Technabob » dice

D20 Lollipop: Roll It Around Your Mouth

Lambert Varias — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:00:44 +0000

They say a good man is hard to find. You know what’s even harder to find? A good dungeon master. If you and your merry band of PCs are lucky enough to have one, why not show your gratitude by giving your DM a D20 lollipop? Who knows, after a lollipop or two maybe your next adventure won’t be so brutal.

The D20 lollipop is cherry flavored, has hand-iced numbers and has a diameter of 2″.

With the D20 lollipop, you don’t have a high Charisma stat to appease your DM. Just hand over $5 (USD) to ThinkGeek and they’ll handle the rest.

Stained Glass d20 Dice: Lose 100 HP If You Break ‘Em

Technabob — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:00:42 +0000

Dungeonmasters everywhere, here’s some cool new dice you can add to your D&D collection. What we have here are a couple of d20 (20-sided dice) handmade from stained glass.

These awesome, oversize Dungeons & Dragons d20 dice were built by Casey Borders using traditional stained glass soldering techniques, combined with laser cutting, and computer-aided design software to create precise templates.

It’s hard to tell exactly how large the finished glass dice are, but they’re clearly much larger than traditional dice. I’m thinking Price is Right Dice Game size, but I could be wrong. Given all of the labor that went into making these things, I wouldn’t feel comfortable rolling these dice, but Casey says you can roll them on carpet or other soft surfaces if you want.

Surprisingly, these aren’t the first stained glass D20s out there. If you like these, you also might want to check out these other stained glass D&D dice by Bloodthirsty Vegetarians, which actually use solder for the numbers – though I can’t imagine they would roll as accurately with varying weight on each face.

If you’ve got sufficient dexterity and craft skill points (and the proper tools), you can build your own stained glass D20 dice. Just head over to Instructables for the full build instructions.

DIY D&D Gauntlet Rolls Some No-sided Dice

Conner Flynn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:00:22 +0000

Players of role playing games like D & D roll a lot of dice. You may even get sick of rolling die after a while or are just looking for a new high-tech way to roll dice. If that’s the case, here is your next DIY project.

This DIY gauntlet “rolls” the die for you. Doesn’t matter if it’s a 6 sided die or a 20 sided die since no physical die are involved. It’s a wearable cuff that will roll 100, 20, 12, 10, 8, 6, and 4-sided die for you in response to your arm movement, thanks to an accelerometer, an Arduino controller, and a 7-segment, 4-digit yellow display.

This would come in handy for quite a few games that I can think of besides D & D. Just flip the switch, shake your arm, and it works it’s magic. If you want to make your own, follow the instructions found over at the Spark Fun Electronics Blog.

[via The Mary Sue]

DiceForChange: A New and Random Way to Improve Yourself

Hazel Chua — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:30:57 +0000

When I see the DiceForChange, I’m somehow reminded of this movie our teacher made us watch back in high school. It was called Pay It Forward and starred Haley Joel Osment, who was a cute kid then and is still a baby-faced twenty-something now.

Basically, the DiceForChange wants you to pay it forward. Just like in the movie, these dice encourage you to perform some random act of kindness to pay your blessings forward. But more than that, they’re also geared towards self-improvement. Some faces of the dice encourage you to recycle, ride a bike, climb some stairs (okay, this might sound trivial, but really, it’s good for your health), give someone a hug, help someone out, give someone a present (I hope I’m around when you roll this one!), and more.

A set of three wooden DiceForChange are available for purchase from BIS Publishers for €12 (~$16 USD.) They’re also available as an app called KindnessDice for your iPhone and iPad from the iTunes App Store for $0.99.

[via Yanko Design]

Battlefield 3 is Now EA’s Fastest Selling Game, Sells 5 Million Units in First Week

Conner Flynn — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:00:21 +0000

We knew that Battlefield 3 was pretty impressive while we were waiting for it to arrive, but now we have some numbers regarding the first week’s sales. The latest game in the franchise hit retailers last week, and has moved 5 million units in one week’s time.

This makes Battlefield 3 the fastest selling title in EA’s history. That’s a 29 year history mind you. They did a great job marketing this one to hardcore gamers with some amazing videos, so by the time E3 came in June, everyone already knew the game and couldn’t wait.

After that they just pressed on, showing more and people were playing the Beta. All the while, we were just waiting for the release. And now it is a phenomenon. Other companies need to pay attention. This is how you market a game. I can’t wait to see where these numbers go from here.

