Non standard dice shapes

[Togath]

Something I've been wondering about for a long time; does anyone produce things such as d3s, d5s, d7s, d15s, or d25s?, It seems fairly feasible if you made the dice into rod shapes, with tapered ends to prevent them from landing on their end, instead of on a result., It would also be closer to standard gaming dice shapes then my original idea for how to make oddly numbered dice(just making them rods, but without tapered ends).
edit; darn, nvm, just realized the flaw with my design; while they wouldn't be able to land on their ends, they would have to be numbered like d4s, which are somewhat awkward to read, and I'm pretty sure(not 100% sure), that it's impossible to make a die that would show a result normally without using an even number.

[prufock]

Google search reveals this as top result:
http://www.thediceshoponline.com/spe...pecialist-Dice

As well as this:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/games/d031/

[Togath]

neat, the d3 and d5 look a lot easier to read then i had worried about, and it was funny to see the "d2s"(6 sided die numbered 1-2 thrice, it's still a clever idea to use a d6[or any other even sided die] to get a 1-2 result though)

[Seerow]

Google search reveals this as top result:
http://www.thediceshoponline.com/spe...pecialist-Dice

As well as this:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/games/d031/

Man if that second link was 20 bucks instead of 40, I'd totally buy it right now. I just can't justify spending 4x what I'd normally spend on a set of dice for dice I will probably never use except as novelty.

[The-Mage-King]

I, personally, own two d3s, produced by Crystal Caste.


Yes, they are both from a set of crystal dice. The everything but the d8, d12, and d20 are oddly shaped for the type. The d4's are NOT caltrops, suprisingly.

[prufock]

neat, the d3 and d5 look a lot easier to read then i had worried about, and it was funny to see the "d2s"(6 sided die numbered 1-2 thrice, it's still a clever idea to use a d6[or any other even sided die] to get a 1-2 result though)

Of course, keep in mind that you probably have a handful of d2s in your pocket right now.

[BiblioRook]

Something I've been wondering about for a long time; does anyone produce things such as d3s, d5s, d7s, d15s, or d25s?

Game Science makes a dice set consisting of a d3, a d5 (an actual five sided die), a d14 (with the days of the week printed in tiny font twice over), a d16, and a d24.

Here, found a link
http://www.awesomedice.com/GST9002-9068

[Jay R]

But the collection is not complete until it goes from a d1 to a d120.

[NikitaDarkstar]

But the collection is not complete until it goes from a d1 to a d120.

The d120 is turning my headache into a migraine just by looking at it.

[Jay R]

The d120 is turning my headache into a migraine just by looking at it.

It's just one of the Catalan solids. Here's one without numbers. I once sold a prototype d120 to Lou Zocchi of Gamescience.

[Nepenthe]

But the collection is not complete until it goes from a d1 to a d120.

I have been looking for an excuse to buy that d1 for months. The only use for it I can think of is when a player voluntarily fails a save. And that only happens about once every never.

[Jay R]

By the way, go to shapeways and search for dice. You'll find a large number of unusual ones.

I have been looking for an excuse to buy that d1 for months. The only use for it I can think of is when a player voluntarily fails a save. And that only happens about once every never.

I'm just waiting for room in the budget. I don't need a use for it, beyond, "I would like to own it".

When the d34 first came out, I saw it in the game store, and said, "That's ridiculous. Nobody has a use for a 34-sided die. They just made that to find out if anybody is stupid enough to buy a die that has no use whatsoever.

"Gimme two."

[Magic]

That's a very interesting thread.
I think you should distinguish non-standard shaped dice with a standard number of faces (like the D4 shell or the D6 shell) from dice with a non-standard number of faces (like the D18 or the D11).
The first ones are easy to use with the current games they have just an original shape, the second ones have still to find an usage...
I am trying to have some non-standard number of faces dice mass-produced, so that the price would be reasonable, and I am wondering which one you would like to see... and perhaps for what usage.
So let's say any dice could be feasable from 1 to 25 included (if you search on Shapeways, I am quite sure you'll find nearly all of them), could you please tell me which ones would be your favorite ones?

[Jay R]

So let's say any dice could be feasable from 1 to 25 included (if you search on Shapeways, I am quite sure you'll find nearly all of them), could you please tell me which ones would be your favorite ones?

