While browsing Instagram for new things to follow I accidentally stumbled on a picture of metallic dice. As I have mentioned before I consider myself both – a dice-enthusiast and an “instrument athlete”, I was immediately intrigued by them. They were kind enough to send me a sample for review. So here we go! Trying Out: Easy Roller Dice!
Disclaimer: In all fairness I have to admit that I contacted the store and asked them if they were willing to send me some dice for review. And they did. So in my books they are awesome in any case! But this does not mean that you should howl them for dice. Keep ’em in business by supporting them and/or take part to their giveaways.
The Dice Odyssey
When I contacted the Easy Roller Dice Co. via Instagram I got almost an instant answer. We had a small chat and before I knew it they package was in the mail. So the first impression was extremely promising. On the net you cannot ever know how much time it takes for people to response to your inquiries. The personal touch on our correspondence was a big plus.
That was when the problems started. It just happened that the Post Office at Finland had gone of strike. At one point it seemed like they would not work it out before next year. So here I was waiting for my package without any knowledge about when I could get my hands on it.
When the strike ended I got a bit anxious while waiting but nothing happened. Until I received a letter from the Customs Office… Apparently they were suspicious about the package and wanted some clarification on it. I called them and after speaking to several clerks they finally were ok with it. Naturally they had to open the box first. Trust me. It isn’t that easy to keep your cool while explaining to a person with a lovely voice that you seriously ordered some dice for review.
After that the package actually arrived within a day and I got collected it from post office while on my way for a session of Dungeons and Dragons!
Opening the Box
I think most of us have been there. You have a box of something sweet just waiting to be opened. I totally forgot to shoot a “opening the package”-video because I was so excited about the actual content. And I wasn’t alone. My gaming group was a bunch of 30+ men just waiting for me to open this thing that felt like a christmas present.
About the Dice
Inside the package was the neatest case of dice. It looks and feels great. It withheld a basic set of dice of metal with a copper finish. I had to literally slap some hands to prevent my so-called friends from getting them in their dirty hands.
Anointed in BLOOD!
While opening the box I had unwittingly cut my finger and thus I naturally anointed the d4 with my own blood. The die in question is cast in a manner that will definitely inflict serious wound loss if stepped upon to.
My main concern on this case was that the “high-quality synthetic velvet” in the case does not have matching pockets for the dice. It’s a small defect but annoying enough to come up when backing the dice after the session.
Considering their rolling quality I’d say that they indeed feel heavy in your hands. You can almost see the damage they would do if you would throw them at someone. Oh yes, there would be blood. The pointy corners on the dice could feel a bit awkward but that’s not a big minus. After all if you would like to get iron dice you can pretty much count on them being heavy and pointy.
The copper finish is nicely done and the numbers look good. Comparing to some other plastic (and/or precision edge dice) I have they are easy to read which is always good. I hate it when you just have to paint the numbers with a marker on some dice.
And for the most important thing – the virginal roll on d20! 19!
19 isn’t 20 but on the other hand it also meant that no-one brought into question their weighing. I’m not about to do an actual chart on the outcomes and their probabilities but a virginal roll is always a virginal roll. And it has to mean something, right?
About the Dice Cup
The dice cup is a hefty cup. It’s covered with P/U leather on the exterior and has a velvet interior. I like using dice cups on an occasion and this one is a way better than my previous all plastic cup. The dice sound good against the velvet (though I have some concern about the metal dice ripping it apart quickly).
The biggest problem with this is the size. Sure, you can put your whole Exalted pool in there but it you don’t always need that many dice. Also the dice that come with the cup are just poor excuses for dice. If you have any children’s boardgames you are almost certain to find the same quality there. Luckily you do not have to use them.
They might not be equivalent to a luxury casino dice cup but they will surely do the work with high marks.
Summary
I really liked the dice and the cup. They have some minor issues that are mostly cosmetic but feel very good and will most definitely make your gaming group envious.
As a side note – The biggest problem for me and by extension to most of folk not living in US is the postage. Posting metal dice from US to Europe will cost you a big penny and then there is the question of taxes. But that has nothing to do with the co. and should not be held against them.