Wednesday 17 November 2021

Another Puzzle Handout

This is another of those things that I've wanted to make for a while (as I've done similar things in the past) and I  wanted this one to be as versatile as possible, and also have miniature versions that could be used on the tabletop...



...and, as you can see, it's a fairly simple design, and there are lots of different words that you can make - so it could potentially be used more than once.

Furthermore, I've also tied it to one of this months VTT maps (as you might have seen in the video)...



...and I actually got to use the puzzle in my online game last weekend:



Anyway, if anyone is interested, here's some of the riddles that I had lined up (though in my game the players managed to get through the door on their second attempt):


Never foremost, but enduring.
(LAST)

I lie upon the shore, and fall to measure time.
(SAND)

I can shroud both land and sea. A veil before thine eyes.
(MIST)

I have no voice when I'm at rest, and my rings cannot be worn.
(BELL)

My waves are not of the sea, my grip is not of fear.
(HAND)

In the dark I linger. In the light I wane.
In thy mind I haunt thee. Thy courage I will drain.
(FEAR)

Monday 8 November 2021

Easy Roller Dice (and accessories) Review

Disclaimer: The items discussed in this article were sent to me free of charge.

I was recently approached by the folks over at easyrollerdice.com regarding the possibility of reviewing some of their products. However, even though I made them aware of the fact that I'm not really a review channel (i.e. the best I could offer is to show some of their products in the pictures that appear at the end of my videos), they wanted to send me some stuff to take a look at anyway.

So, of course, I agreed (in fact they seemed to like the approach I already use for the miniatures I show - i.e. nothing fancy, just a little note stating who the manufacturer is in the corner of the video) - though I thought it would be nice to do a full review (my first real review) here on the blog for anyone who might be interested - so here goes...


A WHOLE LOT OF D6's

OK, so the first thing in the package were some d6's ...a whole lot of d6's - 5 packets in fact - each containing 10 dice (so they’re  ideal if you’re playing a game that uses a pool of d6’s -OR- of if you do a bit of wargaming).

And while there's not a lot that can be said about the humble six sided die, I will say that I really like the numbering on these ...it's a large number in a nice font. Obviously, if I was purchasing them myself I might have opted for different colours (but that's very much a matter of personal preference) - but the dice themselves don't have any imperfections that I can see ...so what else is there to say :)


BLOODSTONE d20



Now, since I'm a regular D&D player/DM, a nice d20 is always nice to have ...and this IS a nice d20. The picture doesn't really show it off in it's best light - so here's a short video...



...however it still looks similar to any other 20 sided polyhedron right? ...well, I suppose so, but you really have to hold this one in the hand to appreciate it. It just feels nice. It's the kind of dice you need a dice tray for (and not just because it's made of stone).


Looking at their website it looks as though it sells for around $20 ...so it's probably not something I would have thought about buying myself (it's more the kind of thing I'd stop and admire at a convention, or perhaps buy for a player who is celebrating a milestone birthday, or something like that) - but now that I have it, it's definitely going in my bag of favourite dice (yes I have one of those), and will probably get used for tense dice rolling situations ;)


DICEBAGS


OK, since I just mentioned dicebags, I'll move onto those next. So, I was actually sent 2 different bags - the first being a regular sized one with a Cthulhu style print...



...and a much larger (faux-velvet) style bag (with a similar 'iron-on' design) that's actually reversible ...which is a nice touch (I think I like the green side best).



Much like the d6's, it's hard to wax lyrical about dice bags ...they have one job - to hold dice. But these do seem well made, and the large bag should be more than adequate to hold all of the dice owned by any sane person* (as you can see in the following image, there's still a ton of space with all 50 of the d6's thrown inside).


*it is possible that I might own more dice than the average person :S


DICE BOXES


Once again, both of these are the kind of thing I'd normally think about buying... but then decide that it will probably have to wait until I have a budget to allow for such extravagances.



That being said, the first example (pictured above) sells for $30 (so around £22) ...so it's not actually all that expensive ...I guess I'm just a bit of a cheapskate :)


Anyway the picture doesn't really show the little cut-outs very well - so here's another short video:



So yeah, the magnetised lid is a great addition ...and the magnets are pretty strong (I shook the hell out of this one and the lid isn't going anywhere) - though I'm not quite sure why (what I assume are) the two d10 holes are slightly different...



...I mean, both dice are the same size - and it's easy to see which is which just by looking at them... but maybe there is something I'm missing?



However, my only real issue is the fact that I feel like a bit of an uncultured swine putting one of my cheap dice sets inside (kinda like chugging cheap lager out of a champagne glass) - so I might have to buy myself a nice set of cthulhu dice to do it justice* (as a nice dice box deserves a similarly fancy set of dice).


*I mean sure, my characters will still die horribly or be driven insane ...but at least I can do it in style :D


* * *


Anyway, I thought I would save the best until last... so here's the second 'box' that they sent (though box is far too poor a word):




As you can see, it serves as both a storage/staging area for your dice, as well as having a 'dice tray/rolling' area in the middle.



And if I'm totally honest with you, I would normally just pass something like this by and assume that it would be far too expensive for a regular Joe like me (it being a bit of a premium product) ...but looking at the website, it's listed at around $35 (roughly £25) ...which is about half as much as I expected.


So yeah, that's all I really need to say - but I'll continue nonetheless ;)


Now, I've obviously not had it long - so I'll probably need to revisit the review in a year or two (when it's seen plenty of use, and has been rattling around in my backpack as I travel to and from various games), but it seems pretty sturdy, the lid is a nice snug fit, and it can fit 5 whole sets of dice around the edge (that's dice of the usual RPG variety - i.e. d4 through d20).


I'll also admit that when I first found out that I'd be receiving some 'free stuff' for review I thought that I could pass some of the items on to a few of my gaming friends (rather than hoard it all myself) ...but not this one ...this is mine ...my own ...my precious ;)


* * *


So yeah, here's hoping that you found this first little review of mine interesting and/or informative ...I suppose there's only two things left to do:


1) I'd like to thank the Easy Roller Dice Co. for sending me so much stuff to take a look at (colour me impressed)...


...and...


2) put some of this stuff to use and roll up a new character. So here goes...



That's 17 / 13 / 16 / 13 / 13 / 14 ...quite possibly the best stat's I've ever rolled :)