Francesca Viganò
Before rolling these particular dice and tackling the review of The Dice of Death & Dismemberment, I thank Deck & Dice Games LCC for sending us a basic set to analyze.
If after analyzing them with us you want to buy them, you can find them directly on the creators’ website for 25 dollars, about 25 euros. In the same line, you will also find the dice for battles against dragons.
Epic Fights, Dramatic Wounds
We all know that it can happen that combat, especially in games that involve a certain tactical strategy, can become a little repetitive. Players also end up underestimating threats or losing interest in interpretation when fights drag on too long.
What if instead, it was the master who no longer knew how to describe yet another thrust of the barbarian on the poor goblin’s head?
In all cases where imagination is lacking, The Dice of Death & Dismemberment comes to our aid, a collection of 7 12-sided acrylic dice designed to emphasize the results of a shot. In the set, we find 4 black dice and 3 red dice, each with a specific purpose and meaning.
Critical Damage
Our character just landed the last blow on the creature that threatened the fishing village that hosted us and we got a critical hit? To make the scene more spectacular and impactful, we can roll a black die from The Dice of Death & Dismemberment set in addition to our usual die for damage.
4 black dice represent the 4 main parts of a creature’s body: head, torso, arms, and legs. We find a type of damage on each of the 12 faces and, in the information leaflet included in the package, additional damage and secondary effects.
Critical Failure
What happens instead if the roll gives us a critical failure? Change the dice’s colour and choose one of the three red dice in the set.
Each red die collects 12 possible failures for each weapon style: melee ranged, thrown. The possibility of making even such a dramatic moment epic is exciting.
Review of The Dice of Death & Dismemberment Materials
The Dice of Death & Dismemberment core set dice are sturdy and large enough to allow easy reading even after rolling. The weight is well-balanced and the acrylic is shiny and pleasant.
All the symbols are slightly sunken, the lines are precise and perfectly understandable. The slightly cartoony style helps to play down the proposed theme a bit.
The dice arrive in a practical resealable package in which the polyhedra stand out in colour and size. Very useful, as I was saying, is the leaflet with usage suggestions and the QR code that takes you directly to the creators’ website.
The thing I liked most about the whole set is the instruction booklet; a solid and comprehensible folded piece of paper which lists, for each die, the 12 possible results complete with ideas for the GM.
Conclusions of The Dice of Death & Dismemberment Review
I consider The Dice of Death & Dismemberment an interesting product, and a nice gift for your DM if they are one of those who gives their best in combat.
They are slightly larger than average and have a significant consistency, yet they are very well-balanced. The rolling effect on the table is fun and leaves you on the edge of your seat just enough to add drama to a simple gesture.
