when I found out they didn't I then had to buy dice sets that would fit. Now DM Bork has 8 different mini sets, and one day I hope to keep filling them with different color small sets so they are filled with tiny dice. They are used mostly for display as due to their size they get easily lost when dropped.
The Wiz Dice Titan set next to a regular chessex set of dice. Please note the red set is used for reference in both the big and little dice picture.
The tiny Hydra Claws set next to the regular chessex set of dice. Please note the red set is used for reference in both the big and little dice picture.
Weight of the Dice
Different weights are another reason that you may want more than one set of dice. My table has told me that I am not allowed to use my Chessex heavy lab dice set because it rolls so well and randomly. Metal dice also are much heavier of the materials that can be used to make dice. Most of my plastic d 20's weight between .14-.32 ounces.
Heavy Dice
Chessex now makes some of their Lab Dice come in what they brand as "Heavy"
Metal Dice
Metal dice definitely have a bigger weight than regular poly dice.
Materials and Weights
Heavy Chessex d20
Copper d20 from Norse Foundry
Regular Sized Kraken d20
Other Reasons to Have a Dice Collection
Having a specific set or two used only for a specific character. This could be to show the color pallet/personality of that character or because the dice only roll well for that character.
Having enough sets or enough dice of a specific number to roll high damage. Higher level characters usually need more damage dice for spells and attacks so it is nice to have your own rather than need to borrow from other players at the table.
Lots of dice make nice sounds in dice bags and when rolling down dice towers
When a dice rolls poorly it is nice to have another set to switch to
You have extra dice to lend to the party members who did not bring their own dice.
Accessories
Dice Trays
Some dice such as metal, gem and those with sharp edges can cause damage to furniture. We like to see enemies take damage, but not necessarily at the cost of your gaming table. Dice trays can also be a good way to make sure your rolls stay on the table instead of rolling off of the edge. Dice trays can also be a way to store dice not in use or to keep pets from getting to them (as easily). I have both wood and velveteen dice trays at my table. The wood tray I use for my poly dice whereas the velveteen one is used for my metal and gemstone as well. Wood trays can still get “battle scars” from metal dice and can be too hard of a surface for some glass/gem dice. Another benefit of our Die Hard Dice trays is the snaps allow easy storage as it can lay flat in my bag.
Soft to the Touch
Both DM Wolfsfox and Bork have veleveteen dice trays from Die Hard Dice.
Wooden Goodies
Mine and DM Bork's wooden Dice Trays. Both are made by MataMakesStuff.
Dice Towers
I love my dice tower created by MataMakesStuff. Dice towers can be made of different materials, shapes and sizes. All dice towers have various platforms inside that the dice that go through bounce off of. The idea is that dice towers can help prevent cheating from dropping or sliding dice by players for desired numbers. A dice tower ensures that the number that emerges from the bottom is random and fair. My goblin heart also loves the sound it makes as dice fall through it.
Dice Bags
Lots of Baggage
DM Wolfsfox and DM Bork both have numerous bags to hold dice. The leather bag is from Boars Head Leather and I use it to hold my DM specific dice from Game Science and dice that show direction, which body part got hit, etc. We also both have smaller bags (such as my Norse Foundry bag) that holds one specific set of important dice. Each also has a larger bag that we use to hold lots of our favorite dice in which we both sort in our separate ways.
Immense Dice Bag
Dm Bork has a Card King Pro Immense Dice Bag which he uses to separate all of his dice by type of die. What we like is that when it is open it is freestanding and you can easily get into the 7 compartments. Each of the compartments DM Bork has dedicated to be for a specific type of pip and it lets him easily find the correct amount of damage dice he needs for which ever character he is playing at the time.
Inside the Foxy Bag
I really love my alicorn fox bag from Red King that I picked up from our local gaming store. The embroidery is well made and measures 4"x4"x6 " of soft faux suede material. This dice bag in particular fits 25 sets of my dice. I am more of a chaotic dice goblin and like putting my favorite set of math rocks together. I personally prefer to keep sets together rather than separate by die type like DM Bork.
Storage Containers
Plastic Storage Units
The sets that I am not actively using I like to keep stored within these plastic containers that
Mason Jars
I have a couple of mason jars in which I put specific sets of dice that are based on a specific game. This particular mason jar has all of my Call of Cthulhu specific dice.
UV Shifting
Introduced to this concept by Kraken dice, there are now dice sets that will change their colors due to UV exposure. I have yet to get them to shift from sun UV. We have a UV flash light which changes the colors temporarily. The color shift does not last for very long and I see them more as a party trick rather than a great long lasting /session lasting color change. Does it amuse me: very much so. Does it do anything particularly for the game, not at all.