| January 5, 2009 | Posted by Martin Ralya |
It’s been a little while since our last contest, and we thought we’d get 2009 started off right with another one. This time around, you can win one of two sets of dice or a custom Gnome Stew dice bag.
Thanks to Our Sponsors
This contest is sponsored by Game Master Dice, who provided the two sets of dice, and Marsbarn Designs, who gave us the custom Gnome Stew dice bag. (I reviewed Marsbarn’s dice bags in a past article.) Check ‘em both out!
Win Fabulous Prizes
We’re giving away two sets of poly dice from Game Master Dice. Maybe you need a fresh set of dice, or an extra set for one of your buddies — or maybe you’re the player who always forgets your dice. Either way, we’ve got you covered:
…and a custom Gnome Stew dice bag, courtesy of Marsbarn Designs:
Which, incidentally, is fully reversible:
I can’t emphasize enough how great Marsbarn’s bags are. I’ve used mine weekly for several months now, and it still looks like new.
How to Enter
You can enter this contest by posting a comment on this article. To do that, you’ll need to be a Gnome Stew member; it’s free to join this site, and you can register an account right here.
Everyone who posts a comment will be eligible to win one of the two sets of poly dice. (If you post more than one comment, you still only get one entry.) That’s it — post anything you like, and you’re entered to win one of the two sets of dice.
To win the custom Gnome Stew dice bag, you’ll need to guess how many dice I own — based on the picture of the huge pile o’ dice that follows. If you’d like a shot at winning the bag, put your guess in your comment. Whoever comes closest without going over will win this puppy. (If we need a tiebreaker, it will be guessing the number of d30s I own; the secondary tiebreaker is a die roll.)
You can only win one prize, and as always Gnome Stew authors are ineligible to win.
Please note that I’ll be emailing the winners at the email address used for your Gnome Stew account — make sure it’s a valid email address. I’ll put the dice winners directly in touch with Game Master Dice to claim their prizes. I will personally mail the custom Gnome Stew dice bag to whoever wins that prize.
The Pile
Here’s a big pile o’ dice (check out the larger image):
My entire dice collection is in that pile. There are a few dice in small bags or containers that aren’t visible (they’re buried in dice), but no filler under the pile or anything tricksy like that. And yes, I have counted them (and fuck my ass was that a long process!).
I will provide one hint: I posted the number of dice I owned online several years ago, under a handle; I have acquired more dice since then. The chance of connecting that post and this one is pretty slim, but it is possible.
The Deadline
This contest will end (and the comments on this article will be locked) on Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 7:00 pm Mountain time. We’ll announce the winners the following week in a separate post.
Sound good? Get to commenting and guessing, and good luck to everyone who enters!
About Martin Ralya
A father, husband, writer, small-press publisher, RPG industry freelancer, and lifelong geek, Martin has been gaming since 1987 and GMing since 1989. He lives in Utah with his amazing wife, Alysia, their awesome daughter, Lark, and their neurotic beagle, Charlie, in a house full of books and games.
January 6, 2009 at 9:48 am - Link
My dice guess is 3,427 dice, including 12 d30′s. By the way, have you ever actually used a d30 in a game? Is there a role playing game out there that uses d30′s? I mean, I have one too, but I’ve never used it.
January 6, 2009 at 10:00 am - Link
460 dice, with 10 d30s.
Which we use in deadlands when you’re hit by something swinging a telephone pole. Or when we need to decide how many of the wounded villagers die.
January 6, 2009 at 10:01 am - Link
I will guess 1,423 dice and 9 d30′s. You remind me of a friend of mine who had a large beer pitcher of dice (besides his personal stash). We never had to bring dice to his games!
The dice bag looks very cool (love the flames). What kind of material is it made out of? The dice would be a nice addition to my own collection. Yellow is definitely an underrepresented color in my dice box.
Thank you for an enjoyable contest.
January 6, 2009 at 10:05 am - Link
@Bravemaximus – Many years ago, Lou Zocchi produced a 30-sided die with a booklet of 30-sided dice tables. The booklet had tables for D&D encounters, traps, weather, you name it. It’s pretty much a collectable these days and I haven’t seen one in a very long time. I’m sure with a little time and effort you could generate your own 30-slot tables and put that die to good use.
January 6, 2009 at 11:19 am - Link
1321 dice
7 d30
January 6, 2009 at 11:51 am - Link
Hey, I just noticed that one of your d20s in the upper left quadrant is the same one that I usually use for D&D. It’s bound to happen when two gamers (one of whom has a massive f***ing collection!) compare, but it’s still neato.
1,001 Dice with 14 d30s.
January 6, 2009 at 11:52 am - Link
Wow nice dice!
At first glance it looks like 666 dice!
But when I recounted my 3rd eye tells me 888 dice.
That is my final answer.
Great blog!
Happy new year!
January 6, 2009 at 12:56 pm - Link
I’ll guess 523 dice, and 2 d30′s.
January 6, 2009 at 1:27 pm - Link
I considered constructing a 3D model of the 2D image provided to get an accurate projection of the height of the “big pile o’ dice.”
Unfortunately, I was confronted by the reality that I had no idea how to do such a thing and instead stepped away from the keyboard for the big pile o’ M&Ms kept a careful distance from my chair.
Upon my return, I sought to impose my reality upon your pile (I’m not sure that came out right…) and so hazard the guess that your pile will not fit into the flaming gnome dice bag…. Wait! What was the question?
