Wondering if I'm alone here

[Duke Bushido]

Am I the only guy on the board who backed the porcelain dice? 

 

Just wondering.... 

[Spence]

Porcelain Dice?

Probably 🤔

[Amorkca]

2 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

Am I the only guy on the board who backed the porcelain dice? 

 

Just wondering.... 

 

Never heard of it... dang

[Duke Bushido]

You haven't missed much.  So far, they're pushing a year behind schedule.....

 

Funny.  I heard about it on this board, originally.  Thought my wife would enjoy them, so I backed it for a total of six pieces.  Been getting updates every whenever it occurs to them that someone might like an update.....   

 

 

[Spence]

Yep, Kickstarter.

I backed Eldar Dice which is only about two months behind. 

 

While I have had far more success than failure as a backer, I still consider any KS a gamble and only pledge money I can lose.

[Duke Bushido]

21 minutes ago, Spence said:

I still consider any KS a gamble and only pledge money I can lose.

 

Ditto.

 

And to assuage your incredulity earlier:  The production principles were sound, and the demos of the POC batch showed them to be at least as durable as modern "high impact" resin dice, if not moreso.

 

The problem appears to be the outsourcing.  They had a process that worked extremely well, but was insanely expensive.  They outsourced to China (like the rest of the entire earth, apparently-- everyone bags on the amount of pollution coming out of China.  Fact is, it's _our_ garbage.     ).  Since then, apparently no one has been able to deliver on the promise of replicating the process at an affordable price.

 

 

[Vanguard]

On 2/10/2020 at 10:19 PM, Duke Bushido said:

everyone bags on the amount of pollution coming out of China.  Fact is, it's _our_ garbage.     ).

 

Our garbage . . . their non-existent and/or totally lax environmental laws that allow it.

 

Which is why said company shipped it's highly expensive, but proven process, there.

 

Anyway, I've only backed one project on kickstarter and it wasn't delayed at all.  I thought that KS had rules on that?  Or is the only rule that if the project isn't funded, the backers get their money back.  But if it is funded, the project can take as long as needed to get done . . . as long as it does get done.  I seem to recall Palladium games getting nuked and luosing a license due to delays and not fulfilling orders . . . ?

[Duke Bushido]

It's easy to blame them completely, but the fact is no one makes things that don't sell.  At least, not for long.  There's no money in it.  We see the garbage; we buy the stuff and say "they can do better."  A dollar is more than just money: it's a show of support.

[Cassandra]

On 2/10/2020 at 5:29 PM, Duke Bushido said:

Am I the only guy on the board who backed the porcelain dice? 

 

Just wondering.... 

 

Is that a euphemism?

[wcw43921]

I thought they looked nice, but that they belonged more on Grandma's knick-knack shelf than on a gaming table.  I'd rather have something more easily legible when I throw--which means either pips or Arabic numerals.  Anything else is just a fancy conversation starter--as "Where'd you get those?"

 

On a semi-related note, I've always thought that one of the nifty things about six-sided dice is that you can get them just about anywhere.  The other polyhedrals you have to find at a game or comic book store, although I have seen packs of polyhedral dice on sale at Wal-Mart recently.  But any place that sells playing cards--drug stores, liquor stores,  convenience stores even--are likely to have a pack of six-siders for one to two bucks, depending on where you get them.  Which can be quite convenient if you're in a small town and the only place that's open is the Dollar General store, and you suddenly get the urge to play Champions or Old School Traveller.  Pick up snacks, pick up dice, and you're good to go.

 

And I'm sure some of you have seen at least once those display cards with dice dispensers that you can take out a pair at a time--those are usually ninety-nine cents a pair.  I've started a small collection of those just because I rather like the notion.  They're there, and they're dice--what more justification do you need?

[Duke Bushido]

Most of those "everything's is a dollar" stores have six packs and periodically twelve packs of d6 for a buck as well if you're in a pinch to grab a pile for an event. 

 

And are you saying that New School Traveller uses pokyhedrals?

 

I love Traveller, but I've been playing it on HERO legs for decades now. 

[wcw43921]

I know there's a version of Traveller for D20.  I can't vouch for what the game is like today.

[Duke Bushido]

18 hours ago, wcw43921 said:

  I'd rather have something more easily legible when I throw--which means either pips or Arabic numerals.

 

My apologies; I thought I had addressed this earlier:

 

There were, initially, I think 4 patterns offered?  Like you, I prefer my dice readable at a glance (yet weirdly, don't like them to have numerals-- it just throws me, somehow).  I was torn between the pair with the floral "pips"-- a certain number of chinese blooms arranged in a circular pattern) or the one with the mixed characters (various... "kanji?"  I can't remember the chinese word, I'm afraid... from various forms of written chinese such that each symbol had a number of strokes to denote the numbers on the dice.  I rather liked that one, if only because the Playstation had me used to doing that for 1 through 4 already.  

 

In the end, I went with the "floral pips" because I thought they were more attractive, and would appeal to her more than something could be mistaken for marketing swag from Monster energy drinks.....

 

 

 

 

 

Quote

 

And I'm sure some of you have seen at least once those display cards with dice dispensers that you can take out a pair at a time--those are usually ninety-nine cents a pair.  I've started a small collection of those just because I rather like the notion.  They're there, and they're dice--what more justification do you need?

 

Agreed.  

