How Do You Roll?

How do you roll?

“The battle was desperate and it all came down to his one moment. The fate of the entire kingdom rested on him. Journe, the once shy and simple peasant boy, who often got himself into mischief, began to feel the immense weight of his burden bear heavily down upon him. He felt the hopelessness in the eyes of those more experienced in his party, as they could only watch in agony at the impossibility of his task. But Journe  was always an impetuous one. He smiled and took a deep breath. He brushed off all his doubts, his hesitation and with one last determined push, let his arrow loose….”

A photograph of the Vettweiss-Froitzheim
Dice Tower. Roman, fourth century AD.
(Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn)

Table-top RPG gamers that play D&D (or similar) are very familiar with the excitement, fear, exhilaration of success or agony of defeat exemplified in the scenario above. “Journe” is a player character whose next move will determine the outcome of the entire adventure. But who determines in this story the outcome of actions? You probably guessed it, its the dice. Our beloved polyhydrons determine in a large part whether Journe was able to save the day with that one desperate arrow or if the entire kingdom is swallowed up into eternal darkness. Every time a die is cast so is fate. Because so much rests on the results many table-top role players have developed their own unique ways to roll. Each one attempting to sway fate in the manner of which they cast. I’m going to demonstrate how I roll a dice and other styles I’ve seen others cast them. 

Have you every used a dice tower? Well prior to writing this article I had no idea what it was. Apparently it is gadget that has been around since the fourth century. It was used by the Romans to roll dice with the intention to maximize dice rotation and minimize cheating. An example of this is the Vettweiss-Froitzheim Dice Tower. Many table-top gamers use dice towers today. 

                                                What about you? Watch: How Do You Roll?

The Polyhydron

     Many things have developed over the years since I last rolled a d20, but I was glad to see that there were things that remained core in the world of table-top RPG gaming. I'm talking about the dice itself. The dice we use is so quintessential to the role playing games we play that it was easy to take it for granted. I found an article recently that touched on the history of these polyhydral fate-bearers that I found interesting to that nature. Here it is:

Koplow Dice: a Forgotten Legend

by Sean Dixon

April 3, 2018

     I'd like to highlight a unique brand of dice I found.

Pictured is a current RPG 10-die set by Koplow Games.

A brand of dice forgotten and neglected, yet nonetheless a brand that played a substantial role in the history of RPG dice. This story is by no means complete and if anyone who has been playing D&D long enough to provide useful information, I would be glad to hear it.

     In the earliest days of tabletop RPG gaming, the D20 system was famously introduced by TSR, as led by Gary Gygax, using mathematical polyhedrons from an educational supplies manufacturer. Because the included dice were of a lightweight and disposable quality (a consistent problem in basic sets until the WoTC era), an aftermarket for RPG polyhedral dice quickly formed, but this portion of the history of our game is particularly hazy as few people ever thought to make note of the rapidly changing market of gaming supplies.

     I will start with my description of such history, not with Koplow, but with mention of Game Science. Formed in 1974, Game Science was the first (to my knowledge) manufacturer of what is now the large and growing boutique polyhedral dice market. Utilizing precision molding with hard edges and higher density polymers, Game Science was the mail order king of long lasting and high quality dice sets. They did not, however, have a corner on the aftermarket.

     Also in 1974, another company was founded not for the production of polyhedral dice but introducing a wide range of game supplies with a focus on dice sold by wholesale to board game manufacturers. This Boston based company was founded Koplow Games. Their familiar dice were of the standard six sided sets offered originally only in ivory white, as seen in Monopoly and other board games.

     The early eighties brought the introduction of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, known now as first edition, and an explosion of popularity that both contributed to and benefitted from the hysteria and speculations about connections between the game and the occult. The advent of this popularity led to the foundation of many of our friendly local game stores and dice manufacture expanded to match it. Game Science still held their position for premium dice, but it was at this time that Koplow expanded into the polyhedral dice market, capturing a large national position by selling polyhedral sets in a simple ivory white with black numbering of an opaque black with white numbering. These were already an improvement due to their being sold pre-inked and with their bargain pricing, they became the standard in polyhedral dice, sold at game stores across the nation.

     This popularity and market did not go unnoticed, however, and in 1987 another competitor emerged on the market. Chessex quickly became popular due to their new offerings, various new colors of dice with interesting ink combinations, providing variety at an affordable price point and sold through the now extensive series of game stores across the country and quickly expanding into the UK. This Kentucky based company quickly began to displace Koplow and by the early nineties with the advent of AD&D's second edition, they became the new national standard.

     Koplow has held on, however, providing an alternative for more affordable prices and has slowly grown their catalogue to include many other colors and designs. They can be seen in small game stores for five or six dollars a set and on small dice websites online. They still maintain a presence at many of the major conventions nationally, but they are unfortunately a shadow of their former fame.