Dice Buying Guide - Good Games

Whether you’re playing a board game, war game, or role-playing game, good dice are a must. In this article we’re going to go through the different varieties of dice, covering a range of materials, brands, and budgets. If you’re looking to get some dice but aren’t sure where to begin, don’t worry!

You’ve found just the article.

Before we start, I want to key you in on a piece of common terminology you’ll come across. A shorthand way of communicating the number of sides a die has is to write the letter ‘D’ and then put the number of sides (e.g. a D12 is a 12 sided die, and a D20 is a 20 sided die). 

Types and Styles

The most common dice set you’ll find is a polyhedral set, which is primarily used for table-top role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. Polyhedral dice sets contain 7 different dice; a D20, a D12, a D10, a D8, a D6, a D4, and a percentile die. A percentile die has 10 sides, just like a D10, but rather than having sides numbered 1 to 10, it increases by 10s, from 1 up to 100. When rolled alongside a standard D10, the two read together will give a number out of 100 (e.g. a percentile reading 80 and a D10 reading 2 makes 82). This mechanic is often used to generate percentages in role-playing games and is the primary dice system used in the TTRPG Call of Cthulhu.

The polyhedral dice set is the most common you’ll find, and is usually the primary type offered by dice brands. They can be found in a wide array of materials and styles, which we’ll cover shortly.

You can also buy sets of a single type of die for those games that only use one die; Vampire the Masquerade uses only D10s for example. As these sets are slightly less sought after than polyhedral sets, there tends to be less variety in their designs, but there are still plenty of designs out there to fill up your hoard.

Many games also release bespoke dice sets designed specifically for a single game. Fate, Warhammer, and Root all offer dice with custom symbols and designs created to fit the mechanics and aesthetics of their games. These dice may need to be ordered specifically as many brick-and-mortar stores won’t constantly stock them, but they are well worth it in my opinion. In games like Vampire the Masquerade for example, red dice, unlike the usual black dice, represent hunger, and specific symbols are used instead of numbers to quickly indicate if a roll was successful or not. These custom dice sets can make gameplay much more efficient and make complex systems easier to approach. Good Games stocks several dice for specific games, so if you need to flesh out your game collection - give us a try!

Dice can also be used in collaborations, where certain companies want to create merchandise for invested players. For example, Devolver Digital and Level Up Dice have collaborated to create a custom Cult of the Lamb dice set - check it out here.

I want to also mention here that beyond the standard dice shapes (e.g. cubes, icosahedrons etc.), dice can come in unique and creative forms. D6’s shaped like fireballs, D10s shaped like potion bottles, and intricate and complex geometric sets are abundant. You can also find dice with unusual numbers. D2s, D17s, D50s. There are some absolutely beautiful designs out there and more and more brands are releasing these unique sets every day, so they’re easier to find than ever!

The majority of dice you come across will be plastic. It’s hardy, cheap, and easily customizable. These will be the easiest to get your hands on and there’re plenty of noteworthy sets out there, but there are also lots of other materials to choose from.

Metal dice are probably the second most popular material type. They’re sturdy and feel great to roll. Dice Hoard are particularly good at putting together metal sets, and have some beautiful dice in rotation. I personally love the idea of copper dice; they’ll slowly shift to a beautiful, dappled teal colour as you use them!

Crystal dice are often the most highly prized of a collection. Often being cut from real precious or semi-precious gems, they can be a little on the pricier side but there’s no understating how pretty they are. The most common tend to be quartz and cat's eye variants, both of which refract beautifully with the different cuts of the dice. You can also get ones with mixed crystals. One of my sets is a combination of offcuts from a few different gems with some resin in the mix. This tends to make them extra sturdy, exceptionally unique, and cheaper!

