Dice Lore: the meaning of the color of your dice

Back in the old days…uh…mid 70’s, there wasn’t really any choice as to what
Color your RPG dice. The dice that came with the original D&D boxes were a done deal.
You have a white D20 (0-9 twice), no D10 (use the d20 of course!), a blue D12, a green D8,
a red d6 and a yellow D4.* There is no choice. But that’s not the way it is now.

I find myself wondering why players choose the colors of the dice they choose. People buy a lot of black
say, for example. Sometimes players are just trying to get dice that are different enough from
those of the others at the table. After all, no one likes to be left wondering “Is this my
D8 or yours?” at the end of a long night of fantasy intrigue, treasure and bloodshed.

Players often seek to collect a set of matching dice for each active character they are on.
using: brown dice for Smedley the Dwarf, and white for Anastasia the High Elf, for example.
Maybe also some little red biddies for Tubby the Gnome.

But beyond that, people are drawn to different colors for different reasons. Bright colors
they are cheerful and outgoing, dark colors are subdued, even mysterious. So I thought I’d investigate
the associated meanings behind certain colors, to see if I could shed any light on this.

This is what I discovered:

Red: Red is heat, passion, love (think Valentine’s Day), and war (think blood). red is a color
that jumps out at you. It really makes things look bigger than other colors! definitely an extrovert
color.

Orange: Orange is associated with fall and Halloween, but it’s also a symbol of courage (think
tigers).

Yellow: In Western culture, yellow means caution (yield signs, caution tape), but it also means
cowardice It is the brightest of the primary colors (red, yellow and blue), and we think of the
sun as if it were yellow. Yellow is kind of a split personality color actually.

Green: Ah, green fields, green trees, lush grass and moss… Can you tell I like green? Green
light means “Go” in Western culture. Pale green is a calming color, and it rests your eyes…why
Do you think all those hospital rooms are painted pale green?

Blue: Blue is cool. It can also be very relaxing (think blue skies and blue seas), but run
the risk of being a bit too quiet at times. The blue recedes, appearing smaller and further away.
What hot colors. Too much blue can be depressing (feeling sad?) or seem symbolic of
corporate heaviness (blue suits).

Purple: This is a color associated with royalty, luxury, and wealth. Purple is passion, but more than
the fiery variety. It is not as exterior as red, but much warmer than blue.

Pink: In Western culture, pink is the color for girls. That goes back to the red and pink that symbolize the earth.
and blue symbolizing the sky. Pink for the Earth Goddess and Blue for the Sky God. embodies the
rosy-cheeked youth. It’s sweet like strawberry ice cream and bubble gum…too cute
for some.

Brown: Brown is earthy, like the ground we walk on or the bark of a tree. it’s constant,
predictable, stable, warm and comfortable. Did I say boring? Well, not always. brown can be
beautiful like animal skin, or dirty… like, um… dirt.

White: White is purity. It stands for potential (think blank canvas) and innocence.

Grey: Mysterious mist, a softer version of black, a less pure version of white. Gray is indecisive
and also industrial.

Black: Well that’s night, depth, mystery, blindness, strength, death and darkness…! It is also the most popular option. Basic black: goes with everything.

*(See a picture of the original TSR polyhedral dice:

Dice 1st Edition [http://www.advancinghordes.com/product_info.php/manufacturers_id/21/products_id/1016])

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