I put two electronic d20s head-to-head and the bad news for your wallet is the discount D&D dice failed its saving throw

It’s true that the best tabletop RPGs can be played with little more than pen and paper, but that hasn’t stopped a thriving industry of TTRPG paraphernalia from popping up. Catering to the discerning tastes of book collectors, miniature hoarders, and plushie parents alike, there are a whole host of goodies out there that tempt players to drop their gold pieces.

Fancy dice are the gold standard of ‘I don’t need this, but I really want this’ purchases for regular players of games like D&D. For many self-confessed dice goblins, Bluetooth-enabled electronic dice are top of the wishlist.

E-dice are still a burgeoning technology, but there are already a few options on the market to choose from at varying price points. However, no matter where you pick your electronic dice up, they’re still a premium buy compared to the analog alternative. So, you’ll want to be sure you’re getting a premium experience to match.

To help my fellow TTRPG fans on their dice hunt – and quell my own curiosity, really – I took some time to try out two of the leading brands of electronic dice: Pixels and GoDice.

For reference, a single die from Pixels costs $65 on Amazon, while GoDice goes for $39.95 on Amazon. Once you start exploring the option of dice sets as opposed to singles, the gulf between them only widens. The standard 7 dice you’d reach for in any given session (d20, d12, d10, d%, d8, d6, and d4) go for $360 on the Pixels website, whereas GoDice offers an equivalent bundle for $149.95. From the get-go, it’s clear that GoDice has the one up on Pixels when it comes to affordability.

As I got down to testing both brands of smart dice, I found that was where GoDice’s win streak came to an abrupt end. Unfortunately, GoDice’s failings don’t end with the awful baby-handed GenAI beardo they have plastered on their Amazon storefront.

Before you even start rolling, you’ll notice that Pixels has GoDice beat with a little over double the battery life (5 hours should be more than enough for even the most gruelling dungeon diving) and a much hardier charging case. The see-through acrylic charging box of the GoDice is definitely something I’d pop into another smaller bag before tossing it in your backpack.

Down to the important part: using the dice. Both sets of smart dice delivered roughly the same level of responsiveness across in-person and VTT sessions (Roll20 and FoundryVTT), but Pixels offered slightly greater ease of use and a higher level of customizability. It’s pretty commendable when something manages to be both foolproof enough for total luddites to manage while also being open source enough for folks to go inside the black box and make something all their own.

Speaking of what's inside the black box, I feel like a big thorn in the side of GoDice’s RPG line is that each of their dice is just a d6 in a hollow-feeling plastic shell. While an attractive option for people whose primary use case for the dice are as d6s, if you’re mainly seeking out electronic dice for use in TTRPG, this solution likely won’t cut the mustard. With higher-quality feeling materials, this may have been an adequate workaround provided the dice were actually the shape they’re supposed to be. I don’t think I’d ever really considered how important the form of my dice was until I found myself rolling a 24-sided d8 and felt something small inside me die.

You can call that a petty complaint, but I found myself longing for a classic set of dumb dice or even the entirely digital option that comes as standard in my VTT. Really, there’s something so disappointing about shelling out for champagne and then missing your carton of grape juice.

What’s more, you have to unsheath the dice from their costumes when it’s come time to charge them, and that proved to be more of a challenge than you’d ever anticipate. At one point, I even sunk down to the level of pulling the die out with my teeth (neither the creators of GoDice, GamesRadar+, nor I endorse this method).

By contrast, a Pixels die –with its clean edges and smooth resin finish– feels just as special (and dare I say magical?) in your hand as it is in concept. In an ideal world, the LEDs would be burrowed a little deeper to help make their glow appear more diffused, but that’s not something that I’d exactly hold against them. Not to mention, the teeny tiny debuff to readability is offset by just how brilliant those lights look dancing across your dice tray.

When you’re not rolling in the dough, it can be tempting to opt for the budget-friendly alternative. That 100% makes sense. And, of course, I certainly wouldn’t judge anyone for busting out some GoDice at any table I’m playing at. After all, on a basic level, they deliver the same fun novelty of any other set of smart dice. That said, if you ask me which of the two between Pixels and GoDice you should add to your dice hoard, I’d have to hit you with the unfortunate truth: it’s worth holding out until your budget facilitates opting for the more high-end option.

For more fancy dice business, check out the news on the HeroForge Custom Dice Kickstarter. For recommendations on what to add to your collection, why not check out the best board games or the best D&D books?