Sing, Muse, of the noble dodecahedron, twelve-faced and true,
So oft neglected in the clattering chorus of polyhedral dice!
Raise now a hymn to the least loved of gaming’s solids.
Pity the poor d12! Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. The d20, that lumbering golf ball of chance, sees far more use, while even the d4, a caltrop in disguise, is remembered (if only by the soles of our feet). But the d12? Forgotten. Neglected. Dare I say underappreciated?
Yet, what a die it is! Twelve equal pentagonal faces, each meeting at broad angles. Indeed, the dodecahedron is the shape Plato associated with the heavens themselves, the cosmos rendered in acrylic or resin. According to some ancient sources, the gods used d12s when rolling for Fate. Who needs the Pythia when you’ve got precision-milled polyhedra?
Physically, the d12 may be the most satisfying die to hold. Substantial without being bulky. Perfectly symmetrical. It rolls with purpose. It doesn’t skitter like a d4 or overdo it like percentiles. The d12 knows what it’s about. It rolls once and rolls well. There’s something reassuring in that.
But what is it usually asked to do? Calculate long sword damage against large opponents. Serve as the hit die for the barbarian. It's the gaming equivalent of being called in to move a couch. Even the d10, that irregularly-shaped interloper, has muscled its way to the top of the pile, if only for percentile rolls. The d12? Banished to the edge of the table, like some exiled aristocrat.
I've done my part to rectify this injustice in Thousand Suns, where the d12 takes its rightful place at the center of the action. Why? Because it deserved better. Because it felt right. Because when I picture futuristic exploits in a sprawling interstellar empire, I don’t want to roll a pyramid or a cube. I want a Platonic solid whose geometry is touched by the divine. I want the Golden Ratio embedded in plastic.
Personally I prefer d30s because they double as improv throwing weapons if you're LARPING, ditto the d4 for its application, along with lego pieces, as highly effective caltrops. Having said that, you can stack d12s in 3D structures when bored, so there is that too. :-)
ReplyDeleteHear, hear! Truly I say the d12 is the greatest of dice. I've been known to house-rule more d12s into D&D all over the place; I roll d12 for initiative, for example. And if I ever get this game I've been working on the last few years limped to completion, the d12 featured prominently.
ReplyDeleteI love the underrated d12. I much prefer it to the bloated and omnipresent d20.
ReplyDeleteIn 4e Twilight:2000 the d12 gets use! And I think the new Daggerheart is based on rolling d12s.
ReplyDeleteIn all my OSR games when the scope of success is entirely random I have the players roll the d12 as the universal luck die and interpret the outcome from how high they roll. One player who rolls pretty well everywhere is else is for some reason terrible at this.
ReplyDeleteThe dodecahedron gods have spoken!