In ancient times… uh… in the mid 70’s, there was really no 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.* 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 just try to get dice that are different enough from
those of 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 look to collect a set of matching dice for each active character they are playing.
using: brown dice for Smedley the Dwarf, and white dice for Anastasia the High Elf, for example.
Maybe some little red biddy for Tubby the Gnome too.
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 he could shed light on this.
This is what I found out:
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 is also a symbol of courage (think
tigers).
Yellow: In Western culture, yellow means caution (yield signs, caution tape), but also
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 that I like green? Green
light means “go” in western culture. Pale green is a calming color, and rests the eyes…why
Do you think all those hospital rooms are painted pale green?
Blue: Blue is great. 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 farther 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’s 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 that symbolizes 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 bubblegum…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 as animal skin, or dirty… like, um… dirt.
White: White is purity. It signifies 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])