I got my hands on a set of Easy Roller's Gunmetal Dice series. How good are they? Should you buy some? Read on to find out...

In the interest of full disclosure, I was sent this set for free from Michael at Easy Roller but it was in return for an honest review. And review honestly I will!

Packaging

Now I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for well-executed packaging design, and I think that the Easy Roller Dice co. has done an excellent job presenting their premium dice set in a simplistic but elegant way.

The set comes in a leather-ish, hard case that measures about 10cm x 10 cm. Taking off the lid shows the dice inset into foam, each sported in its own individual hole. I think that Easy Roller Dice Co. did a great job making these dice feel like you're getting your money's worth. It was exciting opening the leatherette case to find each die so neatly presented.

As you can see from the image above, the presentation is beautiful and has a really slick feel about it, as you would expect for the $44 USD price tag. Their website says that you could use the box for display purposes for your dice if you're that way inclined, and I have to admit that the quality of the box is definitely nice enough that you could do this.

Dice

The dice themselves look amazing. Included in the set is a D4, D6, D8, D10, D100, D12 and D20. I was sent the green Serpent's Blood flavour, which I think looks sick, but they do come in a variety of colours if green doesn't take your fancy. The numbers show up clearly and brightly against the contrasting shiny gun-metal (greyish-black) finish. Visually they are stunning and this is obviously the most appealing part about the product. They are sitting on my desk right now in their display box with the lid off and I constantly find myself glancing at them. They really do look amazing.

Seriously, I feel like framing these they look that good.

As they are made from metal you should expect a fair bit of weight from each die. The D6 weighs in at 25 grams and the others are about the same, a full set came in at roughly around 128 grams. For comparison's sake, a normal Chessex D6 is 4 grams, and a full set is 28 grams. This presents the only issue that I have with these dice. But in saying this, you would sort of have to expect as much considering you're about to buy a set of METAL dice. They're obviously going to weigh a fair amount more than your regular stock-standard dice.

Playing a Game

You throw dice, right? Across the table usually. Some people toss them in the lid of a game box, others throw them on the carpet or even on a special dice mat.

Easy Roller's name indicates that these dice would be...well...easy to roll. And they are if you are not concerned about damaging every surface you're rolling them on. Because of the weight behind the dice, I was worried about damaging the table. I swapped to the inside of a box lid, which felt much safer but I was still a little concerned about denting the cardboard.

Rolling the dice felt a little strange due to the weight. I assumed I would get used to this sensation, but after a few games but my hesitation was still there. Shaking them in my cupped hands and dropping them on the table was my preferred way to roll. Even though I could sense them rotating you still get a funny feeling they haven't rotated enough.

They're well-balanced too. During my testing, I found no bias toward any side in particular so you can be confident in an equal chance when rolling.

The weight issue is my only complaint with what is otherwise an incredibly polished and indulgent product.

Should you buy these dice?

Yes. As long as you don't mind paying $44 for a set of dice, but then again the price is quite reasonable in my opinion for something this fancy.

I think you'd most likely buy this set to impress friends or even display in a gaming room. Seriously, I feel like framing these they look that good. My only gripe is with the weight. For a product that is made to be thrown, it's a shame that I was constantly worried about throwing it. But this problem is eliminated if you have a dice mat or cup (which you can buy as well from Easy Roller) or are not bothered by a few dents on your playing surface.

Pros

Look incredible
Feel amazing in your hands
Bragging rights

Cons

May dent the playing surface when rolled

Easy Roller Dice Review - Gun Metal Series