How do you pick the right dice?

Imagine, you are walking through a dark underground tunnel system. You hear water dripping from the stalactites. The scurrying of small creatures running around your feet startles you. In the distance, you can hear the low rumbling of a giant creature. You approach an opening and see a titanic red dragon sleeping. It is laid atop a large pile of gold. You look to your companion, a small halfling holding their sword at the ready. You brace yourself and get ready to charge into battle. You hear from across the room, “roll initiative”. This is a classic scenario that you may encounter while playing tabletop role playing games. Playing in a land full of mystical creature and strange encounters is a wonderful way to exercise ones imagination and allow the part of the brain that lays dormant most day to spring into life and be creative.

One of the most crucial parts of playing Dungeons and Dragons is picking the right dice set. A beautiful set of dice can make the experience much more enjoyable. But picking a set can be overwhelming. What color should you pick? What style? How many sets do you need? These are all questions that I get when I introduce new players to Dungeons and Dragons. The process of picking your first set of dice should be fun and memorable. It is easy to walk into any gaming store and pick up the first set you see but I like to put a little more thought into the process.

The first thing I like to do before picking my dice set is built my character. A well thought out character that you have taken pride in making is important. Remember you may have to spend some time with this character so you might as well like them.

I like to think of a story that I want to tell with my character and then build the stats to fit my backstory. There are many different types of races and classes to choose from but once you know who your character is inside it is easier to pick what you want them to look like.

Once I have chosen my character then I move on picking my dice. I like to get a new set of dice for each of my new characters. Picking a set that reminds you of your character makes the experience much more special. I enjoy matching my set to my character by theme. For a Druid, I may choose a set of dice that are nature-inspired either with the coloring or in the patterning. Or for a Warlock a dark mysterious dice set that may reflect the deity you made a pact with. The options are endless. Picking a set that makes you excited to look at and play with, makes playing Dungeons and Dragons a fun pleasurable experience.

(This blue gemstone dice set is designed for bard, which uses music font and  

replaces number 20 on D20 with confident smile face.)