My tweets

[robotech_master]

• Wed, 13:00: A Science Fiction Parable http://t.co/dVhDG26XeF It's not really about an asteroid, though that is a danger. The key word is "climate."
• Wed, 19:00: How Ingress, Google's Real-World Smartphone Game, Got Me Out of My Shell #tech #feedly http://t.co/iDFYo06Ro0 I play this.
• Thu, 02:19: This One Weird Trick (TM) will show you why your dice seem blessed or cursed. Neat stuff. I never imagined. https://t.co/XYHqDRXzbj
• Thu, 10:17: Christopher Lee dead at 93: Actor known for Dracula, Saruman http://t.co/dS6DmUCcmm Aw man, I'd hoped he'd live forever. :(

Comments

[ninjarat.livejournal.com]

Balance just means that the plastic is a uniform density. Opaque dice, especially the multi-tone varieties, have inconsistent densities through the material. But it's really a minor problem.

The major problem is smooth edges and rounded corners. This is a side effect of how they ink the dice: the dice are cut from the sprues, dipped in paint, the paint is allowed to dry, and then the dice are dumped into a rock tumbler with some sand. They are then tumbled until the paint is worn off except for the numbers. The result: lopsided dice that will never roll true.

If you want dice that roll true then they need to be of consistent density and consistent dimensions. Casino dice are the closest you'll get to true random but you'll ruin them if you roll them on hard surfaces. Gamescience dice are the best that you'll find for tabletop gaming. If you can find translucent, uninked, sharp corner dice from Chessex then those are good too -- they're Gamescience dice sold by Chessex.