Next up: resin! Dice making has become increasingly popular as a hobby over the past few years, with many bespoke online stores popping up all over the place. Resin tends to create light dice which unfortunately isn’t as satisfying as the weight you get from plastic or metal ones. However, they allow for endless creativity in their designs, which is a worthy exchange in my mind. Resin dice tend to have particularly smooth finishes and are extremely customizable. Artists commonly use mica powder, glitter, or holographic materials to make their dice super sparkly or mystical looking. Plus, you can embed any number of unique items in the dice themselves (I’m a particular fan of dice full of tiny Warhammer skulls). These are a great option if you want dice to match a particular TTRPG character, as many artists are happy to take on commissions. This can be a little pricey though as they tend to take quite a bit of effort to make (it takes a lot of sanding to make dice that shiny), but if you like the look of resin dice, brands like Dice Hoard have started selling resin sets as well and their designs are absolutely gorgeous!

Finally, I want to touch on miscellaneous materials. Generally, if you can carve it, someone can, and probably has, made it into a die. Stone, wood, and bone are all materials I’ve seen made into dice (and all three of these are offered by Level Up). There are some really unusual and creative dice out there (glass, chocolate, antler) and you can even find people to carve dice out of objects or materials you already own.

Brands

There are many dice brands out there, all with their own unique designs and approaches, but today I’ll be covering the four main brands I’ve encountered: Chessex, Oakie Doakie, Dice Hoard, and Level Up Dice.

Chessex is by far the most common and widely accessible dice brand there is. You’re almost guaranteed to find a little stand of Chessex dice in any game store you walk into and they’re all quite well priced. Chessex tends to be the cheapest of the four, but has a reputation for bang for buck as well as an extensive collection to choose from. They primarily offer plastic dice, and, judging by the years of bags, boards, and dice jails I’ve subjected mine to, they’re pretty hardy. Historically, Chessex dice have leaned more towards solid colours, with a range of speckled or swirled designs, but in recent years they’ve been getting more creative with sparkly and semi-transparent dice hitting the shelves. If you’re just starting out your dice collection or looking for a very specific colour to match a character or faction, Chessex is a great place to start.

Oakie Doakie dice are probably the next step up from Chessex as another plastic-focused brand. They tend to be a little pricier but also offer a few more options in terms of usability. Oakie Doakie dice come in a small case that’s large enough to store a couple sets in and be used as a rolling tray, and they have quite a few options of single type sets (e.g. sets of only D6s). While they tend to be a little less creative in terms of overall design in my opinion, they do have a couple more interesting product lines, such as their handful of glow-in-the-dark sets. Great if you’re looking for no-frills mechanical use.

Next is Dice Hoard, which really dives into more unique materials. Dice Hoard tend to focus on metal dice and have a wide array of colours and designs, with more regularly unique variants being released constantly. These tend to be a little on the pricier side, but I think they’re quite reasonable for metal dice, and searching through their catalogue, you can find some truly stunning sets (I’m a big fan of the hollow and dragon scale ones). As mentioned previously, they also have a beautiful range of resin dice (which they call Aurora dice) which use holographic inserts. If you’re looking for something unique that doesn’t break the bank, Dice Hoard is where you should be looking.

Finally, Level Up Dice are one of, if not the, biggest name in the world of dice. Level Up Dice create very high-quality dice in the largest range of materials. They primarily specialise in metal and crystal dice but also carry more exotic materials such as wood, and bone. Their sets are absolutely stunning and, though definitely the most expensive on this list, are well worth saving up for. They’re guaranteed to be the pride of any dice lover. Level Up Dice also release custom dice that are only sold through game stores. These dice often have unique symbols, fonts, and designs, so it’s worth a pop into your local store to see what sets they have or can get in. As previously mentioned was, Devolver Digital and Level Up Dice have collaborated to create a custom gorgeous Cult of the Lamb dice set - check it out here!

The colourful and unique designs of dice are what make them so popular amongst table-gamers, and each store, in-person or online, will carry their own unique ranges. Now that you know what to look for, all that’s left to do is get out there and build your hoard!

Good Journey, Adventurer!

- Alyshia