Publisher/Date:
Battleschool (2010)
Product Type:
Accessory
Country of Origin:
Canada
Contents:
1, 2 or 4 dice (9/16"/14mm) of various possible colors
BattleDice are custom made precision dice intended to appeal to ASL player, usually with some sort of ASL-related theme based on color scheme and foil graphics where the “1” pip of a die would usually be. BattleDice originally debuted in June 2010 at a small Canadian ASL tournament (the “Battle at Beau’s”) run by BattleSchool outside of Ottawa, Canada.
BattleDice are made of cellulose acetate. To date, they have appeared in white, black, dark red, amber, green, saffron (whatever that is), light blue, and dark blue. The black and white dice are solid; the colored dice are translucent. They all have rounded corners. Depending on the die, the special image may be black or a gold or silver foil.
According to BattleSchool:
The dice are custom made by a US firm that manufactures precision dice for casinos in the States and elsewhere. They are NOT engraved. The (foil) logo is applied with a hot-stamp process. The dice meet the same standards for size (to within 5/1000 of an inch) on all sides. The pips are milled out and then filled with paint the same density as the material removed. The paint is applied with a syringe! The dice go through several polishing, milling and quality control steps. With the exception of a logo in place of the “ace,” these dice are no different than precision casino dice featuring a logo between the “twips.”
What debuted at “Beau’s” was the “Tommy” BattleDice, which has a British/Canadian feel to it, thanks to the image of the “Tommy”. In lieu of the “1” on the die, there is an image of a soldier with a British helmet and the word BattleSchool.
The “standard” or “Tommy” BattleDice set appears to be 4 9/16″ (14mm) dice, sold in various combinations (including 1 white, 3 colored of 2 or 3 different colors; 2 white and 2 of 2 different colors; and different combinations of 2 dice)).
The dice are very attractive. Being precision dice, they presumably are well-balanced. BattleSchool says that they are the same quality as dice used by professional backgammon players (and presumably are obtained from a company that makes the same). The custom images are not engraved; rathery, they are applied using a hot-stamp foil process.
The “Tommy” dice are among the least interesting of the various ASL accessory dice that BattleSchool offers and in some ways can be taken as a “proof of concept” attempt before embarking upon a more ambitious program of dice design and production.
2012 Update: In 2012, Battleschool issued a new “Tommy” die, a 9/16″ (14mm) saffron die with a red foil Tommy emblem and white pips.
2013 Update: In 2013, Battleschool issued a 4-die “Tommy Starter Pack” that included a gold foil on green die, a green foil on white die, a blue foil on white die, and a gold foil on blue die. These exact combinations do not seem to have appeared in previous sets, for those readers who may have the misfortune to be unbelievably compulsive collectors.
2015 Update: in 2015, Battleschool released 3 2-die “Tommy” dice sets, each with one white and one colored die. The first two-set is black/white, with green foil “Tommy” images on the 1-facing of each die. The second two-set is black/white, with blue foil “Tommy” images on the 1-facing of each die. The final two-set is red/white, with a red foil “Tommy” on the 1-facing of the white die and a silver foil “Tommy” on the 1-facing of the red die.
See also Ostfront Sniper! Pack, which despite its name contains more “Tommy” dice.
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