As our gaming group has gotten older, the amount of time that life demands on us has definitely increased. With new and growing families, increasing job responsibilities, and everything else in between, we find we have to shoehorn an RPG session into a few short hours. Gone are the days of gaming into the wee hours of the morning – the earlier we can start and finish, the better. We have always been looking for ways of saving a few minutes from administrative tasks to dedicate to more gaming, chief amongst those finding miniatures and dice needed for the session. In this installment of Level Up My Game, we are going to examine the Parsec, the newest in a line of handcrafted gaming accessories from Aaron Cain.
When you open up the Parsec, you will immediately see 14 foam-lined spots for dice, good for two standard sets of RPG dice or for whatever dice your game of choice requires. Also present is a slot for a miniature. Included with the Parsec are different foam heights, allowing for a bit of customization based on the size and shape of your particular painted miniature. Since both the slots and top have foam lining, there was practically no movement of any of the contents during transport between home and gaming. The magnets used to hold the top and bottom of the box together were quite strong, with pretty much no chance that they would open in transit.
Where the Parsec packs a surprise is in the felt-lined dice tray that is revealed when the foam liner is removed. If there is one thing gamers cannot abide, it is sloppy dice rolls, and the Parsec provides a nice way of keeping dice from knocking over a troop of orcs or from ending up in the hands and mouth of a wayward two-year old. The Parsec’s design elevates a dice tray from being a clunky unitasker and seamlessly integrates it into a multifunction device.
From an aesthetic point of view, the Parsec has elegance in its simplicity. It established a quiet yet impressive presence at the gaming table. All of the members in our gaming group (most notably Jon) were impressed with the clean lines, functionality, and quality of the box. Being able to find my dice quickly and keep track of the rolls efficiently while playing led to a great experience at the table.
The prototype we received to review was constructed from black walnut with the maple inlay. There are quite a few additional customization options, with a variety of specialty woods, inlays and engraving all available. The “Mirage” edition is especially sexy, with two different wood varieties integrated together into one box. Even with all the options, the base models provide a high level of quality at a price point that is difficult to beat.
Did I mention that Aaron himself is a former chemistry and physics teacher? That lets you know for sure that he’s talented, intelligent, and very handsome, as all chemistry and physics teachers are.
Be like the people in my gaming group – check out the Kickstarter campaign, then send the link to your spouses as a strong suggestion for a holiday gift. The Parsec is now available on Kickstarter, with pledges starting at $46 plus shipping, with the variety of customization options available scaling in price accordingly.
