Customizable Wooden Dice by Alea Jacta Est | Review
I want to thank Alea Jacta Est for sending us some of their customizable wooden dice in order for us to write this review.
These six-sided wooden dice of various sizes can be customized through the official website. I had the pleasure of creating three custom dice and receiving two sets of specific dice to play the Orlog game (taken from Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla).
If you are interested in purchasing them, they are available on the Alea Jacta Est official website; the 2 cm sided dice cost €8.45, those of 3 cm €11.90, the 4 cm dice €12.90 while two sets of dice for the Orlog game cost €36. However, many other dice are offered both pre-made and to be customized so I suggest you take a look at them and find out the relative offers; buying more of the same dice allows you to have ever greater discounts!
Review of the General Characteristics of the Customizable Wooden Dice of Alea Jacta Est
Through the official site you can start creating your own d6! I admit that it would be nice to see the addition of other types of dice, but I realize that some are not easy to make in wood in a precise way.
The site also offers pre-made dice, with different themes and sizes. They are not all thought for roleplaying games, so I advise you to take a look even if you are looking for gift ideas. There are dice for choosing a physical exercise to do, or choose which drink or food consume and much more.
The dice are all of the same material: handcrafted wood from the French region of Burgundy-Franca County. The passion and care shown by the authors are remarkable and are noted in their high quality products; I have the impression to have accessories that will last over time.
How To Create Your Own Customizable Dice
First, the size of the side must be selected, which can be 2, 3, 4 or 7.5 cm for the dice with rounded edges, while the perfectly cubic ones are only available with 2 or 3 cm sides. In addition to the classic dice, the key ring version is also available, but only in the version with the rounded edges of side 2 or 3 cm.
Each face of the dice can be modified according to your tastes; a text, an image or a QR code can be inserted on each of them. Text can be used in combination with one of the other two options, except for 2cm dice, on which you can only choose one type of customization for each side of the dice.
The fonts are just a few and simple, so as not to compromise legibility; of course you can also choose the size of the text to suit your tastes.
Instead, I found the images more varied; we go from the classic numbers to emoticons, symbols, animals, activities and much more. The size of the images can also be adjusted and the possibility to rotate them adds another degree of customization. Furthermore, you can also add images loaded directly from your device, provided of course that they are not too complex; the wood is burned in order to engrave the writings and images, so too many details would only generate a confused and illegible result.
The possibility of inserting QR codes is also very interesting. You can add them via links, through Wi-Fi or by filling out the fields of a typical business card and letting the site instantly generate one.
My Choises: Examples of Dice
Thanks to the kindness of Alea Jacta Est, I can now tell you in detail about the three dice I was able to customize and why I made these choices.
I dedicated the first dice to our website: a wooden dice with simple numbers and the stylized No Dice Unrolled logo on one side. The size I chose for this dice is 4 cm, in order to give the right space to the image. For this reason it is particular to handle, but seeing a dice with your logo on it makes a nice effect! And considering the size it is not even too heavy.
Then I wanted to put a different emoticon on each face of the second dice; I thought it could be used during an encounter with an NPC to randomly decide their first impression of the party. In this case I chose the smallest size and it is much more manageable and lighter than the first creation. The pyrographies are well done, cleaner and more precise than those of the first dice, considering the greater simplicity of the subjects.
Finally I created a 3 cm key ring, this can be a nice idea to have a keepsake of your favourite campaigns; for example, I inserted a symbol representing one of the characters, with their name, on each face. This dice certainly cannot be used for playing but it can be a good gift for players or masters.
Orlog: Norse Dice
As already anticipated, I have also received two sets ready for playing Orlog, a Norse dice game based on strategy and luck, taken from the videogame Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. This game has not really existed in the Norse traditions, but it is certainly very themed.
This is a game in which dice are launched (three times each round) and the results are confronted with the opponent. Each face presents symbols such as helmets, shields, arrows and axes and their interactions allow you to understand how the battle proceeds. The fate of the latter can also be influenced by the use of the favor of the Gods, another significant mechanics.
I found the idea of having these dice in the store very original; with two sets it is possible to give life to infinite battles; I also advise you to take a look at all extra accessories, such as pebbles, tokens and much more.
In case you want to learn more about this dice game and how it works, we leave you this video of explanations.
Conclusions of the Customizable Dice Alea Jacta East
The Alea Jacta Est handcrafted dice are a great product: aesthetically appealing, qualitatively valid and made in a sustainable manner. I appreciat the use of minimalist linen bags and the absence of plastic in the packaging. Protecting the environment is always an added value!
As for the customization of the dice, I am surprised by the variety of choices and the possibility of inserting totally personalized images. For dice collectors this product is not to be missed, above all because they are made of wood and customizable at the same time! Also, if you need custom dice for your original tabletop RPG, this might be a good way to make them custom made out of wood.
Waiting to see also Alea Jacta Est customizable polyhedral dice, I recommend everyone to take a look at their site, you will not regret it; it is constantly evolving and expanding, so you can definitely find many new additional options!