YIKES!! $4.99 on the App Store! That's a bit much for a dice roller. FFG has another dice roller listed for a couple of bucks less. It would be nice if they had an ad supported free version so I could see what it feels like in action before paying so much.

It is a cool app, and cheaper than spending $15 bucks on a packet of dice that haven't even released yet.  OR relying on stickers to hold up to abuse for the long term.  It also features a standard dice roller as well, so it could be useful in multiple systems because of that alone (or for people that wish to eschew the symbols for the dice charts).  Also, if WFRP is any indication, dice pools can get pretty monstrous.  So rather than paying for multiple dice packs that you might need.  This app has exactly the dice you do need (whether it's a five dice pool or 15).  The interface takes a little getting used to in terms of navigation, clearing out dice, and such.  That being said it's not rocket science either.

 Here are the features that I enjoy about the dice app (not saying that others don't have this functionality, but it was nice to see).

1. It has regular dice that you can roll, not just the Star Wars dice (although it would be nice if it had the Zocchi Dice which it does not).
2. Your able configure which dice are shown so that if your not playing a Star Wars game  or your not Playing X-Wing you can choose to not show those dice on the dice bar saving space.
3. Your able to move the dice after you have rolled them on the screen just as you would on a table which is nice to kind of group positive and negative results by hand.
4. After you roll your able to select certain dice to re-roll while it will keep the others locked in their roll, for games with exploding dice or something.
5. It is nice thematically to have different sounds when your rolling and being able to select a sound theme is a nice touch.
6. Configurable backgrounds is nice, but some are a little to busy for my taste.
7. You can shake your device to roll the dice or you can use menu options (it is nice to have this with a dice roller because I know some who don't like to shake their devices :)).
8. Save your selected dice as a preset.
9. The ability to invert the selected dice.

Those are some of the things that I find nice about the app and I know that there are others out there that will do these functions.  There may be more that I didn't see, but hey figured some might want to know some of the features of the dice roller.  I have it on an iOS device so I am not sure if these same features are available on Android, although I would assume that they are.

 Star Wars Dice (iTunes link) is up for iOS. Same price, $4.99. It is a Universal app for both iPad/iPhone. 

 It's a nice app, though the physics of Dicenomicon feel better somehow. Good app, though.

Question: Can someone provide a list of what these dice are all called and/or used for? I know it is meant to cover all FFG Star Wars releases and generic, but I've only seen images of the various dice, rather than ever seeing names for them. (And my copy of the beta remains "pending…pending…pending…pending…")

I bought it myself about 2 hours ago. I actually think it s a damn good app. Will be using it when I get the beta book in on Friday!

 Well done dice app…  Far better result than my failed attempt at sticker application on $14 worth of dice earlier today.

It actually IS a well done dice app. The only real issue is, I have to ask myself… would I have got this if it was not Star Wars? Would I have got this if there was actual dice out to buy? Unfortunately the answer to both is "No."

But… as I said… it is a good dice app.

Too bad it's not a free app. Can't get it for my android phone then.

Guess I'll have to root for a wp7 app instead. Make it so!

ItsUncertainWho said:

Absolutely agree with this. Being that I can and do build Android Applications as part of my job, I can tell you that what they put together did not take masses of development time and used a very simple code base. Clearly they are using this app to make some dent in the cost of building star wars products.

I suspect the delay on the card game hurt a lot in their various projections since they have not made much money at all off the star wars license yet and I am sure that Lucas is not giving them a break on paying for it. 

Aranelthemithra said:

Aranelthemithra: Absolutely agree with this. Being that I can and do build Android Applications as part of my job, I can tell you that what they put together did not take masses of development time and used a very simple code base. Clearly they are using this app to make some dent in the cost of building star wars products.

Sorry, I can tell you factually that your comments are 100% misguided. This is surprising, considering that you represent yourself as an expert. I assume you bought the app to make these assertions?

This excellent, polished app has taken an exceptionally qualified programmer months to create, and has additionally required significant work in production management, testing, sound work, graphic design, and approvals. It is an app for a small niche market (dice for SW RPG and X-Wing) and is a great value vis-a-vis what it replaces (physical dice or the labor of creating them yourself), especially with its premium license. 

For the price of two cups of coffee, you have, in our opinion, an awesome little product.  The price of $4.99 is actually low, vis-a-vis the work provided, and is is doubtful that it will break-even for FFG anytime soon. The notion that this app is somehow is subsidizing other SW products is silly, untrue, and bizarre.

The real issue here, I think, is the unfortunate general expectation over the last few years to receive great software at $0.99 or similar. It is just not realistic, and it is my opinion that FFG should not squander its resources or create a sub-par product, creating services for that model.

