New dice! They're shiny!

The Lou Zocchi Gamescience dice I ordered some considerable time ago (back in the middle of August) from frpgames.com have finally arrived. Or perhaps, to be more accurate, some substitutes for some dice that I ordered from frpgames.com have finally arrived. I can't say that I'm terribly impressed with frpgames; my order was delayed and delayed because the dice I had ordered, though shown as in stock on their website, weren't actually in stock. I got a lot of messages saying that they would be "getting new stock in any day now, don't worry, everything is under control".... but the new stock of the dice I had actually ordered never turned up. After months of waiting, I eventually lost patience and got them to substitute some other dice that I didn't like nearly as much, just so that I could get the bloody order sorted out at long last.

I don't think I'll be buying (or rather, trying to buy) anything from frpgames.com again.

Just while I'm in the mood for bitching, let me voice my loud complaints about the US Postal Service. A fair part of the waiting time I had to put up with was due to their incredible slowness, and for that "service" they charged an arm and a leg. It cost me about $US18.00 to get a 2 ounce package from the USA to New Zealand, which is about five times what it costs me to get a similar package all the way from the UK, on the other side of the world. I thought at first it was just the vendor, racking up the purchase price with nasty hidden fees, but a quick look at the official USPS website confirmed that they are in fact a bunch of bloody pirates and charge like an angry rhino.

Dice, lovely dice my Precious!

Well anyway. I eventually got three sets of white dice for myself, and some coloured and transparent gem dice for my beloved, who is attracted to shiny, sparkly things. I personally don't care for the gem dice at all; they're pretty, but they're a real pain in the arse to read. The problem would be mitigated somewhat if I'd actually got the dice I originally ordered though.... grumble grumble.

When I got my first Zocchi dice, back in the distant past, I had to colour the numbers with paint — which was a royal pain, let me tell you. These days, a white gel pen and a microfine Sharpie makes the job a real breeze. Hoorah for progress! Now, if only I could find somebody who stocks them in New Zealand.