Awesome Dice, makers of D&D and RPG dice, recently reached out to us and asked if we would review their Monthly Box of Awesome, a monthly dice subscription service sending you new amazing dice each month. Dice goblins that we are, it was our pleasure to take them up on their offer. This article will review the October Monthly box of awesome as well as some of the other dice offerings that you can find in the Awesome Dice shop.
October’s Monthly Box of Awesome: Triton Phantom Metal Dice Set
In this month’s subscription box we were sent a set of the Triton Phantom Metal Dice, one of many of the metal dice sets Awesome Dice has available. They came housed in their own Awesome Dice tin fitted with custom cut foam to protect the dice. When I opened the dice set and took out the d20, the very first thing out of my mouth was “Wow, this feels sooo good in my hands.” The weight of the dice is extremely satisfying to roll.
Not only did the dice feel good, they looked good as well. Metal dice aren’t always that visually pleasing, but we were really impressed by the vibrancy of the iridescent color. The Triton Phantom Metal Dice Set is made of a burnt metal alloy and a blue outline, and the numbers are inked in black.
I personally didn’t have any issues reading any of the numbers on the dice, but the Awesome Dice website lists them at a 4/5 for readability. This alone is one of the really nice things about Awesome Dice; they give honest product descriptions and the dice live up to the quality you would expect.
The dice in the Triton Phantom Metal Set include the standard 7 polyhedrals you’d expect for a DnD set. While their color is the most stand out part of their appearance, the casting also gives them a really pleasant visual appeal. Of all the dice in this set, I really liked the style of the d6 above the other dice; its unique design really stood out.
Since these are metal dice, we highly recommend rolling them in a dice tray. These are serious metal dice and they definitely didn’t skimp on the quality. The weight and hardness of the material run the risk of denting or chipping any hard surface you roll them on. This is standard for any metal dice set out there, so using a dice tray with these just makes sense. It also helps dampen the noise of each roll. Short of a dice tray, any standard hexmat or travel battlemat would be more than enough protection for your surfaces.
The Triton Phantom Metal Dice Set is a standard 7-dice set and includes the following:
- 1 d4
- 1 d6
- 1 d8
- 1 d10
- 1 d%
- 1 d12
- 1 d20
- 1 padded storage tin
- Included with the dice set was a card detailing a magic item you can use in your game: the Arcanis Magnetica Gloves.
Subscription Box
The Awesome Dice monthly dice subscription, the “Monthly Box of Awesome” is perfect for any dice goblin in your life. Let’s face: it you know you’re going to get 12 sets of dice this year at least, so why not roll in some surprises and keep the dice coming throughout the year? The monthly box includes sets released by Chessex, Q-Workshop, and Awesome Dice originals, as well as other new and exciting dice.
Each box contains products worth at least $30 – $35. So at $29 a month you’re already getting a deal, and having them shipped to each month is an added bonus. In each box you’ll get something unique: 2 to 5 curated items every month that follow a certain theme. October’s theme was “bonus action” and included a fantastic magic item card that paired exceptionally well with the dice.
Awesome Dice is lucky enough to have influencers from the RPG community guest curate their monthly box, so it’s not only going to be unique each month, but it’s also sure to be quality driven with input from the RPG community. Themes can be related to a particular time of year, certain movies, tropes, or curated to pull on those nostalgic strings. You’ll just have to subscribe to find out what fun themes are coming out next.
Is it Worth It For Me?
Not everyone is going to be in love with a monthly subscription box for dice. But for those who are already going to buy their weight in dice this year, this service is a perfect match. The Monthly Box of Awesome is best suited for dice goblins, collectors, and anyone who loves the loot crate style surprise that comes with opening a monthly blind box. Since the boxes are curated you’re never going to get a bad set of dice. And the extras that come with each month’s subscription are icing on the cake.
Personally, I love the monthly subscription model and I can never have enough dice. In fact, I typically end up changing the dice I use based on the character I’m playing or the campaign I’m running. Additionally, when I bring in new players I like to gift them a nice set of dice to match their character. While it’s not much, always having a great set of dice on hand helps get new players into the game.
Who isn’t the Monthly Box of Awesome for? There are two groups of people I would say should pass on this box and just buy what you want directly from Awesome Dice instead. The first group consists of the ultra picky individuals who can never find the right dice. A monthly box isn’t for you because you’ll never know what you’re getting and you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
Instead head over to the Awesome Dice shop and choose any of their other amazing sets that are exactly what you have in mind. Sure, you’ll pay full price as opposed to the discount with the monthly box, but you’ll get the dice that are perfect for you.
The other set of people who shouldn’t go after this subscription are those who already own a good deal of Awesome Dice’s custom items. If you’re just hearing about Awesome Dice for the first time, the box is great. But if you’re a long time customer and you’re already snatching up their unique items, the monthly box could be overkill.
All in all the Monthly Box of Awesome is a great product that we were happy to review. The dice were quality, the shipping was fast, and the packaging was reliable. The subscription service is a fantastic self-purchase or gift for a friend and we really can’t say enough good things about it.
More About Awesome Dice
If you’ve made it this far and are asking just who the Awesome Dice team is, you’ll be happy to know they’re more than just your average dice retailer. Originally founded in 2011, Awesome Dice took dice seriously from the start. This meant creating studies on randomness, deep diving into dice history, and just being an all around champion of cool gaming resources.
The company wasn’t just about selling other people’s creations either. They were in it for the love of the game and developed their own custom dice, starting with the d1 möbius strip die. Even after the company changed hands in 2018 they continued in the spirit of the original founders. They’re still making custom dice today with three new sets currently in the works for 2021! Awesome Dice really do care about the gaming community and it shows in their products.
Other Notable Mentions for the Awesome Dice Store
Awesome Dice has way more to offer than just their Monthly Box of Awesome and we’d be doing our review a disservice by not calling out some of the other great products that they offer. The following are a few of our favorite key items from their store:
Metallic Dice
In addition to the Triton Phantom Metal Dice Set we received in this month subscription box, we also loved these other metallic dice sets:
Polymer Dice
Some Polymer sets we’d like to highlight are:
Gemstone Dice
Gemstone dice are often sold at a premium, but we found the cost of these ones to be quite affordable:
Specialty Dice
Some unique dice sets that we don’t see in other stores:
RPG Gaming Dice
In addition to dice for your Dungeons & Dragons games, they also have dice sets created especially for other tabletop RPGs:
- Pathfinder: Get dice sets specifically themed to campaigns in the Pathfinder Adventure Path series. Our pick of the lot was the Curse of the Crimson Throne set.
- Shadowrun: All the d6 sets you’ll need to get you through any situation. Keep your cool with the Festive Waterlily 36d6 set.
- World of Darkness: Fly your goth flag for games of Vampire: The Masquerade, Requiem, and Werewolf with these Ankh themed 10d10 dice.
The Awesome Dice webstore is loaded with not only dice sets, but dice accessories. If you have rolling, storage, or carrying needs, check out their assortment of dice bags, boxes and rolling trays.
Give in to Your Dice Goblin
If the urge to add to your dice collection has possessed you again, give Awesome Dice your attention. They have tons of great specialty dice for all of your RPG needs.
If you’d like more information about what dice are right for you, check out our article DnD Dice: Master The Dungeon’s Complete Guide to Dice for Dungeons & Dragons.
Happy DMing!