Right – 1,003 dice in the pile. Plus 7 thirty-sided dice for a grand total of 1,010 individual instruments of fate in the pile.
But don’t hold me to that…
January 6, 2009 at 1:46 pm - Link
901 dice. No d30s.
January 6, 2009 at 3:38 pm - Link
2424, with 2 D30s.
January 6, 2009 at 4:58 pm - Link
1310 dice, 1d30
January 6, 2009 at 4:59 pm - Link
3000 dice, twenty D30
January 6, 2009 at 5:17 pm - Link
I’m going to guess 641 dice and 4d30
January 6, 2009 at 5:49 pm - Link
937, 12 d30s
January 6, 2009 at 7:11 pm - Link
Makes me feel like I need to buy a few more dice now.
I’m going to go with 1001 dice and 12 d30s.
January 6, 2009 at 7:28 pm - Link
1742 dice and 6 d30s
January 6, 2009 at 9:12 pm - Link
975 with 3 d30s.
January 6, 2009 at 9:29 pm - Link
Happy New Year to all! Thanks for the kind words about the Stew, and thanks for entering.
d30s, for the record, make fabulous cat toys. That’s about it, though.
@EvilGM – I’m pretty sure I got the smiley/frowney dice at Koplow’s booth at GenCon a few years back; that’s where I’d start if you want to snag a set. I’ve always imagined I’d use them for random NPC reactions, but it’s never actually come up.
@pseudodragon – The dice bag is made of two layers of thin but strong 100% cotton. They rock.
January 6, 2009 at 10:38 pm - Link
1316 dice total. 10 of them are d30 dice.
January 7, 2009 at 12:25 am - Link
Hmmm… I’d say…. 756 dice 13 d30s
January 7, 2009 at 2:05 am - Link
1225 Dice 6 d30s
January 7, 2009 at 2:32 am - Link
that’s a nice collection…
anyway, let’s say 1015 regulars, and i don’t know… 7 x d30…
January 7, 2009 at 9:06 am - Link
I’ll say 1231 dice, with 13 d30′s.
January 7, 2009 at 9:39 am - Link
912 dice
14 of them are d30′s
January 7, 2009 at 10:10 am - Link
796 dice total, and I don’t know – 11 d30s?
January 7, 2009 at 11:03 am - Link
1256 dice, and some 7d30s.
By the way, to those who say there are no d30s: c’mon, just look at the freaking picture! XD
January 7, 2009 at 12:33 pm - Link
1111 dice, with 11 d30s
January 7, 2009 at 3:28 pm - Link
I could always use more dice.
As far as the number in the picture? 1216
And… a dozen d30s?
January 7, 2009 at 3:46 pm - Link
I am going to guess 3,116. Hopefully that’s right! And eh, 13 d30s?
January 7, 2009 at 4:09 pm - Link
I’ll say 1,369 dice and 7 d30s.
January 7, 2009 at 4:19 pm - Link
Wow…guess I’m sorely lacking behind in the dice department. Sooo…let’s see. I figure 832 dice, with 6 d30′s thrown in the mix.
January 7, 2009 at 6:11 pm - Link
1993 dice and 9 d30s.
January 7, 2009 at 6:53 pm - Link
789 Dice and the longest thread on Gnome Stew
January 7, 2009 at 9:21 pm - Link
hi there, just found the blog.
Guessing: 1150 dice, 3 d30′s.
January 7, 2009 at 11:25 pm - Link
Hey all.
I’ll put my guess in at 1523 dice and 11 d30′s.
January 7, 2009 at 11:47 pm - Link
1,385 in the pile.
D’uh! you own 30 d30s! Not because you ever needed them, you just got close to it and thought, “I need that geek badge.”
Er, at least that’s what happened to me when I saw my first packed full skull dice bag.
January 8, 2009 at 3:10 am - Link
Highest without going over, eh?
…
ONE DOLLAR, BOB!
Erm. Sigh. I always wanted to do that. ;_;
1342 dice.
January 8, 2009 at 3:11 am - Link
@rekenner –
ACK. And 10 d30. Not that a tie is likely, as no one has used my guess.
January 8, 2009 at 4:44 am - Link
Dots why did there have to be dots
795 dice
7 d30s
January 8, 2009 at 6:14 am - Link
One thousand, four hundred and sixty-six dice says I! (1466)
And 13 d30s to boot.
Also, wow. That’s a lot of dice.
January 8, 2009 at 8:51 am - Link
I say:
1767 dice and 13 d30s
And I would like to hear them being rolled all at once.
January 8, 2009 at 8:53 am - Link
Exactly 2000.
WAGAWAGA
Including 12 d30s.
There should be more male bums on dicebags says me.
WAGAWAGA!
January 8, 2009 at 8:54 am - Link
I’d like to apologise on the tone of my previous comment. I’m of an extremely excitable age.
January 8, 2009 at 9:58 am - Link
812 dice with 9 d30′s.
That’s one hell of a collection.
January 8, 2009 at 12:17 pm - Link
I am guessing 982 dice and 10 d30s.
January 8, 2009 at 2:10 pm - Link
That is a whopping pile o’dice.
My guess is 625 dice with 5 d30′s.
CJ
January 8, 2009 at 2:31 pm - Link
Hmmm… 1654 dice and 13d30s.
January 8, 2009 at 2:53 pm - Link
568 with some change.
And about 12 d30′s.
Plus those mighty d4 caltrops!
January 8, 2009 at 3:46 pm - Link
684 dice, 7 d30s. Feeling lucky =)