[via Techcrunch]

Another Battlefield 3 Multiplayer Trailer Shows Up, Still Looks Awesome

Conner Flynn — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:00:14 +0000

The more I see, the more I can’t wait for this game. Battlefield 3 Multiplayer looks frakkin’ amazing and crazy. The game is still a week away from the official release, so EA and DICE thought it would be a good time to give us another look and get us drooling while we wait.

Below is a new trailer for the game that shows off some more of the gameplay across all of the game’s multiplayer maps. I can’t emphasize enough just how beautiful this game looks. The last trailer we showed you had so much intense and crazy fast action that it was hard to follow. This one is slower and so shows off more of what you are in for.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

It’s got tanks, jets, robots, jumping out of planes, close combat with helicopters and more bullets flying than an A-Team mission to rescue B.A. Baracus.

[via EA]

Just Another Set of Steampunk Dice, That’s All…

Technabob — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 02:00:09 +0000

We recently showed you some steampunk-inspired dice which I thought were pretty cool. But those dice were all just little cubes. These ones look even cooler, thanks to their unusual D&D-style shapes.

This set of dice was designed by shapeways user gythawen and Masterworks, and comes in a set of numerous differently sided-dice perfect for a good old game of Dungeons & Dragons, or any other board or card game that uses dice. Personally, I’d use them as Monopoly pieces, instead of the shoe and the hat but that’s just me. The intricately-detailed dice are produced using 3D printing technology, and as seen in the image above can even be produced in bronze, stainless steel, or glossy silver.

Dice range in size from 16mm to 24mm, and a complete set will run you about $25 (USD) when produced from resin (which may be too light for rolling,) about $80 in bronze or stainless, and close to $200 in silver. Of course the antique bronze seems the most fitting with the steampunk theme, but they’re cool no matter what material you decide to make them in. In addition to the steampunk set, Masterworks also offers this cool Harry Potter-inspired set they call the “Deathly Hallows”, which is equally as awesome:

Both the dice sets and individual dice are available over at Masterworks’ Shapeways shop.

Steampunk Dice: for a League of Extraordinary Gamblers

Lambert Varias — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:00:08 +0000

Etsy sellers Stefan, Barak, Doug and Erin – collectively known as Mechanical Oddities – have the perfect dice for fans of steampunk tabletop games. Or steampunk. Or games. Or gambling. The point is they make beautiful six-sided dice with a steampunk design.

Originally modeled and designed on a computer, each die is 3D printed and then meticulously hand painted to create that worn out, aged, steamy, punky, steampunk look. It’s available in iron and bronze finish and uses cogs instead of pips. Because it would be hard to represent numbers with steam. What would 6 steams even look like? That’d just be 6 water molecules.

You can order the steampunk dice from Mechanical Oddities’ Etsy shop for $11.50 (USD) each.

[via Boing Boing]

Battlefield 3 for PC Makes You Leave Games to Change Servers

Conner Flynn — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 20:52:19 +0000

It seems like game makers are making some very questionable decisions with their games lately. First there was the whole Diablo III thing that left us scratching our heads, and now we have some disappointing news about Battlefield 3.

On the PC version, you have to actually leave the game to change servers. Say what? Yep, it’s true. This news is made stranger by the fact that DICE only just confirmed that console versions of the game will have a server browser available while playing.

They gave no explanation as to why they decided to do this, but I imagine it won’t sit well with PC gamers. When asked why, game designer Alan Kertz said, “It starts up REAL fast.” Thanks for the in depth answer, Alex.

So basically console players will be good to go, but PC gamers will have to stop playing and leave the game to switch servers. That’s not how you make people want to buy your game.

[via geek]

Rock Paper Scissors Dice Would Make D&D Games Much Simpler

Lambert Varias — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:21:59 +0000

Roll 3d6 to save? How about you and the Dungeon Master go head-to-head, best of five with the ol’ Rock Paper Scissors? It’s also good for settling petty disputes among friends. Who gets to ride shotgun? Bring out the RPS dice. Who pays for dinner? RPS dice. Who rolls the dice? Whoever doesn’t want to get punched in the face, that’s who.

Designer Fatih Baltas came up with the RPS dice way back in 2004. Unbelievably enough, he still hasn’t found a way to turn them into a real product. Fatih, meet ThinkGeek. ThinkGeek, meet Fatih. Now make it so.

