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.

LARPing in Las Vegas

Perhaps one of the most intriguing things I've come across after waking from my decades-long RPG hiatus is the onset and popularity of 'LARP-ing'. LARP stands for Live Action Role Playing, where you get to dress up as your chosen fantasy character and participate in different games, meetings and events. It sounds simple enough, but creating the costumes, gear, and paraphernalia that make LARPing so fun and attractive to watch involves more than rummaging through your closet and finding makeshift items to call yourself a pirate. Avid LARPers bring with them a myriad of creativity, craftsmanship and artistry into the outfits and games they create. I was fortunate to have come across one such group that meet every Sunday on Sunset Park (corner of Sunset and Eastern Ave.), the Las Vegas Amtgard Terra de Votum (https://www.facebook.com/groups/TerraDeVotum/).

A little bit after lunch, things started to get interesting. Like traveling adventurers coming to rest under a common shady area by the side of a well travelled road they came. Warriors, monks, bards, healers and other colorfully outfitted characters trekked there, eager to partake in their weekly camaraderie. Even children were drawn to the activities to come and were quick learners on the battlefield. Events ranged from duels, to group battles to home-brew challenges. Getting hit on a limb, you lose use of that limb. Lose two limbs, you're dead. Get hit on the torso, you're dead. Same rule applies for the foam-headed arrows. There was also the use of magic, that came in the form of what looked like thin socks with foam balls in them (to create that trailing effect). The caster would declare the spell when thrown, and if target gets hit the spell takes effect. A hold spell will immobilize for 30 seconds, the "hit limb-torso" rule seems to generally apply to damaging spell attacks such as fireball or magic missile. The system relies heavily on the honesty system. If you're not true to the rules, then what's the point in role-playing right?

Apparently the world of LARPing runs much longer and deeper than I had previously thought. One of the members shared with me that she had been involved with various communities as early as the early 80's. That's about the same time I was in my RPG prime. Moreover, the organization and structure of LARP communities is outstanding. Ok, here's how it goes. For them the entire LARP "world" is referred to as Amtgard. Within this world there are kingdoms and Las Vegas belongs to the 'Kingdom of the Desert Winds'. The kingdoms are of course broken down into its provinces, and this particular group is the Duchy of Terra De Votum. Thus, Las Vegas: Amtgard Terra De Votum. There may be other "worlds" out there, but this group is in this one.

Interesting Links:
Amtgard
Kingdom of the Desert Winds
Las Vegas: Amtgard Terra De Votum

"Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more!" - Macbeth

     What better way for me to start my journey than with a quote from my favorite Shakespeare play, Macbeth! "Methought I heard a voice cry - Sleep No More!"...and so my re-awakening had begun.

Shall We Play? The Games Store

     Actually, it was easy enough waking up. What I found difficult jumping back into the RPG scene was the unfamiliar landscape of which I awakened to. So I scoured the usual comic book stores and did  'Google' searches for websites of anything RPG in the Las Vegas valley. I was not disappointed. RPG is alive and well in my beautifully growing city. So diverse were the choices that it presented me with its own difficulty -where to start. I was overwhelmed at the many 'Meet Up' groups that ranged from die hard LARPers (a totally new concept to me), to groups seeking new players, to artists and I even found a club dedicated to RPG cosplaying! Eventually though I found my launch pad, a place not very far from my home. A gaming shop located in a quaint little commercial center in the northwest part of the valley called Shall We Play? The Games Store. Truthfully, I was a little intimidated to walk in knowing how "noob" I've become. So I took a deep breath and simply followed where 'the force' would lead me. After browsing shelf after shelf of games I was seeing for the first time, it ultimately guided me to that of where it all began, Dungeons & Dragons. When I got to the D&D section, what immediately struck me as odd was that I could not find a trace of 'Advanced Dungeons and Dragons'! Was I in an alternate universe where Gary Gygax still owned TSR? What's going on? ...What's that you say? What deep underground cavern did I just crawl out from? Well, I guess that would be my first lesson into this mad fray I now found myself in. I was educated by friendlies that AD&D was rebooted several times over since the late 80's. It had reverted back into its original name 'Dungeons and Dragons' then followed by multiple editions and some controversy. Luckily my first encounter was a happy and very patient man by the name of Derek (please forgive me if I spelled your name, bro.). He ran the store and appreciated my plight. He filled me in on general but important bits of information such as the upheaval of D&D ed. 3.5 advocates when the 4th edition came out. Advocates cried that 3.5's ease to convert to and from the Pathfinder system was substantial. He also filled me in that because of that crisis, the 5th edition came forth. Derek then invited me to return that coming Thursday if I wanted to join a session of D&D. I was like, "W-what! M-me, play?", so I did.

Two dice I had not seen before...six and four sided. 

I was very excited to get back home and tell my kids that we were invited to join a session of D&D. But before leaving, I had to get me some new dice! There were two new shapes I had not seen before. I had to get those. Time fast forwards to next Thursday and there I was again with my two boys. We were greeted by a rather cool group of players who were all to enthused to show us the ropes. There was even a guy who belonged to my generation of RPG ancients, We exchanged a few laughs on memory lane then at approximately 7:00pm the DM arrived and with a wave of his hands we suddenly had characters ready to go. Given that we played non-essential, quick generated minions didn't matter to us. We were in. The long hibernation was officially over and I was once again part of the story-telling collective. So as the storyline progressed and we delved deeper and deeper into the plot I noticed that though some of the rules and aesthetics had changed, many had not, such as the art of storytelling. I disliked sessions that focused too much on the technical. Those I know eventually degraded into pissing contests between the DM and players on who memorized the rule books more. Luckily, my re-entry was not like that. Our DM handled both rather well. One innovation that I rather liked on the player's experience was the concept of making individual cards for character class' spells and skills. It was a list that I could only once get by rummaging through the pages of the Player's Handbook. But one of the players showed me that you could get spells in decks nowadays. That I thought was awesomely convenient.

