D&D Dice Box

Dec 2019

OBJECTIVE

To make a thoughtful Christmas gift for a friend who often spent weekends acting as a Dungeon Master for a local D&D group.

SKILLS SNAPSHOT

VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER RESEARCH

PRODUCT DESIGN

ITERATIVE PROTOTYPING

DESIGN STEPS

Researched common dice box builds
Contacted another friend to ask about desirable dice box features
Sketched an initial design including:
- Two tumbling ramps covered by a thin piece of plastic
- Chains to ensure the lid consistently opened to a certain angle
- Several storage compartments, including an ornamental compartment to store hexagonal dice
- Magnetic closures
Sourced and purchased DIY materials
Removed existing hardware from the outer box and stained accordingly
Built three tumbling ramps out of foam and covered them in balsa wood
- Using foam allowed the shape of each tumbling ramp to be changed iteratively
- Wood covering provides rigidity needed to repetitively take dice impacts
Built storage compartments out of balsa wood cut with a hack saw
Glued all storage compartments into the outer box
Felted all exposed surfaces of the tumbling ramps and compartments in order to:
- Dampen the sound of tumbling dice to a more pleasant volume
- Provide aesthetic uniformity to the project
Drilled holes in each corner of the outer box and glued in magnets for magnetic closure
Cut chains and attached to fish eye hooks screwed into the sides of the outer box

An initial sketch of the concept I had in mind

Initial materials: an unfinished outer box, balsa wood, wood stain and polycrylic sealant, foam, felt, and antique-finished hardware

RESULTS

The completed dice box included three tumbling ramps, chains to open the lid to a set angle, six storage compartments on two levels, and magnetic closures. The third tumbling ramp was added to ensure that dice would fall off the incline and into the intended receiving compartment, instead of becoming stuck at the bottom of the lid.

I gifted the dice box to my friend in early January of 2020. It was a hit, and they have been using it at weekend D&D sessions ever since. They even packed it to use off-campus during virtual D&D sessions while quarantined in March of 2020, and have continued using it even now, several years later!

Views of the top and bottom storage compartments in the finished box.

Top: removable compartment to receive tumbling dice, removable compartments for dice storage

Bottom: compartments for writing utensils, a small notebook, and sticky notes