Dice! Thousands of them!

Introduction

Hello.  My name is Hugh and I'm a dice collector.  It started when I was a child; about the same time that I began to play wargames.  Now I have more than I'll ever need...

Let's leave out dice games, at least from this article.  Yes, I have a fair number of these, from straightforward sets of poker dice to a modest collection of collectable dragon dice (and much else in between).  However, for now I'd like to talk about general-purpose dice.

The "Ready Box"

This is my "ready box".  It contains all the dice I need for the various miniatures games I play, either at home or at my local games club.  Of course, it's about 5 times bigger than it needs to be and contains a certain number of fancy dice that never get used in "anger".  These do have a purpose, though: if the box is left uncapped at the edge of the table then it tends to attract interest from some of the younger club members.  Once they've come over to have a look, they'll often stay for a while to observe whichever game I'm hosting.  And who knows, they might then decide that it looks like fun and want to join in, if they can get over their bafflement at the lack of Space Marines.  This isn't quite as partisan as it might sound; my official title at the Helensburgh club is "Gamesmaster" and it's my job to involve the shy, the newcomers and the undecided.

Contents of the Ready Box

So, how many of the dice in the box do I really use?  It depends on the game, of course, but roughly speaking, this many:

• Multiple small d6s in 2 different colours are useful in ATZ (especially for melee), for Full Thrust and for the Rules with No Name.  From memory, most other games I play typically use only 1 or 2d6 at a time.
• Direction dice are very useful in ATZ when spawning new zombies.  I measure 12" from the spawn point in the direction indicated and place the new figure there.  To save time, if the indicated location is impossible (off the table or in the middle of impassable terrain, for example) then I just select the diametrically opposite direction instead of re-rolling the dice.
• Percentile dice are something I use only occasionally; a few rule sets need them.  Tooth and Claw springs to mind.

The Home Collection

Most of my dice don't travel much.  Instead they are kept in dark boxes at home, only to be brought out on rare occasions when I feel the need to gloat.  They're all mine, preciousss.  Oh, yes...mine!

However, today I'm feeling generous and I'll let you have a look.  Here's a sampler:

Dice with varying numbers of sides:

 From left to right, top to bottom:

• d3, d4, d5, d6, d7, d8
• d10, d12, d14, d16, d20, d24
• d30, d100

Dice with unusual distributions:

- On the left are some weighted dice.  These are watched carefully when they come out of the packet, so as to make sure they don't get mixed up with any regular dice!
- On the right, from top to bottom:

• Average dice (2,3,3,4,4,5)
• Demon dice (1,1,2,2,3,3)
• Extreme dice (1,1,2,5,6,6)

Dice with unusual shapes:

 Casino dice, bouncy dice, "bone" dice, round dice.

Double Dice:

Translucent dice enclosing another dice with the same number of faces: 2d10, 2d12, 2d6.

Decision dice:

Where to go, what to drink, how to spend the evening, what to have for dinner.

 Dice with unusual faces:

Artillery dice, weather dice, mood dice, direction dice, blank dice.

Dice made of unusual materials:

Wood, rubber, stainless steel, pottery.  The rubber dice lights up when it is thrown.  The steel dice would probably kill someone if thrown hard enough (it's very heavy).  The pottery dice might break if thrown; I've never dared!

Barrel dice:

Just to show that a dice doesn't have to be a regular polyhedron.  d4, d6, d6, d8, d12, d20, d%.

Big dice

There's a regular 10mm at the bottom of the picture to give the scale.  The digi-die is electronic; you press the button rather than throwing it and the lights show the result.

And finally...

Fluffy dice.  A present from my loving wife, who thinks that I'm bonkers.  They roll really poorly...

So, what's in your collection?  Do you stick to "working" dice for games, or do you have a vanity collection as well?  Do you call a single one "a die" or "a dice"?  It's not a subject I've seen discussed much by gamers, yet it is central to our activities.

Settlement: When Tribes Collide...

Club Tuesday

Tonight at the Helensburgh games club, most of the older members were rejuvenating some of the house terrain, which had become somewhat battered with heavy use.  It was left to me to host a game for the younger members and for any others who didn't wish to paint.  I chose to bring Prehistoric Settlement.

Prehistoric Settlement

Prehistoric Settlement is an empire-building game by Steve Barber Models.  As might be expected from the title, it's set in the stone age, though this probably owes more to Hollywood's vision of those times than to any real paleolithic struggle for existence.  Each side starts with just a handful of cavemen who have to acquire resources (flint and food) as well as defend against perils (mostly other cavemen, but also mammoths, sabre-tooth cats and the like on occasion).  Resources are spent to expand the side's settlement with new and better tents and also to recruit more cavemen.

The Game

The game began with the small tribe who called themselves the Wolf People (grey furs, brown hair) surveying the land before them.  There were trees for shade, a river for water and they could see a few deer grazing close by.  There were even several likely locations where good quality flint might be found.  It seemed like a veritable paradise.  Little did the Wolf People know that on the far side of the volcano, the Bear Clan (brown furs, blond hair) laid claim to the same lands!

The Wolf People decided to start a settlement near the forest and flint mine, south of the volcano.  Initial work went swiftly; a tent was erected and a berry picker was recruited.

To the north of the volcano, the Bear Clan proceeded in much the same way.  They were slightly luckier though; there were more deer close at hand and so the hunting was better.

Tensions rose when the Wolf People chased a deer round the volcano and killed it within sight of the Bear Clan's chieftain!

A hastily-thrown spear injured the interloper's chief, but although there was much posturing, nothing else happened - for a while.

The Wolf People stood and waited.  Their chieftain had a plan: his builder would come forward and construct a tent nearby, well inside Bear Clan territory.  The tribe could then recruit more warriors just where they were needed!

However, the defenders sensed something of the threat.  They started to move to surround the grey-clad foreigners, whilst also bringing up some reinforcements.

Then, disaster struck the Wolf People.  Who knows which god or gods they had offended, but for 2 turns running they suffered a calamity!  Firstly, immediately after their builder completed the nearby tent storms and high winds caused them to miss a turn.  Then on the turn following that, a cyclone struck!  Most of the force was felt back in their homelands, where their only berry picker was lost.  This, along with the expense of constructing the second tent, left the Wolf People very low on food.

In desperation, the Wolf People's chief and his attendants charged the Bear Clan's isolated chieftain.  Although they did manage to wound him, the attacking leader took a second wound in return.

The Bear Clan weren't going to stand by idly, so their tribesmen rushed in to assist their leader.  Even as the Wolf People's new tent started to produce warriors, both chieftains killed each other in the ensuing melee!

Conclusion

The Wolf People, impoverished by the construction of their second tent and the recruitment of a spearman from it, couldn't afford the 100 food needed to elect a new chief.  The Bear Clan were rich enough, so they buried their fallen leader with honours and then appointed a clubman as his successor, while their dispirited enemies were broken and scattered.  The tribe of the Wolf People was no more!