 

 

 

2 hours ago, wcw43921 said:

I know there's a version of Traveller for D20.  I can't vouch for what the game is like today.

 

 

That's okay.  I appreciate it, but that first sentence was enough to break my heart.....  

 

I was wondering if someone had done d10 or dice pool mechanics or if there had been a proper d15 for rolling characteristics or something.  

 

 

 

[Lord Liaden]

On 2/20/2020 at 3:42 AM, wcw43921 said:

On a semi-related note, I've always thought that one of the nifty things about six-sided dice is that you can get them just about anywhere.  The other polyhedrals you have to find at a game or comic book store, although I have seen packs of polyhedral dice on sale at Wal-Mart recently.  But any place that sells playing cards--drug stores, liquor stores,  convenience stores even--are likely to have a pack of six-siders for one to two bucks, depending on where you get them.  Which can be quite convenient if you're in a small town and the only place that's open is the Dollar General store, and you suddenly get the urge to play Champions or Old School Traveller.  Pick up snacks, pick up dice, and you're good to go.

 

I haven't played a game using polyhedral dice in decades, but I like having a variety of them as a collection. If nothing else they're great curios to start a conversation over.

[DShomshak]

Some years back, my FLGS sold novelty soap in the shape of a d20, with an actual d20 at the center of the clear soap. I bought one for a Christmas present for my niece, who counts soapmaking and Pathfinder among her hobbies.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Chris Goodwin]

I've always thought those were meant for our more... hygienically challenged brethren.  A die as a reward for using the soap!  

[Scott Ruggels]

The current Mongoose Second Edition of Traveller uses 2D6. Play it every Saturday. Uses the same published material as classic Traveller, just a lot smoother mechanics. 

[Spence]

1 hour ago, Scott Ruggels said:

The current Mongoose Second Edition of Traveller uses 2D6. Play it every Saturday. Uses the same published material as classic Traveller, just a lot smoother mechanics. 

 

Interesting.  What about MSE stood out for you as an improvement?

[Scott Ruggels]

No death during character creation.  Skill resolution is 2D6 plus one’s skill level.  Skills can be linked to different stats due to situations. (Mechanics plus Dex to fix something. Mechanics plus Education to figure out what parts are needed to buy. ). Combat is pretty lethal but no instantly so. Same “range bands” as classic Traveller, and it’s hard to hit anything moving. 

[assault]

On 8/8/2020 at 12:27 PM, Scott Ruggels said:

No death during character creation. 

Just noticed this comment.

 

I don't have any particular problem with death during character creation. I always used it as a tool for creating characters with above average characteristics.

 

Don't like the numbers you rolled? Scouts!

[Spence]

2 hours ago, assault said:

Just noticed this comment.

 

I don't have any particular problem with death during character creation. I always used it as a tool for creating characters with above average characteristics.

 

Don't like the numbers you rolled? Scouts!

I loved the old Scout campaigns.  Before they actually published their setting. 

 

No problems with players buying and reading all about things and than acting like their PC doesn't know.  True exploring the unknown.

[Spence]

On 2/14/2020 at 6:37 PM, Vanguard said:

Anyway, I've only backed one project on kickstarter and it wasn't delayed at all.  I thought that KS had rules on that?  Or is the only rule that if the project isn't funded, the backers get their money back.  But if it is funded, the project can take as long as needed to get done . . . as long as it does get done.  I seem to recall Palladium games getting nuked and luosing a license due to delays and not fulfilling orders . . . ?

 

Just realized no one answered this. 

KS does have a process and generally you can get your money back.  You do not pay in until they project actually funds, and then you automatically get it back if the project does not actually get the pledged funds.  You would be surprised (or maybe not) how many people pledge and then do not actually pay. 

 

But once the KS is funded and underway many of them run long, especially if it is someones first time KS project.  There is more to creating and fulfilling a project than most people realize.   I have seen projects delayed months for veteran game makers due to circumstances they were unaware of or simple had no control of.  

 

For the main part I have backed 116 and have only seen eight fail to be delivered, with at least 20+ being late, sometimes very late.   Three of which they are trying to complete and deliver even if late, they have issued refunds to all that requested it, I have chosen to wait for the product.  Two I received a full refund for.  One where the author/maker passed away and two where the creators simply disappeared. 

 

I have found that for the most part KS creators are honest hardworking folks that want to bring their vision to life.  Unfortunately, the task is sometimes greater than they anticipated and it takes far more time that they thought it would to deliver it. 

 

I generally wait it out and have found some makers follow on projects become exceptional through the experience.

 

 

[Duke Bushido]

Thanks for the bump, Spence. 

 

I had been interested to know that, too. 

 

Finally did get the porcelain dice a few weeks ago.  They're gorgeous!  The feel great, too.  Alas, they have the same flaw as the Champions and Monster Hunter dice: they are casino - sized, making a handful of them impossible, especially for the women they were bought for. 

 

I'll do a video on them when I get a minute. 

[Duke Bushido]

Brian!

 

You're still about!    Wonderful!

 

I had been worried, but tempered it with concern about bothering you at a bad time.  Belated, but Happy Thanksgiving, my friend!

 

 

[Khymeria]

How sturdy are the porcelain dice, like if one of those casino sized luck rocks takes a tumble off the table, does it come apart like grandma's nice dishes? How weighty?