| Aggie21 | 30 Sep 2018 8:45 p.m. PST |
Hi everyone, What is your opinion about use of dice trays? I have seen gamers launch dice from well above the table and at others with some force at lower heights. This leads to chasing dice through stands across terrain. Unfortunately I have seen several figs damaged from errant dice. The owners were gracious but it was avoidable. I have always been very careful when playing. I was thinking of putting on a game and wondered about use of trays to circumvent this. What are your thoughts? Tony |
 T Callahan  | 30 Sep 2018 9:41 p.m. PST |
I yes dice trays when I use d20 or d10. Keeps it easy to see the result without having to bang the table or ask for a re-roll. Terry |
 Artilleryman | 01 Oct 2018 1:13 a.m. PST |
Dice trays are the way ahead. Personally I use a dice tower. All you have to do is pour the dice in the top and the various baffles inside 'shake' the dice and deposit them in a neat tray. I use a commercial one, but they are easily made and Wargames Illustrated published plans for one a few years back. Just Google 'dice tower' and make your selection. I think they are fun to use and they keep dice in some sort of order without destroying troops or landscape. |
| robert piepenbrink | 01 Oct 2018 3:19 a.m. PST |
Much to be said for towers with attached trays--ideally, ones that will pass for terrain and not further clutter up the battlefield. A burnt-out building with intact chimney stack--a "Knollys' mitre"--works for quite a number of periods. |
 StoneMtnMinis | 01 Oct 2018 5:15 a.m. PST |
I use the little plastic trays from the Dollar store(3 for $1.00 USD). I put green felt on the inside bottom and sides to reduce noise. I then put foliage clumps on the outside so that they look like a copse of trees. They work very well and blend in with the table scenery. Dave |
| Big Red | 01 Oct 2018 5:38 a.m. PST |
StoneMtnMinis, these sound interesting. Do you have a photo of your trays? |
| Thresher01 | 01 Oct 2018 6:12 a.m. PST |
Makes sense to me, especially if it keeps miniatures from being damaged. |
| ZULUPAUL | 01 Oct 2018 7:10 a.m. PST |
Use them most of the time. I have 2 cardboard octagonal boxes I have used & now I have a dice tower |
 Sgt Slag | 01 Oct 2018 9:24 a.m. PST |
I converted to using a Dice Tower over a year ago. Then I went into them commercially, with a business owner. I hate not having it to use: controls dice so they don't wander across the table, or onto the floor; guarantees randomness; allows me to roll a handful of dice at once, which is convenient during my bucket-o-dice games I play. I also enjoy the sound, they make as they pass through. Here is a link to a slow motion video of dice tumbling through, demonstrating how they randomize the dice. Bear in mind that they come out a very short time after you drop them in -- this is slo-mo video… Mine are made of solid Hickory, and solid Padauck woods. I like them plain, and classic. They're not part of the terrain, and I like it that way. I try to keep them off the tabletop, to avoid cluttering up the table and terrain. Cheers! |
 Extra Crispy  | 01 Oct 2018 10:02 a.m. PST |
Here is another easy way to make them: Pick a rigid base of tile or thin board. Line with felt and then glue down static grass in rows to make a field looking area. Line the area with appropriate fences, making sure the fences are at least 1" tall. Even if the fence is oversized for your minis, it will blend in to your table and corral your dice. Another alternative that I like: dice boxes. I use small bead storage boxes and put the dice inside. I put a small bead at one end so we always know what "Die #1" is. Mine are 7 compartments in a single row like this:
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| Lee494 | 01 Oct 2018 2:34 p.m. PST |
Tell the gamers to grow up. Cheaper than a dice tower! |
goes to sea with the Terrain Mat.
