The Tray of Doom!

The Tray of Doom! has arrived! Although hopefully not when it comes to rolling dice. I’ve enough doom-laden dice, thank you very much! This dice tray comes most definitely under the ‘totally unnecessary indulgence, but you’re worth it’ label!



I've long been on the lookout for something more permanent to use for dice rolling in the Battleshed, but it was never a major priority. Not even on the priority list to be honest. Usually, the nearest item to hand has worked just fine – cardboard box, plastic ready meal tray, dog bowl, sleeping cat etc. You know the drill.

The only justification – and I admit it's a flimsy one at best – is that the Battleshed table is notorious for the hidden dice swallowing abyss that exists deep below its upper mantle of gaming paraphernalia. As any Battleshed visitor soon finds out – once that dice goes spinning off the table it unlikely to be seen again!

I first saw this tray being used by a member of my wargaming club, John Pews. He kindly let me borrow it when dice rolling space was at a premium for a recent game of Saga. It sealed the deal. I ordered one on the spot by mobile (cellphone), whilst my opponent was still ruminating over their Saga Order phase. Thanks John! It was John who labelled it as the Tray of Doom! Which just proves negative marketing works because I now have one!

It’s a wooden 10” octagonal tray from Koplow Games. Both the upper and underside of the base is felt lined. It's solid but not heavy to handle. Importantly, the dice roll very nicely! I purchased mine from one of the Amazon 3rd party suppliers. Prices vary (approx. £20), so shop around. Oh, and dice not included.

From the blurb:

Corral your dice with this new solid wood dice tray from Koplow Games This octagon-shaped tray is the perfect size to keep your dice from running wild across the table. Measuring 25 cm (10 inches) across there is still plenty of room for the little fellas to bounce around and the 4 cm (1 ½ inch) tall walls are plenty high enough to keep em from getting out. The felt-lined bottom keeps your dice from bruising themselves or your tray so both will last a good long time. Each tray is individually boxed to protect it during those long rides on the trail.

So yes, an indulgence. An extravagance maybe. And only time will tell whether it helps improve my dice rolling. If it does, well, I’ll just have to find a new excuse…