[via Coroflot & ReCraft]

Try Your Luck by Rolling These Pencil Dice

Hazel Chua — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:45:05 +0000

I had a friend who relied a lot on chance. Back in college, when we were having our exams, he would etch the letters A to E on the different faces of his pencil, near the eraser. Towards the end of the test, I would hear odd noises from his table, only to look up and see him tossing his pencil about and shading the letter that the pencil would land on.

These Pencil Dice aren’t exactly the same, but I think they’re on the same wavelength as my friend’s line of thinking, don’t you think?

You won’t be able to use these when you’re dancing with Lady Luck in the casino, but what you can do is use these Pencil Dice to help you make decisions sometimes. You can even bring them during your big finals and give them a good throw down when you’re at a loss for answers.

Although I doubt you can bring these in during exams given by strict professors who won’t tolerate any rolling around during the test.

These are designed by Sebastian Bergne and are available from his site for about $5 for a set of two.

[via Oh Gizmo!]

Self-Loading LEGO Dice Tower: Perfect for Old-School RPG Fans

Range — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:03:22 +0000

Where are the self-loading dice towers when you need them? Well, that’s one of the reasons why YouTube user Skadar decided to build his own.

The build relies on a lever system that’s completely manual, and although I won’t speak to the quality of the dice mixing, it certainly gets the job done when you need a bunch of random dice thrown.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

For some reason, I’m thinking this would be good for tabletop RPGs.

[via Make:]

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/01/self-loading_lego_dice_tower.html

How to Make Your Own Trick Dice

Technabob — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:41:30 +0000

Hacker, modder, and all-around madman KipKay is at it again. The guy who brought us the crazy Mr. Microphone spy hack has managed to figure out an easy way to make dice that roll the same number every single time you roll them.

The incredibly simple trick involves putting the dice in your oven, and melting them just enough so they get a tiny bit heavier on the bottom. Check out the brief tutorial video below to see how you can do this yourself.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Now clearly, I’m not sanctioning the use of this cheat the next time you go to the craps table in Vegas, but it definitely could be fun the next time you have a pickup game of Yahtzee or Monopoly with your friends.

Inflatable D20 Makes for Nerdy Pool Parties

Lambert Varias — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:32:22 +0000

Take this with you to the beach and you’ll certainly be the center of attention, mostly because a lot of people won’t know what the heck this huge polygon with numbers is.

No one’s stopping you from actually using it to play D&D, just make sure your friends are okay with it. Trust me, there are people who take their D&D seriously, and will not stand for inflatable d20s.

The inflatable d20 has a diameter of 17 inches; no word if it comes in other colors. You can order one at ThinkGeek for only $12 (USD).

Roll Up Your Own Handbag of Holding

Alisha K. — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:59:00 +0000

Dice are important for gamers of all types, not just fans of tabletop RPGs, so why not make a dicebag to carry your dice in? It sounds like something from Pimp My Ride, but really, it’s just a nifty project you can undertake yourself.

Neat, huh? There are step-by-step instructions, but you might be better off buying a kit to make your bag. Listen, you may be King Crafter of Craftonia, but this bag looks like some serious business, even with the kit. Do you really want to cut out all these pieces on your own?

No, I didn’t think so. Don’t think the kit makes things particularly easy, either. It doesn’t look so hard in the beginning:

But then it starts to look more like a puzzle game than a craft project.

That may be half the fun, though. I wouldn’t know–I’m a shopper, not a maker.

[EvilMadScientist via Neatorama]

Dice Itpa-220: iPod Tube Stereo on a Budget

Technabob — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:49:45 +0000

Many audiophiles will tell you that there’s nothing quite as sweet as the sound of a good old analog tube-based amplifier. While there are a handful for tube amps for the iPod already out there, most of them are quite expensive.

This dock from Dice Electronics looks to change that. Not only does the Dice iTPA-220 docking stereo have killer looks, it retails for just $299, which is a great price if it really lives up the the “audiophile quality” claims its manufacturer touts.

The stereo is based on dual 20-watt 6N3 tube pre-amps (usually found in very expensive systems) and comes with a pair of really nice looking wooden bookshelf speakers. The speakers offer a 4-inch mid/bass driver, a 1-inch dome tweeter, and are bass-reflex ported for a bigger thump. The system will also charge your iPod while docked, and a remote-control provides volume and track control capabilities.

Dice is taking pre-orders now for the iTPA-220, and expects to start shipping them in September.

[via Playlist via Gizmodo]