Holmes D&D-era Dice Replica Review

Holmes Dice, courtesy of eBay

Dice have a very long history, humans have been using them to play games, as parts of a game or to generate randomness since prerecorded history. While the 6-sided cube or hexahedron (d6) has always been the most popular die shape used, it is not the only shape used to generate random numbers. It and other four platonic solids, the 4-sided Tetrahederon (d4), the 8-sided Octahedron (d10), the 12-sided Dodecahedron (d12) and the 20-sided Icoashedron, have long histories in this application. It is their earliest employment in role playing games, namely those dice originally sold for Dungeons and Dragons and included with its original (Holmes) Basic Set, which interests me and the ability to replicate that experience at a reasonable cost. Today I will explore the history of the so-called "Holmes Dice" and two such products which aim to do so.

1970's Style d6s (from Threshold Dice Works)

Brief History of Dice Sets

When role playing games were invented in the 1970s, they required a set of polygonal dice or some other method to generate random numbers in a variety of number ranges. In that decade obtaining d6s were as easy as finding a board game (or a craps game) but obtaining the others were not. Most wargames, from which role playing games evolved, limited themselves to lots of d6s. Sets of dice based on the platonic solids could be bought through specialty mail-order companies, but they were focused on educational buyers. 

When TSR released Dungeons and Dragons in 1974, it offered a set of dice for sale direct from the company. The company included a set of five platonic solid dice in its first Basic Set, released in 1977. These dice are referred to as "Holmes dice", named after the editor, J. Eric Holmes, of the rulebook included in that Basic Set. The colors of these dice usually were yellow (d4), red, pink or orange (d6), green (d8), blue (d12) and white (d20). While other colors may have been used, these are the "canonical" Holmes dice colors. 

Not every Holmes Basic Set came with dice, there was a shortage of dice from 1979-80 due to the increasing popularity of role playing games outstripping supply. One printing of the Holmes Basic Set saw the inclusion of a d10 for the first time along with monochromatic dice. Although the ten-sided percentile die (d10) is not a platonic solid, (it is a Pentagonal Trapezohedron) the shape has a fairly lengthy history as its use as a die dates from a 1906 patent. 

Up to around 1980, percentile die rolls were generally determined by rolling d20s. In the 1970s the faces of most d20s were marked 0-9 twice. TSR sold a set of percentile dice where one d20 was colored white and the other d20 colored pink. In order to roll 1-20, the Basic Set advised rolling a second die like a d6 with the d20 where 1-3 on the d6 would indicate a number from 1-10 on the d20 and 4-6 on the d6 would indicate a number from 11-20. Many players ended up coloring one half of the die faces in magic marker. This was made easy because the d20s included in the Basic Set were white. 

TSR and Wizards of the Coast have always included a set of dice in every Basic, Starter or Introductory set released thereafter. With the next revision of the Basic Set, the Moldvay Basic Set from 1981, a d10 was also included as standard. Some of these sets and most die sets you can buy these days include a second d10 which had 10-00 on their faces instead of 1-0 for easier application to a percentile roll.

DarkAgeDice Set

Why d20 0-9 Twice?

Why use a d20 0-9 twice? It is not a popular design anymore given the difficulty of finding d20s so marked. A d20 numbered 1-20 does not require the player or dungeon master to have to go through the mental step of determining whether the number rolled is high or low. Using a 1-20 marked d20 as a d10 or a percentile die also requires a mental step of disregarding the high digit. But as we are all nerds here we can do the tiny bit of mental adjustment needed to get the result indicated.

The chief advantage of a d20 over a d10 is that d20s roll better than d10s. A d20 is more spherical than the spinning-top shape of a d10, so it will roll longer. Using two colors of d20s 0-9 will allow you to roll percentiles as easily as a pair of differently-colored d10s. As Holmes-era d20s came in white and pink, I would suggest always using the pink for the high digit. On a white die the numbers are usually colored in red and black and on a pink die white and black. I would suggest using black to represent 1-10 regardless of which die you use for a 1-20 roll. Keep bright number set high.

The d20 0-9 twice is best played with opaque dice, not translucent dice. Translucent dice have less contrast between number and face, making it harder to read the numbers on some surfaces. If you want to play some true old school D&D, these are an important part of the ambience.

Threshold Dice Works Gem-Style Set

Replica Holmes Dice

Original vintage Holmes dice are rather expensive these days, a complete set of five can go for over $100. These dice was not made from the highest quality materials. Their sharp edges wear down over time and can chip. Their face texture is rough. The inking is not the highest quality. I owned a set for several years around 2010; I did not care for them and rarely used them.

Replica Holmes dice are not difficult to find. Wizards of the Coast partnered with FanRoll in 2024 to release the D&D 50th Anniversary Retro Holmes Replica Set. There are also other sets which are inspired by the Holmes dice, such as Forged Gaming's Legacy of Adventure Dice Set (using metallic dice) and the Zucati Holmage Set. All these sets have a flaw in that their d20s are numbered 1-20. Holmes-vintage d20s are numbered 0-9 twice. Availability is not an issue.

The "Official" Holmes Replica Set, courtesy of Amazon

Truer Holmes d20s are significantly harder to come by. You can buy vintage d20s with 0-9 twice off eBay. Gamescience made them for quite a while even into the 1980s and they are quality dice but still tend to be worn through use. If you want newly-made d20s with 0-9 twice you can buy a Holmes replica set from Threshold Diceworks or from DarkAgeDice. You will have to lurk and pounce when available, I bought a set off Threshold Diceworks and only had a three hour window before they sold out. Similarly I was going to buy a set off DarkAgeDice but they sold out when I looked one day. Fortunately they had some new stock the next day. Expect a set of quality true Holmes dice to set you back about $50 plus shipping.

If you really want the experience of a d20 0-9 twice but without the significant expense of buying off Threshold Diceworks or DarkAgeDice, Koplow Games sells a d20 0-9 twice in several colors for around a dollar per die but buying them from a distributor is easier. I would suggest the white die if you want to use the dice for 1-20 and coloring the faces in with magic marker. Unlike original Holmes dice, these Koplow dice are not sharp edged.

From Threshold Diceworks I bought a set of Holmes Gemstyle Duley (for dual-inked d20s) and a Holmes Retro orange 3D6 set. There are six dice and three dice in these sets, respectively. These dice are intended to have more of a rough-hewn look like the Holmes originals. There looks to be something of a lacquer finish and some mold markings on the faces. DarkAgeDice currently only sells a single set of five dice. Their dice has smooth faces and very nice inking on the numbers. You can't go wrong with either producer if you want to experience the dice rolling element as RPGs were originally played.