How many dice does a player need?

[Lord Mhoram]

I have 5 full set of classic polyhedrals, and extra d10s, d6s and d20s - all chessex red with white. I like my dice to match.

I also have over 100 d6 I have for when I play Champions/Hero - which only uses D6. They are the Chessex 36 d6 block. I have them themed to characters (all green for one, a mix of black and grey for another).

I have a loaner bucket (I've hosted our Champsions game for going on 2 decades) with over 1000 d6 of different types, styles and sizes.

I still buy more dice.

[Threeshades]

For any given d20 game, or something like the Dark Eye no player needs more than the standard 7 set. Although I'd recommend having two 7 sets and perhaps a set of d6.

If you play Shadowrun or most tabletop strategy games, a 36 set of d6es will get you wherever you need to be.

If you play a game like world of darkness, get 8 d10s and you're fine.

I'm not sure what other core dice rolling mechanics exist, but from what I know, two 7 sets, a 36d6 set and six extra d10s should cover all your gaming needs.

One more thing: dice you can't read from across the table with average healty vision and without aids don't count towards the minimum or the maximum. In fact, you should hide those in shame for no one ever to see.

[Vincent Takeda]

I'm a minimalist. I use no more than 10 dice ever.

I've got a d8, d12, and d20 in classic gemdice red green and blue, and a red 30 sider...

for d4 i rol lthe d8, for the d6 I roll the d12. i roll a pair of d20 for percentiles. and tend to only use the d30 when we need a large creature or a campfire on the battle mat.

Our thief on the other hand needsa metric ton of d6 so I can see why my way wouldn't work for everyone. I'd be interested in picking up 3 primary color d24 from the standpoint that it could be used for d4, d6, d8 and d12 rolls. Then I'd be down to 3d24 and 3d20 and a d30 just to be wierd.

[Calybos1]

It also depends on what games you play. If you like White Wolf games, for example, you'll need at least a dozen d10s. For Champions, you need a lot of d6s.

And if you're a completist, you'll want to buy a single, shiny d12 that you keep in a glass case because you'll never, ever need to roll it under any circumstances.

[Threeshades]

Calybos1 wrote:

It also depends on what games you play. If you like White Wolf games, for example, you'll need at least a dozen d10s. For Champions, you need a lot of d6s.

And if you're a completist, you'll want to buy a single, shiny d12 that you keep in a glass case because you'll never, ever need to roll it under any circumstances.

Actually...

[Jaelithe]

Why not buy a few sets, present one as an initial gift, then have others on hand as supplementary presents if this person decides they enjoy role-playing and begins to hanker for more dice? It could become a running affectionate joke between you.

[Orthos]

Threeshades wrote:

Calybos1 wrote:

It also depends on what games you play. If you like White Wolf games, for example, you'll need at least a dozen d10s. For Champions, you need a lot of d6s.

And if you're a completist, you'll want to buy a single, shiny d12 that you keep in a glass case because you'll never, ever need to roll it under any circumstances.

Actually...

I never noticed this before but in retrospect it's amusing seeing Belkar saying "Barbarians suck!" when later on in the comic he dips into the class.

[Klaus van der Kroft]

OP's question implies that there is a limit to the number of dice one should have.

There is none.

More Dice = Better skin, crops grow healthier, your kids behave, you run faster, your farts smell like fresh watermellon in the summer and sound like music.

You are a better person overall the more dice you have. It is almost scientifically proven.