Good question. I already own a d3, d4, d5, d6, d7, d8, d10, d12, d14, d16, d20, and d24, so I'm left with 1, 2, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, and 25.

Any coin is a d2, and I already know what I'll get when I roll a d1. With a single roll of two currently owned dice, I can generate a 9, 15, 18, 21, or 25. That leaves the 11, 13, 17, 19, 22, and 23.

So the practical answer is the d11, which generates two of those numbers. But what does practicality have to do with the question? I've never actually used the d5, d7, d14, d16, d24, d34, d48, d60, or d120 to generate a number for a game.

I suspect that your best bet to get my money would be to sell the prime numbers as a set -- 11, 13, 17, 19, and 23.

[VariaVespasa]

I only have the standard-sided gaming dice, but if you want non-standard numbers... As a result of some freak misprint in the factory I got a six-sided with a 1, a 4, three 5's and an 8 in my Avalon Hill "Victory In The Pacific" game. I always swore I'd give one of my players a special sword that used it in one of my campaigns sometimes.

[Khedrac]

On I have been looking for for a few years is a dice (D3/D4/D12) on a rhombic dodecahdron.

It's more common in minerals than the traditional pentagonal dodecahedron (D12) to the point where my O level (that dates me - age 16 UK exam stopped in the mid 80s) geology teacher said pentagonal dodecahedron crystals like that did not occur in nature (he was wrong - my brother saw one in a university geology module).

Anyway it's a fun shape, all the faces are equivalent (so no tricks needed to make the dice fair) and has opposite faces (so one will be on top when resting on a flat surface).

The only potential drawback is they actually space fill (like D6s and no other standard die) so could get stuck in boxes more easily.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhombic_dodecahedron

[Magic]

Thank you for your answers. Keep them coming...

@Jay R: yes, prime numbers are a good idea. I am still missing the D23 to obtain your ideal set, but I will think about it...
I am surprised you never used the D24 to decide a particular hour of the day for instance... I wanted to make one numbered 12am, 1am, 2am...11am, 12pm,1pm, 2pm...11pm.

@VariaVespasa: this is in effect a third category of dice: standard shape but non-standard numbering. I can't understand how a misprint could lead to such a strange numbering... I have only seen non-standard numbering for cheating, for nontransitive dice and for a game called Formula D.

@Khedrac: the rhombic dodecahedron has a very interesting shape (similar to the "regular" D30). Check this image taken from Kevin Cook's website. I don't know where to buy them though...

[Jay R]

@Jay R: I am surprised you never used the D24 to decide a particular hour of the day for instance... I wanted to make one numbered 12am, 1am, 2am...11am, 12pm,1pm, 2pm...11pm.

I never needed it. I usually use a d12. Nocturnal monsters attack in the dark; diurnal ones in the light.

@Khedrac: the rhombic dodecahedron has a very interesting shape (similar to the "regular" D30). Check this image taken from Kevin Cook's website. I don't know where to buy them though...

The answer to "I don't don't know where to buy" some strange shape is usually shapeways.com. Here's the shape and here's the die.

[Dimers]

When the d34 first came out, I saw it in the game store, and said, "That's ridiculous. Nobody has a use for a 34-sided die."

Although if they gave us a 43-sided die, someone could use it to randomly determine which Vigilante spell is lost to energy drain ...

[LongVin]

Check our Kevin Cook's thread and website. He is a dice collector. http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50601

[Khedrac]

Standard shape but non-standard numbering...

I have seen a number of 12 sided D4s, usually numbers with I to IV to make them easy to tell apart (as well as less painful to step on).

Mistakes also happen: I also bought a box of 36 transparent orange D6 marked with spots and slightly over a year later discovered that one of them is wrong...
The "2" face is somewhat concave instead of flat, this led to the spot painter depositing extra paint in the middle - exactly the size of a normal spot.
As a result it is numbered: 1, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6. I don't use it, but have kept it as an oddity.

Finally on the other side of non-standard dice I once visited a game store that had a box of loaded D6. They were obviously loaded (designed for shaking in a cup) and they said they had bought 20 loaded to 1 and 20 loaded to 6. Being curious I counted them - they still had 20 loaded to 1 and 1 loaded to 6.

