Mixing dice Tradition / Ritual in Age of Gray | World Anvil

Mixing dice

A little more than a decade ago, a new game was created. It started to gain more and more popularity with each passing year thanks to the mix of luck, skill, and some strategy that is needed to play it.   One set consists of one gray bowl, 6 centimeters high and 12 centimeters wide, that has been covered with a substance sensitive to Colors (the same that is used in Color indicators) and a die made out of the same metal that is used in Color embroidery (Sponge iron) which every side has been soaked with different Color.
If touched by one of the sides of the die, the sides of the bowl will slowly start to fill up with the Color contrasting the one that's in contact with it. If it is left there for too long, the bowl will start to look as if it's spilling said Color. If the other side of the die touches it, a contrast of the second Color is mixed with the first one (so red and blue create purple, etc.).
After five minutes of not using it, the bowl returns to its normal color.   Usually, the set comes in a small box padded with a material that separates the die and the bowl. Sometimes the box is equipped with a strap that makes it easier to carry the game with oneself. There were also mini versions of it in production that are more portable and the decrease in size makes the game faster and more intensive.  

How to play? (standard version with multiple players)

  • Players sit in front of the bowl, close enough to reach into it as quick as possible.
  • The one who will start is chosen. Usually, it's either the oldest player or the one who brought the set. Then the order goes clockwise.
  • The player throws the die inside the bowl. If they somehow miss it, they need to throw it twice.
  • After them, the next player needs to take the die as quickly as possible and then throw it.
  • The round ends if one of two conditions happens. First one is when the bowl spills. The one who was supposed to throw the die next when that happens is the loser of the round. Second one is when, due to mixing of the colors, bowl becomes gray. This time the one whose throw caused it is the loser.
  • The rounds continue until there is one winner.
Number of players
1-4 (any more would cause the game to be really short)

One player version

This version of the game is mostly played by those who want to set new records.
One can prove their speed by making as many die throws as possible before the bowl spills or turns gray.
In some places, people started to organize yearly competitions to find the fastest dice thrower.
Those competitions usually have the standardized sets of Mixing dice and require the player to sit at a certain distance from the bowl.  
Reminder!
In the case of 2 or more players playing, nothing stops one from waiting with taking the die from the bowl to fill it faster and give their opponents less time to react.


Cover image: by Revyera

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