That conversation with my nephew made me rethink all my old dice

My nephew asked me last weekend why I still use the same crumbly d20 from 1994 when I could buy a new set for 8 bucks. I told him it was about the roll history, the crits and fumbles, the ding on the 12 side from when it bounced off a pizza box. He just shrugged and said 'so it's like save data you can't transfer.' That hit me weird because he's right. I've got digital characters on retro carts that are dead forever, but my dice are the only save files that survived everything. Now I'm torn between keeping my old set for luck or finally retiring them before they crack completely. Has anyone else had a young player make you see your gear in a different light?

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iris39416h ago

Save data you cant transfer. God, that's such a perfect way to put it, it actually stung a little when I read that. My d6 from my first ever character sheet has this tiny groove in it from where my brother slammed it on the table during a tantrum, and I've never rolled it without remembering that whole night. Kids these days just see a piece of plastic, they don't see the ghost of every goblin you killed or every question you asked while holding it up to the light. But your nephew's not wrong, that ding is literally a record of every action that dice has ever been part of, like a save file that's only got one continue left. I've got a full metal set I bought five years ago that's never even chipped, but I still reach for the old one when the game actually matters. Honestly I'm with you on the retiring question, but I think cracking is just the dice telling you it's done, and you'll know when the time comes.