by Dan Carlson
With the start of the Summer of Plunder, the illustrious Baron of Dice dropped one hell of a bombardment: new dice for Blood and Plunder, Port Royal, and Oak and Iron! Baron of Dice is well known for their high-quality, silicone mold-made resin dice, and this newest offering from them collects high marks from this wargamer!
The Dice
As stated above, Baron of Dice manufactures all of their dice via silicone molds that are then laser engraved. This contrasts to other brands that make their dice via injection molds, which result sin more imperfections and may affect things like weight and balance. The craftsmen over at Baron aim for quality above all else!
Since I only play the Firelock offerings that use a d10 system (Plunder, Port Royal, Valor, and Crowns) that will be my focus here. The Dice come in a variety of colors, all corresponding to a particular nation in Plunder.
The dice cover England, Spain, France, the Dutch, Pirates, and Native Americans. Each dice set comes with 10 total dice; nine of them will have the “10” spot marked with each nation’s symbol. They also include one die with a blue and black swirl with the “10” spot marked by pose from the English Commander Sculpt (this was one of the first commanders released during the original Blood and Plunder Kickstarter). Every set comes in a special tin with a foam liner to protect your dice while traveling from game to game.
Each set cost $25 for 10 dice in a nice, padded storage tin.
How Do They Roll?
As stated on Baron of Dice‘s website, these d10s are phenomenally balanced. They roll well, and even in my Gucci Dead Man’s Chest leather dice tray, they rarely end up cocked. They feel heavier than cheaper dice, and the theming is on-point.
My first 3 games, my dice were fickle, resulting in 3 games of Port Royal being devastating losses. However, during game 4 the dice started to warm up, and just absent minded rolling shows that they have averaged out.
No dice jail was used, and I believe that all new dice have a break-in period where they get to decide if they like you or not. I have the Dutch and Pirate Dice. I loaned out the Pirate ones and heard back that they were rolling well. So make sure you get to know your dice!
Aesthetics
The quality of manufacture, heft, and feel are all important aspects of good dice. However, once all those criteria are met, there is one more factor that reigns supreme in my opinion: aesthetics. The dice have to look good, and Baron of Dice nails the aesthetic. The Dutch dice are glossy and with an orange swirl that feels right at home with Dutch miniatures.
The Pirate dice feel like an upgraded version of those in the Port Royal and Blood and Plunder Starter Sets. They are a matte black with white engraving, and are fun to just have in your hands as a fidget toy.
For those who play one of the other nations, don’t you worry! The theming and aesthetic is just as strong with those dice as well! The English dice feature a bright red swirl, Spain contrasts this with a crimson swirl and both feature white engravings.
For the French, a tan/bone swirl was chosen, with the inlays being a brown/red that is really eye catching!
The Native American dice stray from their European counterparts by utilizing a foliage green swirl with amazing gold inlays.
As mentioned earlier, each set includes a single die featuring a blue/black swirl and the English Commander engraving. This unique die is perfect for designating your Commander—who typically wields a pistol rather than a musket. It’s also great for marking a specialized Character like the Sharpshooter, who requires a distinct die when rolling.
The Verdict
As a wargamer, I had never heard of this company before, and often bought my dice from several places based on what I was looking for. However, I am so impressed by the styling and quality of these dice that the Baron has gained a new customer. I highly recommend all of them and for any other games you play, I’m sure there is a set of the Baron’s dice that will fall in line with the theme!
Baron of Dice has also produced an entire line of d8 dice for Firelock Games’ Oak & Iron game.
You can check out Dexter’s review of these dice over at the Plunder Den channel on YouTube:
Blood & Pigment at Baron of Dice
We have partnered with the Baron of Dice to carry these excellent dice in our little shop here on Blood & Pigment and we are proud to help distribute such an excellent product! You can order them straight from Baron of Dice, or include them in an order from Firelock Games, or pick them up here in our shop.
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