[Magic]

Standard shape but non-standard numbering...

I have seen a number of 12 sided D4s, usually numbers with I to IV to make them easy to tell apart (as well as less painful to step on).

On my side, I think everybody should use a dodecahedral D12 numbered twice for 1 to 6 (with two opposite faces having tha same number) instead of a cube as a D6.
The advanges are numerous:
- a dodechadron rolls better than a cube
- from a face you can reach any other number with the same (small) rotation (with a cube if you are on a 1 you have to do twice a 90° rotation to reach 6 and once this 90° rotation to reach any other number)
- the fact of engraving the numbers does not move the center of mass because two opposite faces have the same number, thus the same engraved shape
- even if you try to load this kind of dice by moving the center of mass, you will give better odds to a number (say 6) but worse odds to the same number (the opposite 6) making it difficult to get predictible results

[Jay R]

On my side, I think everybody should use a dodecahedral D12 numbered twice for 1 to 6 (with two opposite faces having tha same number) instead of a cube as a D6.
The advanges are numerous:
- a dodechadron rolls better than a cube
- from a face you can reach any other number with the same (small) rotation (with a cube if you are on a 1 you have to do twice a 90° rotation to reach 6 and once this 90° rotation to reach any other number)
- the fact of engraving the numbers does not move the center of mass because two opposite faces have the same number, thus the same engraved shape
- even if you try to load this kind of dice by moving the center of mass, you will give better odds to a number (say 6) but worse odds to the same number (the opposite 6) making it difficult to get predictible results

It's an interesting idea, but it's much easier to make a precise cube than a precise dodecahedron, since 90 degree angles are standardized.

[Rorrik]

Yea, I was really surprised when I bought a few packs of dice and one of them had a sneaky d3 in it. It's even got letters Q,R,S on it. Never sure what to use it for, except considered using the letters for logic statements.

[Magic]

It's an interesting idea, but it's much easier to make a precise cube than a precise dodecahedron, since 90 degree angles are standardized.

Yes, I guess you are right. A dodecahedron is a nice but complex shape.

Yea, I was really surprised when I bought a few packs of dice and one of them had a sneaky d3 in it. It's even got letters Q,R,S on it. Never sure what to use it for, except considered using the letters for logic statements.

Are you sure it is not P, R, S ? Rock-paper-scissors?

[Rorrik]

Are you sure it is not P, R, S ? Rock-paper-scissors?

That makes a lot more sense than logic statements. Yes, I believe it is a P now you mention it.

[Magic]

The answer to "I don't don't know where to buy" some strange shape is usually shapeways.com. Here's the shape and here's the die.

Yes, sure you can find anything you want on shapeways (and probably a couple of things you don't want too ). I was speaking about the mass-produced rhombic D12: I have no idea of who is selling it...

So to come back to mass-produced dice, and to sum up, between 2 and 25 faces, currently, you can find all but D9, D11, D13, D15, D17, D18, D19, D21, D22, D23, D25.
In this range, Togath seems interested into D15 and D25.
Jay R into prime ones as a set: D11, D13, D17, D19, and D23.
And out of this range, as far as I know, there is only D30, D50, D34 and D100 that are mass-produced and Dimers would like to see a D43 (I have no idea how do make this one, I confess).

Anything else?

[Nepenthe]

Seconding the prime number set -- mostly for the novelty.

A d13 numbered 2-10, J, Q, K, A might be cool. Or for that matter, a d52 to simulate a full deck of cards.

[Magic]

A d13 numbered 2-10, J, Q, K, A might be cool. Or for that matter, a d52 to simulate a full deck of cards.

Actually someone already asked me for such a D13. So it is available here but as a private model (you can only access it through this link).

D52... Why not...

[Magic]

Hi again

I though you would like to know that two of my "Truncated Sphere" dice (with an unusual number of faces) are about to be mass-produced: the D14 and the D18. These two were among the most popular dice of my collection.
In order to make the injection molds, a KickStarter project was created.
If the funding is successful other dice will follow: the D11 or the D15.
I am very excited about this, and I wanted to share with you!

BTW, this answers the question of the price: I know 3D printing is still expensive. Through this KickStarter project the prices are more than halfed and you got high quality dice.

Let me know what you think!

Cheers,

Magic