It’s true that the greatest tabletop RPGs may be performed with little greater than pen and paper, however that hasn’t stopped a thriving trade of TTRPG paraphernalia from popping up. Catering to the discerning tastes of e-book collectors, miniature hoarders, and plushie mother and father alike, there are a complete host of goodies on the market that tempt gamers to drop their gold items.
Fancy cube are the gold normal of ‘I don’t want this, however I actually need this’ purchases for normal gamers of video games like D&D. For a lot of self-confessed cube goblins, Bluetooth-enabled digital cube are high of the wishlist.
E-dice are nonetheless a burgeoning know-how, however there are already a couple of choices in the marketplace to select from at various value factors. Nonetheless, regardless of the place you choose your digital cube up, they’re nonetheless a premium purchase in comparison with the analog various. So, you’ll wish to be certain you’re getting a premium expertise to match.
To assist my fellow TTRPG followers on their cube hunt – and quell my very own curiosity, actually – I took a while to check out two of the main manufacturers of digital cube: Pixels and GoDice.
For reference, a single die from Pixels prices $65 on Amazon, whereas GoDice goes for $39.95 on Amazon. When you begin exploring the choice of cube units versus singles, the gulf between them solely widens. The usual 7 cube you’d attain for in any given session (d20, d12, d10, d%, d8, d6, and d4) go for $360 on the Pixels web site, whereas GoDice gives an equal bundle for $149.95. From the get-go, it’s clear that GoDice has the one up on Pixels in the case of affordability.
As I obtained right down to testing each manufacturers of sensible cube, I discovered that was the place GoDice’s win streak got here to an abrupt finish. Sadly, GoDice’s failings don’t finish with the terrible baby-handed GenAI beardo they’ve plastered on their Amazon storefront.
Earlier than you even begin rolling, you’ll discover that Pixels has GoDice beat with a bit of over double the battery life (5 hours must be greater than sufficient for even essentially the most gruelling dungeon diving) and a a lot hardier charging case. The see-through acrylic charging field of the GoDice is unquestionably one thing I’d pop into one other smaller bag earlier than tossing it in your backpack.
All the way down to the essential half: utilizing the cube. Each units of sensible cube delivered roughly the identical stage of responsiveness throughout in-person and VTT periods (Roll20 and FoundryVTT), however Pixels provided barely larger ease of use and the next stage of customizability. It’s fairly commendable when one thing manages to be each foolproof sufficient for complete luddites to handle whereas additionally being open supply sufficient for folk to go contained in the black field and make one thing all their very own.
Talking of what is contained in the black field, I really feel like an enormous thorn within the facet of GoDice’s RPG line is that every of their cube is only a d6 in a hollow-feeling plastic shell. Whereas a pretty possibility for individuals whose main use case for the cube are as d6s, for those who’re primarily in search of out digital cube to be used in TTRPG, this resolution doubtless received’t lower the mustard. With higher-quality feeling supplies, this may occasionally have been an enough workaround offered the cube had been truly the form they’re presupposed to be. I don’t assume I’d ever actually thought-about how essential the type of my cube was till I discovered myself rolling a 24-sided d8 and felt one thing small inside me die.
You may name {that a} petty grievance, however I discovered myself eager for a basic set of dumb cube and even the solely digital possibility that comes as normal in my VTT. Actually, there’s one thing so disappointing about shelling out for champagne after which lacking your carton of grape juice.
What’s extra, it’s important to unsheath the cube from their costumes when it’s come time to cost them, and that proved to be extra of a problem than you’d ever anticipate. At one level, I even sunk right down to the extent of pulling the die out with my enamel (neither the creators of GoDice, GamesRadar+, nor I endorse this methodology).
In contrast, a Pixels die –with its clear edges and easy resin end– feels simply as particular (and dare I say magical?) in your hand as it’s in idea. In a really perfect world, the LEDs could be burrowed a bit of deeper to assist make their glow seem extra subtle, however that’s not one thing that I’d precisely maintain towards them. To not point out, the teeny tiny debuff to readability is offset by simply how sensible these lights look dancing throughout your cube tray.
If you’re not rolling within the dough, it may be tempting to go for the budget-friendly various. That 100% is sensible. And, in fact, I definitely wouldn’t decide anybody for busting out some GoDice at any desk I’m taking part in at. In any case, on a fundamental stage, they ship the identical enjoyable novelty of every other set of sensible cube. That mentioned, for those who ask me which of the 2 between Pixels and GoDice it’s best to add to your cube hoard, I’d need to hit you with the unlucky reality: it’s value holding out till your price range facilitates choosing the extra high-end possibility.
For extra fancy cube enterprise, try the information on the HeroForge Customized Cube Kickstarter. For suggestions on what so as to add to your assortment, why not try the greatest board video games or the greatest D&D books?