Another aspect that appeared to be a cool staple, was the use of figurines and dungeon environments. Back in the day, we would just use graphing paper, chess pieces or action figures (I remember Skeletor being used as a frost giant). Hand painted figurines offered an additional creative element of imagination and created a kind of connection with one's character via the effort and time given to paint each piece.
     So time flew and our impromptu session eventually came to an end. It's a good thing it was 'cause my wife was buzzing my phone already. The ogre was slain, but it was a feat attained at great cost to the party.

It was awesome! So with great sighs and congratulatory smiles to each other, we gathered our papers, figurines and paraphernalia's and called it a game.
     Things wrapped up with Derek in the background, content at how the evening had gone. He handed out curious looking tickets with serial numbers on it. Apparently you get these tickets for every time you attend a gaming session. He instructed us to register them on the actual 'Wizard's of the Coast' website to be eligible for promos and stuff. So with feelings of accomplishment my sons and I thanked everyone for welcoming us into the group. We will surely be back to continue our adventures for the next session, in two weeks.

3/13/2018
Mig Roces

My Journey There and Back

Original TSR 'Dungeons and Dragons' basic set 

        One lazy afternoon (some time around 1977), my cousins and I sat around the living room in a beach house our families visited every year during summer. It was an event we all really looked forward to annually since I could remember. I was eight years old around that time and I was enjoying the new found autonomy bestowed by my folks, to come and go as I pleased. So along with my same aged cousins, it was like a dream come true to be away from the watchful and restrictive eyes of our parents. But after an explosive week of seaside adventures and swimming we grew tired of the white sands, the smell of the fresh sea breeze, and calm aquamarine waters as only a tropical Pacific could provide. So there we sat, bored beyond belief, looking like Salvador Dali ornaments. But we had two more weeks to go. Oh gosh. Just when I thought I was going into torpor, there came some excitement. A late arrival to the beach house! It were the owners of the beach house (who incidentally were also my relatives). And with them came Mark, the eldest of my cousin brood and an authority amongst us. He was thirteen after all. Mark had just gotten back from a trip to the US and had tons of stories as always followed such trips. But the fanfare was short lived and things settled back down to the soothing sound of coconut trees swaying in the gentle wind. It seemed that we were all doomed to slowly gravitate back to our original spots, pulled helplessly like UrSkeks to the UrRu (...c'mon, if you haven't watched the Dark Crystal, watch it!) But it appeared Mark had one last surprise in store for us. He walked back from his room and called us to one of the empty tables. He had a green and purple colored box in his hands and I saw for the first time the incredible art on it. I was mesmerized. It seemed I was not the only one to notice the curious box as the rest of my cousins were also closing in. The art depicted a fantastic battle of what appeared to be a spear-wielding warrior along with a glowing handed magician locked in fierce combat with a smooth dragon. Now, I must admit that I was disappointed to see books and paper inside the box instead of a magic doorway that lead to the enchanted world from the Flight of Dragons, but when I saw the weird dice! Whoa! Mind blown! It even came with a crayon...you know, to color the dice. Never mind. Anyway, little did I know at that time that my life would be changed forever by some dice, some paper and sheer imagination. I continued my obsession with role playing games up until the late 80's, expanding my repertoire to include systems such as AD&D, Star Frontiers, Gamma World, Gang Busters, Top Secret, War Hammer and Shadowrun. I think out of all the games I used to play only War Hammer and Shadowrun are still around. So time flew and characters came, died or were forgotten. And finally the onset of adulthood successfully engulfed me, and everything RPG in my life came to a sudden and abrupt halt, like a +3 Arrow of Piercing that had found its mark.  My life that was once filled with so much adventures and imagination was gone. So there I was, quickly becoming a part of the responsible and grown-up realms of the 'Working Dead' but always with a gnawing feeling of deep emptiness. Many a path I took to fill the void in me, but for naught as wherest it came I knew not, until now. Decades past and through a random conversation with my own sons they mentioned an interest in this thing called role playing games, where one could play a character to contribute to the outcome of a story as it unfolded. Where the cold objectiveness of statistics blended ever so gracefully with the fluids of creation as orchestrated by a one, all powerful being - a Dungeon Master. And I said, "Ree- hee- heelee!" (Ace Ventura style). And so now the story has come full circle. Through the wisdom of my own sons, I had found the missing piece that had eluded me for what seemed like eternity. Once again I hear the clarion calls of kingdoms far far away. It is time for me to return to the magic realms. -Yeah, yeah, I know I've been gone for so long that I became disoriented when I saw that my Advanced Dungeons and Dragons had reverted back to its original name (...no 'Advanced' anymore), but was now on it's 5th edition at this time. But regardless. What was lost is now found. And if I must once again begin the journey anew as an acolyte, then so be it. So join me as I face new wonders in the world of role playing games. I am filled with great excitement at the thought that I shall explore even newer things since my awakening from my deep cryogenic sleep (...like LARP-ing. Wow, I've never seen anything like it!).


3/9/2018
Mig Roces