Fortunately this expectation is slowly changing, with higher accepted pricing allowing for companies (like us) to keep providing and developing software.

I'm totally fine with you, or others, finding this too expensive, that's your decision. But I do want to correct the misconception that creating this app was easy, using a simply code-set, or is somehow a subsidy to other products. The people that worked hard on this deserve better than that.

Christian
FFG
 

Hey dudes,

The Star Wars Dice app actually has its own forums here on FFG. If you want to give feedback on it, you might want to go over there and post it.

[QUOTE efidm=703611]The Spaniard said:
Sorry, I can tell you factually that your comments are 100% misguided. This is surprising, considering that you represent yourself as an expert. I assume you bought the app to make these assertions?

[/QUOTE]

Wow, quite the response (from an employee no less … but we will address that later)

It doesn't surprise me that a single developer took months to create the product. The fact remains that building a dice rolling program (especially since the WFRP app likely had a bit of recycleable infrastructure) is not nearly as challenging as you suggest (indeed, there are tons of them). Wrapping that in something you got approved by Lucas and is fancy and such is a different discussion. I worked with Decipher when they had a Star Wars license and I am very much aware of the challenges of that interaction.

But lets be honest here. I could indeed build a dice-rolling app for this RPG or perhaps for WFRP, or whatever. However, I would have to install it locally only (ad-hoc if you will) and not publish it anywhere since IP and other protections would make it illegal for me to use the icons which are owned by FFG. So you charge $5 knowing you are without competition for this particular niche, as you say, application.

Even at free, I would be dubious of the value of a dice-rolling product in an RPG setting. It's inconvenient in a round-table setting. Even if all participants had their own phone/ipad/ipod and downloaded app, the need of the other players and GM to see the actual roll certainly drives down it's usefulness.

I'd consider writing something to automate the process on a PC so that a large screen can be faced towards the group but it's tough to argue that there is any convenience saved by having a flat screen display of any kind. Technology doesn't necessarily improve experience - and it certainly becomes highly subjective as you get people that love it and people who don't.

Value vs. purchasing (or converting) of a physical dice product.
This, again, is a bit of a false comparison. In a group of 6, is this a single download put on someone's phone which is then handed around the table?

Generally speaking, in my RPG experience, it is far more common for a single person to invest in most of the tools (GM books, adventures, models, expansions, etc). The players might invest in player specific resources, but that's often about it unless they too wish to GM.

It's interesting to note that RPGers often see dice as collectibles. FFG dice are not collectible (though perhaps there is some market for fancy versions of your dice out there) - they are purely utility. I would suggest that a group would make do with the lowest amount of dice convenient. Which makes the app really even more of a subjective product - especially if the GM is opposed to their usage.

WFRP Toolkit vs. Star Wars Dice App

Not gonna say much here, but it is interesting to note that the "toolkit" (read dice roller) is actually at that $2.99 price point which I wasn't aware of before writing up this reply. 

So, Christian, I respect that you are standing up for your company, and for those that work within it. I acknowledge the points you are trying to make. They are fair, and certainly valid.

I would be cautious, however, of leaping too aggressively to the defensive especially with a customer - I have been a customer of Fantasy Flight for quite some time. I have given you your dues when I think your product is good and fair value. I will criticise you when your products fall short. I have not been quiet about the woefully terrible quality of the fantasy flight licensed card sleeves. They don't make it through one match of Magic: The Gathering and as such should be purchased only by those who don't shuffle and those who don't play. Dragon Sleeves are the complete opposite and I have been using dragon sleeves since the day they were available. It's a truly fantastic product and while 2 times more expensive than a comparable UltraPRO product, I won't use anything else. I have had a very hit or miss experience with your Living Card Games. Arkham Horror is one of my favourite boardgames. I applaud you taking on Netrunner, it was at the time a ground-breaking card game. Warhammer Invasion… meh…

The app is, subjectively, priced too highly for what you get and it definitely looks like there is indeed a $2 surcharge for Star Wars based on comparing it to a similar, niche product for WFRP, and my experience with Games Workshop is that they aren't super cheap with their licensing.  

It is worth noting though that Christian is completely right about the fact that people just don't want to pay for Apps. The apps I and my team build are considered customer service items which support our core product and as such we do not charge for them, and we have about a dozen developers working on these apps year round. Apps have become an expectation, and along with that, people don't want to pay for them. App development is not a realistic profit center right now. And those apps that people do pay for will offer massive functionality. 

I payed $12 to get generic opaque dice and then spent 2 and a half hours applying the stickers provided.  $5 is a bargin especially since it includes all the dice rollers I might need for my Pathfinder game.  The super cheap die roller apps I've tried have been lackluster.