Truly handmade dice are becoming easier to come across with many nerdy business owners buying or creating moulds to make their own plastic dice. Some are printing them, others casting them, and even some are forging dice. As our hobby of tabletop gaming grows and moves into the future, dice have become an indulgence for many players such as myself.
The thing about handmade dice that I personally find so alluring is that no two are the same. They often have small imperfections, but in the most beautiful way, and you know a lot of time and energy has gone into making those dice. I have purchased several sets of handmade dice over the years, and now I’ve begun to purchase them from Green Leaf Geek nearly exclusively.
Having just begun their dice making the journey, it’s been very interesting to watch her from the start. I remember seeing her first die and getting so excited for her! Bonus points: I love supporting local businesses, especially those run by women, and she’s just around the corner from me! Yes for Canadian-made dice sets!
The moment she completed her first set and put it up on her Etsy shop, I snagged them within minutes. I just could not resist how unique and gorgeous they were – not to mention owning the first ever sold set from a new dice maker! When I received them, I was astounded by their details.
Pictures could not do them justice. The sparkles are so incredible in them, so defining, and I was incredibly impressed by the thorough inking of the dice themselves. Very easily readable. They definitely have a smooth, glossy finish to them and feel a bit more lightweight than your average dice, but I love the way they feel. I, personally, am not a fan of “precision edge” dice, as I find they easily scratch, and I feel like this set could hold up for quite some time.
Are they perfectly balanced? No handmade dice are. But, I rolled them quite a few times to determined if they were detrimentally unbalanced and they were not – they are random enough in their rolls to be able to use them at a table during play (with the GM’s permission, of course, as I always ask for that before using handmade dice regardless of the maker).
What I love about this set is also the small moons set into the resin. It just gives it that extra flair and personality to it. For myself, I call these my “Sailor Moon” dice for this purpose alone.
What I also loved is that no two dice were even remotely the same but they all clearly matched. My favourite die I now own is from this set. I am so in love with it, whenever I play I constantly have to just appreciate the sparkles and the way the light catches the coloured swirls as I move it around in my hands.
Past this initial set I bought, Green Leaf Geek has created many other handmade sets and even often has custom slots where you can work with her to create the set that you want. The best part is she seems so open to trying anything – myself, I have a special idea I hope will work out whenever we can try it and can’t wait to share it if it does!
My second set of handmade dice from Green Leaf Geek is her “Revenge of the Nerdz” set, made, of course, from Nerds candy. The colours and inking in this set are once again very pleasing. Very easily readable dice once again. The only issue I ever have with this set is there are more imperfections than the last. There are more bubbles and small ticks in them but I do fully believe that is due to the materials used – especially the bubbles.
They’re still quite pleasing to look at and play with and once again have that smooth, glossy texture.
If you are a dice connoisseur like myself, remember that handmade sets are more expensive than your average ones, however, I find them wholly worth it – and then you are also supporting small business owners! If you aren’t already following Green Leaf Geek on Etsy at her shop or her twitter to watch her new ideas, partial process and more you definitely should now!
Aspiring Halfling 