Dark Elf Dice Blog

How To Add Your Free Game Dice To Your Order

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This year, Dark Elf Dice is giving away a free set of translucent green Hard Candy dice with every purchase. This special offer will expire on Monday, March 21, 2022 at midnight MT. Good while supplies last.

Here's how to add a free set of dice to your order:

1. Follow this link to go to the Hard Candy Translucent dice listing.
2. Click the "Add To Cart" button to add the dice to your shopping cart.
3. Once you finish your shopping, go to your shopping cart to complete the checkout process.
4. The coupon code will automatically be applied to your cart and the $6.10 price of the Hard Candy dice will be deducted from your total.

Notes

• An additional purchase is required to receive the free set of dice.
• Alternately, you can apply the coupon code ST PATS during checkout under the "Gift card or discount code" section to deduct the price of the dice.
• Offer good while supplies last.

Happy gaming and happy St. Patrick's Day from all of us at Dark Elf Dice :)

Giveaway Is Now Over

Thanks again for everyone who entered our Baby Berserker dice giveaway! We had a total of 246 entries from which we randomly selected three lucky winners via Random.org.

Congratulations to:

Rebecca A.

Dylan L.

Dominic R.

We love giving away dice at Dark Elf Dice, so stay tuned! We'll be running another giveaway promotion soon.

Baby Berserker Dice

Get ready for another adventure! It's time for a Dark Elf Dice giveaway! This time we're giving away a set of metal Baby Berserker Dice to three lucky people. Winners can pick their favorite color -- there are three different Baby Berserker dice sets to choose from. Check 'em out here.

Dice Giveaway Rules

• Entering for a chance to win is super easy. All you need to do is click the link below to complete a giveaway entry.
• Please Note: Your information WILL ONLY be used to contact you in case you win. You do have the option of subscribing to the Dark Elf Dice newsletter, but this is completely optional and does not improve your chances of being randomly selected. If you decide to join our community and signup, we'll send you a newsletter once a week with dice news and exclusive subscriber only offers and coupons.
  
• Entries will be collected through February 28, 2022 at 10:00PM Mountain Time. Three winners will be chosen at random via Random.org the following day, March 1.
• Only one entry per person please. Multiple entries will be discarded and will not improve the chances of being randomly selected.

The Autumn Dice Giveaway Is Now Closed

Congratulations to the three lucky entrants of our giveaway!

Ommar B.

Jo H.

David L.

Also, we sincerely thank everyone who submitted an entry. The Autumn dice giveaway had a total of 503 entrants. We had a lot of fun, and plan on running future giveaways on our website and social media, so stay tuned. Thank you again and happy adventuring!

Autumn Dice

Fall is in the air, and it's time for another Dark Elf Dice giveaway! This time we're giving away a set of Autumn Dice to three lucky people. Check 'em out here.

Dice Giveaway Rules

• Entering for a chance to win is super easy. All you need to do is click the link below to complete a giveaway entry.
• Please Note: Your information WILL ONLY be used to contact you in case you win. You do have the option of subscribing to the Dark Elf Dice newsletter, but this is completely optional and does not improve your chances of being randomly selected.
• Entries will be collected through October 10, 2021 at 10:00PM Mountain Time. Three winners will be chosen at random via Random.org on October 11.
• Only one entry per person please. Multiple entries will be discarded and will not improve the chances of being randomly selected.

The Starfish Dice Giveaway Is Now Closed

Congratulations to the three lucky entrants of our giveaway!

Jessica T.

Ashley K.

Erin F.

Also, we sincerely thank everyone who submitted an entry. The Starfish dice giveaway had a total of 450 entrants. We had a lot of fun, and plan on running future giveaways on our website and social media, so stay tuned. Thank you again and happy adventuring!

Starfish Dice

Summer's still here, and it's time for another Dark Elf Dice giveaway! This time we're giving away a set of Starfish Dice to three lucky people. Winners can pick their favorite dice -- there are five different Starfish Dice sets available. Check 'em out here.

Dice Giveaway Rules

• Entering for a chance to win is super easy. All you need to do is click the link below to complete a giveaway entry.
• Please Note: Your information WILL ONLY be used to contact you in case you win. You do have the option of subscribing to the Dark Elf Dice newsletter, but this is completely optional and does not improve your chances of being randomly selected.
• Entries will be collected through August 22, 2021 at 10:00PM Mountain Time. Three winners will be chosen at random via Random.org on August 23.
• Only one entry per person please. Multiple entries will be discarded and will not improve the chances of being randomly selected.

One of the things I like best about tabletop roleplaying games is the shared storytelling experience you engage in with other players. I'm always excited for game night and for the chance to spend time with friends and family for a relaxing evening filled with fun and adventure. Gathering around the game table for laughs and good times is priceless.

Character Death

That being said, it goes without saying that character death is part of the tabletop gaming experience. Dungeon delving and fighting a bestiary of fantasy monsters is dangerous business after all, and as soon as the Initiative dice are cast, a TTRPG character risks death at the hands, claws, or teeth of the bad guys (to say nothing of the spells and traps that can bring about a character's demise).

