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Precision Dice Vs. Polyhedral Dice
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Published: November 20, 2006
Die casting is widely accepted to be one of the earliest dalliances of humankind. Die rolling, in addition to gaming and gambling, was employed in facets ranging from decision-making to fortune telling. The role of dice has shifted through history and their evolution from stones and bones to today's common six sided polyhedral dice has progressed over their eight millennium history.
The forerunner of the modern die was initially attributed by Sophocles to the tragic hero of the Trojan War, Palamedes. Among other charges, Palamedes is considered the patron of weights and measures and coinage and counting.
Past and present artifacts suggest dice to be a recreation as early as 2000 BCE. Rudimentary forms of today's gaming cubes have been unearthed throughout the world. Dating of some die reach as early as 6000 BCE. Ancestors of today's polyhedral die are unique in that they appear to be independent innovations of many historic cultures.
Die based games have been substantiated as a facet of entertainment in cultures of the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle-East as well as much of Asia. Gambling for stakes was a popular recreation through medieval Europe amongst the rich and poor alike. Gambling and gaming was not the singular intention of Greco-Roman rollers. Oracles, fortune-tellers and prophets used rolls of the die to shed light on the darkness of the unknown. Others used die to determine inheritance, succession of leadership and divining the future.
The use of a die to determine the future and fate of a person was not without just cause. Greco-Roman beliefs ascribed divine influence over the dice–the die reflected the will of their pantheon, specifically the goddess Fortuna, the earliest manifestation of Lady Luck.
The materials and methods of die design progressed and evolved throughout history. Early die rarely resembled the precise polyhedral dice commonly accessorizing today's games of chance and pastimes. Commonly found items from fruit pits and sea shells to nut husks and small stones were frequently used as dice. Greek, Roman and Arab rollers frequently used the talus or ankle bones of livestock such as sheep for dice- hence, "throwing bones."
Overtime, materials that were enlisted include familiar six-sided die manufactured from metal, wood, bone and ivory.
Aside from customary continental variations in design, today's dice are almost exclusively made from plastics. Dice although commonly found, are anything but common. In addition to many varieties of precision dice used in casinos, and common dice used in informal games such as Pig, Mexico and Threes as well as board games like Yahtzee and Backgammon, many varieties of dice that stray from the six-sided shape are used. War-games, trading card games and role playing games frequently use octahedron (eight-sided), Pentagonal trapezohedron (ten-sided), even icosahedron (twenty-sided) dice. Straying from the common polyhedral die, cylinder, triangular prism or rhombic die can also be found.
Largley used by casinos, precision dice ensure the most random roll of the die. Precision dice are unique in that they are made from plastics including bakelite and cellulose acetate shaped accurately by lathe and machine. Depending on the game, the die will vary in size and shape. Precision die for backgammon are usually smaller with a rounded edge. Conversely, larger, sharp cornered precision die are used for craps. Dice used in casinos have varied finishes including polished, transparent or translucent surfaces. Regardless of the use for the precision made die, to ensure random rolls, instead of holes or pips, the pips of a die will be flushed with paint that bares the same specific gravity of the material used to manufacture the die.
Dice. 2006. Wikipedia. 17 Nov 2006. www.wikipedia.org
PrecisionDice. 2005. Svilen Todorov/ Gammon City. 17 Nov 2006. www.gammoncity.com
Properties of Dice. 2006. Klaus Mogensen. 17 Nov 2006. www.get2net.dk
History. 2006. Coherent Vision IP and Media. 17 Nov 2006. www.ntlworld.com/ dice-play
Palamedes. 2006. Alena Trckova-Flamee/ Encyclopedia Mythica. 17 Nov 2006. www.pantheon.org
The forerunner of the modern die was initially attributed by Sophocles to the tragic hero of the Trojan War, Palamedes. Among other charges, Palamedes is considered the patron of weights and measures and coinage and counting.
Past and present artifacts suggest dice to be a recreation as early as 2000 BCE. Rudimentary forms of today's gaming cubes have been unearthed throughout the world. Dating of some die reach as early as 6000 BCE. Ancestors of today's polyhedral die are unique in that they appear to be independent innovations of many historic cultures.
Die based games have been substantiated as a facet of entertainment in cultures of the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle-East as well as much of Asia. Gambling for stakes was a popular recreation through medieval Europe amongst the rich and poor alike. Gambling and gaming was not the singular intention of Greco-Roman rollers. Oracles, fortune-tellers and prophets used rolls of the die to shed light on the darkness of the unknown. Others used die to determine inheritance, succession of leadership and divining the future.
The use of a die to determine the future and fate of a person was not without just cause. Greco-Roman beliefs ascribed divine influence over the dice–the die reflected the will of their pantheon, specifically the goddess Fortuna, the earliest manifestation of Lady Luck.
The materials and methods of die design progressed and evolved throughout history. Early die rarely resembled the precise polyhedral dice commonly accessorizing today's games of chance and pastimes. Commonly found items from fruit pits and sea shells to nut husks and small stones were frequently used as dice. Greek, Roman and Arab rollers frequently used the talus or ankle bones of livestock such as sheep for dice- hence, "throwing bones."
Overtime, materials that were enlisted include familiar six-sided die manufactured from metal, wood, bone and ivory.
Aside from customary continental variations in design, today's dice are almost exclusively made from plastics. Dice although commonly found, are anything but common. In addition to many varieties of precision dice used in casinos, and common dice used in informal games such as Pig, Mexico and Threes as well as board games like Yahtzee and Backgammon, many varieties of dice that stray from the six-sided shape are used. War-games, trading card games and role playing games frequently use octahedron (eight-sided), Pentagonal trapezohedron (ten-sided), even icosahedron (twenty-sided) dice. Straying from the common polyhedral die, cylinder, triangular prism or rhombic die can also be found.
Largley used by casinos, precision dice ensure the most random roll of the die. Precision dice are unique in that they are made from plastics including bakelite and cellulose acetate shaped accurately by lathe and machine. Depending on the game, the die will vary in size and shape. Precision die for backgammon are usually smaller with a rounded edge. Conversely, larger, sharp cornered precision die are used for craps. Dice used in casinos have varied finishes including polished, transparent or translucent surfaces. Regardless of the use for the precision made die, to ensure random rolls, instead of holes or pips, the pips of a die will be flushed with paint that bares the same specific gravity of the material used to manufacture the die.
Dice. 2006. Wikipedia. 17 Nov 2006. www.wikipedia.org
PrecisionDice. 2005. Svilen Todorov/ Gammon City. 17 Nov 2006. www.gammoncity.com
Properties of Dice. 2006. Klaus Mogensen. 17 Nov 2006. www.get2net.dk
History. 2006. Coherent Vision IP and Media. 17 Nov 2006. www.ntlworld.com/ dice-play
Palamedes. 2006. Alena Trckova-Flamee/ Encyclopedia Mythica. 17 Nov 2006. www.pantheon.org
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