Ye Olde Inn

I never used these things and figured it was just another way to drain obsessed gamer types of their coins... but it actually can be a neat feeling rolling out some dice from one of these things...


So I was looking around for a "Yahtzee" cup shaker, then realized it was literally just a plastic cup, or a plastic tube (the new one uses a small little box that's barely bigger than your palm). Those fancy backgammon shakers are awesome but too small...

The idea I had was something to give you a nice satisfying roll (some people in my play group are notorious for their rolling technique) while not adding to the wear and tear on the dice themselves.

Anyway, I thought about using those foam rubber cozy (coozy?) type things for drink cans but no (while cheap, they would get misplaced, and foam breaks down and gets funky over time).
Ultimately I made my own...

So the cheapest (but still sturdy) thing I could find were those small plastic "character" cups they sell for kid's birthdays at walmart or any party store. You can get them for less than a dollar. You might also check a thrift store for an old plastic kids cup. The "wider mouth" shape worked for me (you can find cups that are straight up cylinders if that's your preference). It works best with a smaller tumber/size of dice, but give it a little more agitation if you're rolling six 16mm size dice in your tumbler.

I also picked up some colored craft felt (around 33 cents a sheet) and glued that to the inside. Be ware... rubber cement IS highly flammable... don't ask. Anyway, I measured out a fan shaped piece rolling the cup on a flat sheet and marking it out ahead of time does the trick, trim off the excess with some good scissors).

I also happened to have some left over faux leather material, that I cut for the outside, in one fan shaped sheet to fit the cup exterior and give it a good grip texture... imitating the way a wax paper disposable drinking cup is put together. Let dry and the end result is pretty pleasing to me. I was able to put together a set for the four Hero players for about the same price of one of those store bought ones you'd find at a gaming hobby store. I'm pleased with the tactile feel and aesthetic, so do what works for you.

The only downside to this is possibly confusing it with a drinking cup during a late night session, or forgetting who has the dice... I made some others with varied colors to make it easier.

I rather like dice cups, but I demand good quality. Pure plastic is way too loud.
Cheap leather ones are too soft, and while they get the job done, they dont feel good.
Hard leather or plastic with good quality felt is king.

My friend especially has has a hard time rolling controlled with his hand. The dice fly all over the place!
But if you play on a small table with limited space a cup is really nice.

The stuff I used is Shason Textile faux leather which is Pvc coated 100 percent polyester. I was mainly going for cheap. For about five times the price you can buy ones that are pre-made (mainly from China). They tend to be perfectly cylindrical. There are also metal ones out there if you really want to go crazy (line with thin craft foam or felt to finish the effect, or heck line with leather or padded velvet if you're going all the way). I think the ones I made give a pretty good amount of hand feedback when you are rolling a bunch of plastic dice without the incredible noise you'd get from a plain Yahtzee tumbler.

I suppose you could even make some out of ceramic, but I'd hate to break one of the things... There was some old Pirates of the Caribbean dice game I saw at a thrift store that had shakers that looked like hand sized wooden barrels... covered in barnacles and skulls and things (complete with weathered looking six sided dice). But inside they were just straight up plain plastic. Somebody could take that idea to the next level too I bet.

And its nice to have a neat place to shake those dice out onto...