Designing dice for dice snobs

Discussion in 'My Work In Progress' started by gumball, Aug 30, 2010.

  1. gumball
    gumball Member
    I am a dice collector. My collection of unusual dice has grown by leaps and bounds since finding Shapeways.

    I am also a dice snob. I expect my favorites to be constructed correctly. Examine a professional D6. Opposite faces of a D6 should add up to 7. 6 opposite 1, 2 opposite 5 and 3 opposite 4. For a D8 the opposite sides should add up to 9, D20 should add up to 21. You get the idea.

    I received a die in my latest order that is very unusual and interesting. However the numbering is off. I'll keep it in my bag of unusual dice for gaming, but I know in my heart of hearts I won't ever use it in a game. *sigh*

    Brian
    Self Proclaimed Dice Snob
     
  2. gibell
    gibell Well-Known Member
    I would guess it might be difficult to make a fair die using 3D printing. Particularly some of the designs where the numbers are large and a big part of the design, doesn't this create weighting imbalances because there is more material in some places than others? Even the layer alignment in a 3D printer could cause weighting differences.

    In professional dice, don't they carefully fill in the pips so all the faces have the same weight?

    I once attended an entertaining talk by Louis Zocchi, who gave all sorts of reasons why his dice were superior to all others.
     
  3. gumball
    gumball Member
    Oddly, I'm less interested in fair, then how it looks.
     
  4. 28396_deleted
    28396_deleted Member
  5. clsn
    clsn Well-Known Member
    Nice! It looks like you just used the first 12 letters of the alphabet and not the usual way of representing numbers over 12. Properly, after י should come יא and then יב.

    That isn't ancient Hebrew, it's still used in modern times (and that's a modern font, and I might even recognize it). I've been pondering looking for (or drawing) a good paleo-Hebrew in the style of the Hasmonean period to make a dreidel. (In the Hasmonean period they were already using letters similar to the modern ones, but a lot of coins and such deliberately used archaizing letters in the old paleo-Hebrew alphabet). Meanwhile I just have a normal one, for now.

    You're probably right that *really* fair dice are beyond the capabilities of 3D printing (though I bet that "reasonably" fair dice are perfectly possible, depending on your definition of "reasonably"), but it's nice to stick with shapes that are at least conceivably fair.
     
  6. gibell
    gibell Well-Known Member
    Wow!! Nice job!!

    Are the Hebrew symbols on the correct faces? :D

    I wanna design some dice too, to keep the collectors happy! :smug:
     
  7. Youknowwho4eva
    Youknowwho4eva Well-Known Member
    I believe all my die are properly faced. It's my goal to be as accurate to the law of die as possible. I've also thought about the weighted die issue. Haven't done anything in my designs about it, but have considered it :p. Actually I have one that is purposely weighted in my shop :rolleyes: . Any ways. I have an idea for a die. Gonna work on that now.
     
  8. 28396_deleted
    28396_deleted Member
    Yes they are - it took some time to make sure.. (my buddy Google helped out)

     
  9. 28396_deleted
    28396_deleted Member
    Trust me its ancient Hebrew.
    Modern prints and books mostly use Arial (Hebrew) fonts.
    This font was used and still been used for generations in the "old testament" Bible.

    As for the 11th and 12th representation of numbers - this dice
    was used for learning - few of these dice represent the whole Hebrew alpha bet.

    If the collector likes it , i'll have to make some more to complete the collection :D


    Cheers,
    Dizingof




     
  10. clsn
    clsn Well-Known Member
    Looks a lot like http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/masterfont/turmus-mf/ ; am I right? Sure, fonts have changed over the years (though the venerable Frank-Ruehl is still wildly popular in books), and I suppose you're right that the basic alphabet is still about the same as it was >2000 years ago, but the particular font here is fairly modern vintage (it's plainly heavily influenced by Frank-Ruehl, for example).

    I thought you were implying "Ancient Hebrew" like in http://www.historian.net/siloam.htm or something, before the change to the Aramaic-based square Hebrew. (Like I wrote to you, I was thinking of doing a dreidel with those older characters... Even though they were already using square (modern-like) Hebrew in the Hasmonean period, a lot of Hasmonean coinage and such uses the older, archaizing script as a nationalistic statement.)

    Anyway, alphabets and specifically Hebrew are another of my many interests, and you happened to trigger a lecture from me, sorry... :)
     
  11. gumball
    gumball Member
    It's cool, but my dice have to be "working" dice. I don't know the letters to be able to use it easily. The shape is nice and if it had roman numerals....


    Problem for me with weighted dice are that most people are thinking craps when they design them, so we get dice that land on 2 and 5 like yours. I want either character builder dice that land on sixes all the time, or Champions dice that land on 1's. That and dice that don't cost $87 in stainless. Gah! (did I forget to mention that I'm also a cheapass bastard?)
     
  12. Youknowwho4eva
    Youknowwho4eva Well-Known Member
    I was thinking of making it a co-creator. Pick what you want it to land on. I drew those well before stainless.

    This ones only $10 in stainless :rolleyes:
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2010
  13. If you're willing to get stuff that isn't stainless steel or custom-designed, eM4 Miniatures do a lot of interesting dice, including a set of 2 loaded dice (scroll down just over halfway), and you can specify a pair that roll 6s, a pair that roll 1s, or one of each. They also have matching normal dice for your friends to check you're being honest (just practice your sleight of hand!). ;)

    Andy
     
  14. 28396_deleted
    28396_deleted Member
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2010
  15. gumball
    gumball Member
    Nice site, I've order off there in the past. Can't use those loaded ones, my gaming pals are too savy :D

    Very nice. As soon as I can talk the little lady in to letting me get one die for $58.60, I'll get that!
    :rolleyes:
     
  16. 28396_deleted
    28396_deleted Member
    ahh .. sorry about that.. forgot to hollow it ;)

    There you go .. A Roman Dice

    Stainless Steel will cost you $ 32.40

    My markup is only $5.. :rolleyes:

    (Volume: 2.74 cm³ )


    Cheers,
    Dizingof
     
  17. 28396_deleted
    28396_deleted Member
  18. gumball
    gumball Member
    I'll probably get this one eventually . It looks like a D6, but the title is Octahedral, suggesting 8 sides. Which is it?

    Brian

     
  19. 28396_deleted
    28396_deleted Member

    its D6 , the shape is called "Octahedral Symmetry"

    Btw, The first 2 dices were ordered yesterday - i thought it was you..

     
  20. gumball
    gumball Member
    No, I will not be able to order anything till my Lulu.com revenues for the this month hit my Paypal account around the 17th. Then I'll have a whole $73.11! (I overspent last month and the little woman wasn't happy!)

    Brian