Even with the proliferation of video games, there is still a strong culture surrounding pen-and-paper games, also known as tabletop games. Many of these involve a variety of dice, not just the six-sided one that almost everyone is familiar with. In fact, it has become a tradition for these gamers to have dozens of dice of different colors and designs, even though you’ll only really need at most 6 at a time.
Physically rolling the die definitely has a special feeling to it, heightening the tension in some cases, but it isn’t always practical to bring one around with you. The one thing you will always have with you, however, is a wristwatch. Whether it’s for a serious Dungeons & Dragons session or just some whimsical randomness, this retro-looking digital watch is all that you really need for those critical hits or critical fails.
Designer: Timestop
While everyone is probably familiar with the six-sided die used in board games and even casinos, tabletop gamers are probably more familiar with the 20-sided variety, fondly called a “d20” die. In fact, this distinctive design has become the icon of many role-playing games, businesses, and products, but it actually isn’t the only unusual dice in this market.
The aptly named D-20 digital watch is designed specifically to cater to this niche but vibrant market, putting a unique hi-tech spin on a common analog tool. Instead of throwing a die, you push buttons, but the advantage is that you can “fit” as many dice as you need. Despite its name, this digital watch actually supports d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20 rolls. It can even roll a d100 or 12 dice all at once.
While the watch is clearly designed for tabletop RPG gamers, especially with its “fun animation” while virtually rolling the die, it is also a decent digital wristwatch. It has a perpetual calendar, a 12/24 hour mode switch, and an amber backlight. What it doesn’t have, amusingly enough, is an alarm or even a stopwatch function, which the designers deem to be the antithesis of fun.
In terms of aesthetics, the D-20 watch is pretty retro, bearing an octagonal body typical of digital watches of the past. That body is made from stainless steel or fiber-reinforced PBT resin, and while the black and silver colorways are pretty conventional, the bright orange model is quite the head-turner. The D-20 is definitely a niche design, but one that straddles the fine line between a plain digital watch and one with too many smarts.
