Fancy Dice

 No. Just don't do it!

It seems that every time I hit up Amazon I get adverts or suggestions for "fancy" dice, especially  "Lovecraftian" dice. No doubt the Lovecraft shenanigans is because of my podcast, but it really gets my goat because they are the worst example of dice.

These disgusting dice show the numbers of the faces, sure,  but then do everything with colour and engraved scrollwork to make the dice actually unusable. If you get up close and turn the die round you can even sometimes see what the number is! Cool eh?

No.

As fun to own and show your friends as these fancy dice are they are absolutely awful at the table. When you're roleplaying the dice are there to resolve a question and get the hell outta the way. When some doofus rolls up with his bag of exquisite accurate engraved, multicoloured boulders I know we're in for a session where squinting at dice is going to destroy the ebb and flow of the game.

I'm not a complete Neanderthal when it comes to dice. I don't demand that D6's have pips, I'm even okay with dice having some translucency. But they MUST be legible by people sitting across from you.

There's one more thing. D100. No. Throw that ball of shite in the bin and never let me see it again. Keep your "funny fancy" dice at home.

Taking a look at "Golo" a solitaire dice game

Golo - a review of a Golf-dice-game

I saw this for 1.99 in my local corner store I would have passed it by as another piece of junk-ware-shelf-filler but caught sight of a D12 in the bottom. I checked it out and low and behold it had nine D12 in there. My first thought was that 1.99 was great for 9D12, so if nothing else it was worth picking up for that. Actually it turns out the D12s are not normal D12s, so it might not be worth it.

When I got home I pulled it open expecting the worst of Christmas junk-gaming. Not so. inside the plastic tube was a nice golfing score page and a dinky little pencil, quality stuff! The rules appear on the score pad so I was good to go...but wait!

There is also a little cardboard rule book, that repeats the rules and adds in a few pointless optional rules. Pointless to a gamer that is, but I expect a few after-christmas-dinner players will like to try them out.

I was blown away by the quality of the dice cup. Thick plasic, mug-sized and lined inside. I'd be happy with the price just for the cup!

Then onto the dice. Nine engraved dice in three colours. Two red for Par 3 holes, five white for par 4 holes and two red for par 5's. These are not numbered like ordinary dice. For instance a white dice has three number 4's and ranges from 3-8. It's a similar story for the other dice too.

The "par" numbers on each die are surrounded by a square and the 1-under by a circle.

Game play is Yahtzee style. Roll all the dice, lock one or more, roll the rest and keep going until you've rolled and locked them all. Then allocate the dice to the appropriate holes on your score pad.

You do this once for the first nine holes, and then again for the way back to the club house. Add up your final score.

That's it. Simple. Multi player solitaire if you have friends over, or a quick diversion if you're on your own.

Considering the price, I'm really happy with it. A quick round of golf on your table and an excellent dice cup!



Found in "It's a Gift" a corner store that sells toys, cards, small tools, stationary, sweets and garden ornaments.