From a gaming perspective, the risk of death is one the elements that makes the game exciting. If a character is invincible and immune to death, the game becomes boring in my experience. For me, my best characters are vulnerable and can be injured -- sometimes mortally. During each encounter, I'm not 100% certain if my character will survive. The fear of death allows me to play my character to his or her fullest, and forces me to be smart with the choices I make in game.

How To Handle Character Death In Game

Even though character death is part of the tabletop roleplaying experience, it needs to be handled correctly. In the games I'm typically involved with, players spend hours crafting characters and get really involved with backstory and roleplaying. As mentioned above, the risk of death is unavoidable, but nothing will ruin a game faster and result in hard feelings quicker if a character's death is cheapened or happens as the result of unfair tactics by a Game Master.

In my experience, here are a few ways to handle a character death the right way:

1. The character death must have meaning. In our fantasy worlds, our characters are heroes, and as such they deserve a hero's death. Let's face it -- there are some nights when your dice truly hate you, or when you employ a tactic (that in hindsight), wasn't the smartest move your character could have made given the situation. On nights like this, when fate is against you and your character dies, a good GM will give your character's death meaning. Death is more easily accepted when a character dies to protect others or in some heroic fashion that helps progress the story's narrative, etc. Even a Total Party Kill (TPK), can be enjoyable if the end result is the stuff of legend.
2. The character death must be fair. In my opinion, tabletop roleplaying is about a shared storytelling experience. The GM and players work together to create a fantastic tale both exciting and memorable. Personally, I can't stand games that pit GM vs. Players where each side is trying to one up the other. These types of games are frustrating for everyone, and can result in hard feelings when a character dies. If a character dies in glorious combat, so be it. Let the dice speak. The character death will have meaning (see number 1 above). However, to murder a character by stretching the boundaries of what is reasonable fosters an adversarial relationship between GM and player, and smacks of vindictiveness, unfairness, and sadly risks ruining everyone's fun.
3. The character should be honored in death. As I mentioned earlier, in the games I'm typically involved with, players put a lot of effort in character development. If a character's death 1) has meaning and 2) was fair, the players I game with are generally left satisfied. However, to further improve the narrative and give closure, I find it helpful to hold a funeral for the character and for the party to honor him or her with speeches, prayers, oaths of vengeance, etc. A character's death can create an interesting story hook, give opportunities for roleplay flavor, and may inspire the party to take a course of action that will develop the story in new and exciting ways.
4. A note about Resurrection. At higher levels, some spellcasters have the ability to cast a Resurrection spell to bring a character back from the dead. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this. If Resurrection is cast as frequently and casually as drinking a Potion of Healing for example, the character death is cheapened and the element of danger and risk to players is lessened in the game. This can lead to boredom and sloppy roleplaying (don't worry, if I die I'll just get resurrected). Resurrection can break a game, so use sparingly and with caution. One idea is to have the party embark on an epic quest to retrieve a special magic item or spell component to allow Resurrection to be cast. This will make bringing a character back from the dead a challenging, epic event as opposed to simply burning through a spell slot.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it fellow travelers. These are just my observations and opinions on how to handle a character death. Do you have any suggestions or ideas? Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below. Until next time! Keep rolling nat 20's and have fun with your games :)

It's been a busy year for the game designers at Wizard's of the Coast. It was just last month that I wrote about the upcoming release of two new Dungeons and Dragons books (in case you missed the article, you can read it here). Now we're being told about the release of yet another book before the end of the year: Fizban's Treasury of Dragons.

Fizban's Treasury Of Dragons

Well, you can't spell "Dungeons and Dragons" without "Dragons," and the Wizards team is focusing on all things dragonkind in this newest D&D 5e hardcover book. Set to release on October 19, 2021 Fizban's Treasury of Dragons is designed to be the ultimate guide to the most iconic creatures in tabletop roleplaying.

Fizban (war hero, archmage, and dragon scholar extraordinaire) will be our invaluable guide and help us understand the myths and mysteries of dragons like never before. Within the pages of this treasury, players and Dungeon Masters alike will find:

• A complete dragon bestiary with a variety of new dragons -- including the introduction of Gem Dragons and new dragon lair maps.
• New player character options, including dragon-themed subclasses, new feats, spells, and draconic ancestries.
• Legends and lore pertaining to the First World and Bahamut and Tiamat.

In Case You Missed It: Looking Back At The Dragon Issue 1

Final Thoughts

I suppose if I could only add one new Dungeons and Dragons book to my collection this year, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons would be it. I don't mean this as a slight to the other two book releases coming soon (my apologies to The Wild Beyond The Witchlight and Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos!), but there's always been a special place in my heart for dragons.

So what do you think? Will you be planning on adding Fizban's Treasury of Dragons to your collection? Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below.

That's it for now, fellow travelers. I hope everyone has an amazing week and has an opportunity to get together with friends and family to play games and have fun. Until next time!