Speaking of issue #62 of Dragon (June 1982), here's another advertisement from that same issue that stuck in my memory.
Now, electronic dice rollers were very trendy at the time, as evidenced by the existence of Dragonbone. They're yet another example of a transitional technology that is quickly superseded but that, for a time, manages to find a place in the market. For about a decade, starting in the mid-1970s, there were electronic versions of all sorts of things, spurred on by the decrease in the prices of integrated circuits, microprocessors, and transistors. Given that, I'm not at all surprised by the appearance of dice rollers like this.
What strikes me as unique about this advertisement is that, unlike Dragonbone, this was a kit to build your own "ultimate gaming aid" rather than a finished consumer product. I recall seeing "build your own radio" kits for sale in the Sears catalog and, of course, at Radio Shack, so it's not as if something of this sort was completely unheard of. However, at $19.98 (close to $65 in today's debased currency), this is very expensive for a do-it-yourself dice roller. Dragonbone was "only" $5 more, which makes me wonder if they had many sales. My guess is probably not, but there's no way to prove or disprove it now.
Rolling dice is one of the most fun parts of playing!
ReplyDelete::"in today's debased currency"::
+1!
There were loads of electronic diy projects in the 60s, 70s and, 80s in various electronics and radio magazines. You could build stereo gear, synthesizers, all sorts of CB gear, computers, etc, etc. It was very vibrant time for the electronic construction hobbyist.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that at this point the majority of computer users were likely building or repairing and programming lots of their own equipment too.
To a certain extent diy electronics is still a huge thing with micro-controllers, robotics, and loads of throwback or vintage/retro projects. There's a whole slew of people that build modular synth gear today, for example. Almost every small computer from the 70s and 80s has been hardware cloned or redone on a newer one chip or handful of chips system.
A large group of role-players were likely involved in many of these hobbies too, certainly with regard to computers since programs to useful things were ubiquitous.
Remember when Space Gamer used to have a regular column on programming and gaming-related software news? Bill Armintrout used to write it, the designer of OneWorld and Hotspot for Metagaming.
DeleteSo true, Degenerate. A comment I'd add is that building an electronic dice roller is a meaningful chunk of work, but not such a large project that it's intimidating.
DeleteA great choice for a DIY electronic kit, really.
I would have hated this thing. I play 'in real life', and one of the aspects I love about that is the fact that you can actually roll physical dice. I own several sets (more than I [currently] need), and am still searching for new cool looking dice from time to time. If I would ever be forced to play through digital means (roll20, fantasy grounds, etc.) then I am really going to miss the physical dice rolls.
ReplyDeleteI often roll real dice for online play.
DeleteI love how that ad is for a computer gaming aide yet it looks hand-lettered, and vaguely like a ransom note to boot.
ReplyDeleteAlso, several of the millennial players in my online D&D game hand roll their dice at least part of the time. Especially when Roll20 is having "one of those days" and everyone seems to be rolling streaks of 1's and 2's punctuated by the occasional 20 (usually for a perception check).
Never had a Dragonbone or copy, but soon after that time, I did have a Tandy PC-1 pocket computer, and wrote a tiny dice roller which I used a lot. INPUT N,S etc.
ReplyDeleteAt a group table, I've always used physical dice, but for solos and online the programs are often more convenient.
I guess you can also roll real dice during online play, as multiple others here have stated. But (and nothing personally aimed at anyone, but more generally speaking): do the others (player's and DM) actually see what someone has rolled with your real dice (perhaps you have a camera aimed at the dice), or do you trust each other enough that they will not lie about what they rolled ?
ReplyDeleteTrust. At this point in my life, I don't want to waste brain energy worrying about cheating. If someone feels a need to cheat to enjoy my game, likely they will end up not liking the game because too many rolls are not in their hands and won't be cheated, or someone will notice and eventually raise a stink (might even be me), or they cheat so infrequently as to escape notice, in which case, who cares?
DeleteI think Tim Kask just talked about this in one of his most recent videos.
ReplyDelete