We’ve seen a lot of dice form Die Hard Dice – and they’re generally pretty damn nice. I’ve always had a soft spot for their Gothica series – and I finally get to bring them to your ocular sockets!
Low and behold, it’s been a rainy, foggy, gross mess for two solid months – so these photos are all over the place. Bear with me as we talk about the highlights and low-points of Gothica Ruby and Silver!

Foreword: Due to seven thousand years of rain – the lighting for this photo shoot is a bit wonky. Again, I try to photograph these things as you’d see them at your table. I do my best not to paint them in a light beyond what you can expect to see, and sometimes where you game just has shitty lighting, right?

Storage

Well, crowd favorite – pressed aluminum cases!

Look, these things aren’t very sexy or alluring – but they work. I’ve thrown these in my backpack and let them get banged around – they’re sturdy enough to stand up to weekly use and look good enough to go on a shelf. You really don’t need to ask for much more in terms of storage for your dice.

Color

This is one of the strongest offerings from these dice: the bold ruby color stands out amazingly from the silver trim – the glossy coat and mirror-like polish give it the same lizard-brain allure as a bunch of cherry tomatoes on a porcelain plate.

The high-gloss finish might cause the sharp edges of the numbers and inner edges of the trim to blend and wash together, but dear lord doe they cut a lovely figure!

As you can see, the gloss builds up along the edges of the numbers, but it makes the whole die look ethereal – makes them gleam.

Here’s a line-up of each die as you’d see them on the table – take note of the hard edges, fine points, and shimmery ruby color even in dim fluorescent light.

As you can see, the die all remain striking and easy-to read (even in the moderately low light). The red remains striking at all angles, but if we take a much… much…. MUCH closer look at the coloration – you can see why it has that deep reddish gemstone (ruby) color instead of a flat-looking red:

The crimson colored “filling” on the face of each die is actually comprised of tiny little colored bubbles. Instead of light being reflected in an even, flat coat, it is broken up like the scales of a bright red snake giving a higher contrast at all angles. Very lovely close up as well as at arm’s distance.

Strangely, the camera doesn’t pick up the glisten as well when focused… as when slightly off focus – just like trying to photograph sparkling water, it can get tricky, but just look at this:

The Cut

Gothica dice have a sharp, even ring of bright metal. If you’re curious why the shape of the d10s, particularly, look familiar: Compare it to the Assassin’s Creed logo and say “AHH!” like I did when I finally realized.

The numbers are slim and tall, set in the lower-center of the face of each die. Particularly this makes the d% die quite handsome compared to other companies’ offerings.

The band of smooth arched metal along the equator of the dice helps most of the die (minus the sharp as hell d8 and d4) roll in a circular pattern. Every die (save for the d6) sports immaculately sharp stabbing ends -er… I mean, points. The term “gothica” is a very fitting name for this style of die, I cannot commend that name choice enough.

The hard part/downside to the production of these dice are the flat faces – being so mirror polished, every small nick, ding, and scratch really shows. These dice have been handled like a miniature bird’s egg – these marks are from production. And, as you saw in the other photos, they don’t appear so scarred at a normal gaming distance, it’s only up-close that such things are even visible.

 

Overall

I think this is a particularly stylish and interesting set of dice. The inner polymer makes for a glistening finish, the sharp edges look particularly striking and beautiful, the numbers are easy to read and mirror-bright.

Despite some flaws on close inspection – these things are still pretty tough. The glossy coating on the faces of the die is hard as the metal around it (I took a pick to it myself).

If these things catch your eye at all – grab them! They’re hefty, and feel great in the hand. They roll like Precision dice from Game Science, they’re gorgeous – they’re exceedingly well done in all regards.

 

I don’t always advocate rolling, but when I do… be sure you have to Drop the Die.
Review by JB Little, Follow me on twitter for more “useful” information.