D20 Cabal

Intro (Editor's note: This guest blogger is not an affiliate of 1985 Games) I did not plan to have this many dice. About 18 months ago—after a pretty rough stretch—I bought my first mystery dice set at a comic shop. I didn't think I would start a collection. I'd been toying with the idea of learning D&D and saw this pretty cool-looking Halloween set hanging near a box of '70s horror comics.  And now as I write this, I'm staring at four giant D20s that have no more point than to sit near my mouse like stones that would power some kind of warp drive in yet another Star Trek  series. I guess I've become like kids these days who get antsy if they don't have their tablet and headphones in reach. All I can say is that being a dice hoarder keeps me plugged into a world that I would rather be in if I didn't have to do dumb stuff like work so I can do more dumb stuff like eat. Without my dice hoard, I would be in a sorry state. For perspective, I would not sa...

If there's one thing I know as a longtime gamemaster who’s rolled initiative more times than I've checked my email, it’s that dice are more than tools—they're a vibe. Not just any vibe, but a straight-up personality statement at your table. And lately, there's been a showdown brewing at my weekly TTRPG sessions: the beautiful, glittering sharp edge resin sets vs. the gloriously over-the-top giant  D20s . You’ve seen it—Diceblade, who insists their sharp edge set is “tuned for accuracy,” is rolling with an ice-blue shard of translucent fury. Across the table, Captain Critstorm (they made everyone call them that after one nat 20) slams down a 55mm rainbow monolith that looks like it exploded out of a Saturday morning cartoon. It’s a dice-off—like a synth battle between neon spandex and leather jackets. Sharp edge dice and jumbo D20s aren’t just different—they’re from different planes of aesthetic reality, and when they hit the table together, it's like watching V...

If you’ve been rolling with Dungeons & Dragons or any other TTRPG for a while, chances are you’ve already got your core books, scribbled-in character sheets, a dice tray (or a cat that walks across your virtual one), a go-to digital or physical map setup, and maybe even your favorite NPC voices nailed down. You’re in that sweet spot. The basics? Handled. But there comes a point on every adventurer’s journey when you want to add a little flare—a touch of magic to your gaming ritual. And nothing says “I’m here to roll” quite like a set of bold, unforgettable dice. Dice aren’t just random number generators—they're personal, expressive, and just a little bit chaotic, like your favorite barbarian on a pub crawl. Why Bold Dice? Why Now? Look, I get it. You probably already have a handful (or gods forbid, a plethora of drawers, bags, and even cupholders ) of dice. Maybe you’ve even got a metal set you bust out for boss fights. But when was the last time your dice genuinely exc...

Why Your Dice Matter More Than You Think We’ve all been there. The sun was shining, snacks were stacked, your party was geared up for a legendary quest—and then it happened. A cruel streak of ones. An insult to your bard’s dignity. A betrayal of wizarding proportions. I’m talking about those rolls. The cursed kind. The kind you'll never live down because your DM won’t let you forget. "That beachside one-shot ended with my cleric falling off a lighthouse because I rolled a natural one three times. In a row." Last summer was supposed to be epic: a vacation-themed TTRPG extravaganza with my core group. We had premade characters, a custom setting (“Palm of the Forgotten Gods,” thank you very much), and mood lighting. But what we didn't have was luck. Dice luck, specifically. This is my story. But more importantly, it's yours too. Because if you’ve played tabletop RPGs for any length of time, you've probably suffered from brutal dice betrayal. Fortunately,...

There’s something magical about cracking open a box of polyhedral dice that look like they tumbled out of a 1980s lunchbox cluttered with graph paper and lead miniatures. Maybe it's the nostalgia, maybe it's the brutalist aesthetic, or maybe it's just the way those old-school colors and fonts make the game feel grittier and a little more dangerous. Whatever the reason, retro-style dice are back—big time—and they’re here to bring all the throwback feels to your modern tabletop. I’ve been GMing for over a decade now, and while I love the sleek, sharp-edged gemstone dice that glitter like dragon hoards, nothing beats the vibe of a good retro set. These dice don’t just roll—they tell a story, and if you’re like me, you're always hunting for the next set that sparks that old-school flavor. Like this glorious chaos, which looks like it was summoned from a Saturday morning cartoon with a hit die: I love round sharks... #dice #dnd #ttrpg pic.twitter.com/UM2EonMhWk — DIS...