Dice tower


A dice tower is an object used by gamers to roll dice fairly. Dice are dropped into the top of the tower, and bounce off of various hidden platforms inside it before emerging from the front. Dice towers eliminate some methods of cheating which may be performed when rolling dice by hand. There are many forms of towers and they vary in construction and design.

History

Dice towers have been used since at least the fourth century, in an attempt to ensure that dice roll outcomes were random. The Vettweiss-Froitzheim Dice Tower is a surviving example, used by Romans in Germany and has essentially the same design as modern examples with internal baffles to force the dice to rotate more randomly.

Construction

Dice towers can be constructed fairly easily. The main elements of a dice tower include:
The dice are dropped into the top of the tower and bounce off of several interior ramps before emerging from an opening at the base of the tower. Some dice towers include a walled off area for the dice to land in so that they are not scattered across the table.
In tournament backgammon, a dice tower, often referred to as a dice tumbler, is commonly used to ensure fairness by reducing the possibility of a player's intentional influence on the roll.