A Completely New Kind of Dice!
HexaCubes are a seven piece set of 18-sided dice that are an alternative to traditional polyhedral dice. HexaCubes have several advantages, including:
How All of This Works:
A d4 HexaCube looks like this:
The key to understanding the theory behind HexaCubes lies in two concepts. The first is that the relative size of the two kinds of faces can be adjusted so that it is more, or less, likely that the die lands on a particular kind of face. For example, if the square faces are made larger in relation to the hex faces, it will become more likely that a rolled die will land with a square face up. The second concept is that manipulating these probabilities can be used to make fair dice that have a different amount of sides than outcomes.
To illustrate this, consider the d4. Using conventional methods, it is impossible to make a 4-outcome 18-sided die. Each value of 1 through 4 can be placed on 4 sides, but there will be two sides left. These sides would either have to be blank sides that would have to be re-rolled or have some other method of picking 1 through 4. Either way, these two sides would not be one of the 4 outcomes. One way of looking at the problem is to note that 18 cannot be divided by 4 evenly.
Now, let’s say that size of the squares is adjusted, relative to the hexes, so that the squares land twice as often as the hexes. This means that if I had a square marked “1” and a hex marked “2,” the “1” outcome would occur twice as much as the “2” outcome. In order to balance the two outcomes, I could place a second “2” on another hex. Therefore, you can say that a square outcome is equal to two hex outcomes. If you count the 6 square faces twice and the 12 hex faces once, the number you come up with is “24.” Four goes into 24 evenly. if you examine the d4 illustration above and count the quantity of each outcome, counting the square faces twice, you will note that each outcome adds up to 6. This is because 24 divided by 4 is 6.
And the Rest is Just Details…
Once the d4 is understood, the other dice are just variations on the idea. The HexaCube d6, d8 and d12 are exactly the same proportions as the d4. This is because these numbers multiply into 24 evenly. Ten is not a factor of 24, so you will note that the d10 and the ‘tens’ percentile die have slightly larger square faces in relation to their hex faces. These square faces come up to 3 times as often as the hexes. This means that numbers that are a factor of 30 work on this type of die (3 x 6 = 18 square sides + 12 hex sides = 30). The binary die is most often paired with the d10 for d20 rolls, so its proportions match its mate. The binary die’s two outcomes would work on either type of die.
There is a little more information on how the numbers were arranged on the dice to maximize their performance. That information is at the end of “Are HexaCubes Fair” section of my webpage. Also, the details of the experiments used to confirm these dice are fair are on this page:
rollhexacubes.com
This is my first KickStarter, so the challenges will be many. Against these challenges, I have a very good team of support. A past business owner and current executive with an MBA will be assisting me with my business questions, of which I am sure I will have many. An app designer with experience in online commerce is helping my with those challenges. As I did with the patenting process, I will proceed with adequate legal counsel. There is a lot I do not know, but I understand that these things are best left to experts and their services are budgeted into the project.
I have chosen a manufacturer that has an excellent reputation. They have been audited by major corporations such as Disney and Walmart. They have been very responsive and involved regarding the needs of the project. They have given me a very clear idea of the path from their production lines to your home.
Challenges specific to the project are maintaining quality control for a very precise product and the unsettled trade relationship between the US and China.
Regardless of challenges, my pledge to you is to resolve all of the Kickstarters to the very best of my ability before starting any other phases of the business. I will not sell dice to other people until the Kickstarter dice have made it to their destinations.