In a casual conversation during a gaming convention in 2012, a board game designer presented Eric Harshbarger with a challenge: to create dice that could determine the starting player without the possibility of a tie. The aim was to expedite the game’s commencement.
Harshbarger, a mathematician and senior lecturer at Auburn University, enthusiastically embraced the task, as it posed a non-trivial mathematical problem. After years of collaborative efforts with computer scientists and mathematicians worldwide, Harshbarger and his team successfully devised a set of four 12-sided dice that provided a fair outcome for two, three, or four players.
However, the puzzle intensified when attempting to cater to five players. The researchers embarked on a journey to translate a mathematically feasible solution into a physically manufacturable form. Eventually, a breakthrough came when a researcher in Australia proposed using five 120-sided dice.
Subsequently, a Canadian software engineer named Paul Meyer joined the endeavor and devised a solution utilizing five 60-sided dice. This achievement marked a pivotal moment in the project, as previous attempts from various contributors had fallen short.
The finalized product, known as the Go First Dice, has garnered attention for its innovative design, although some skepticism lingers regarding its practical application. Despite this, Harshbarger asserts the dice’s fundamental fairness, attributing any potential flaws to the manufacturing process rather than the mathematical foundation.
The team’s quest continues, with ongoing exploration into the feasibility of reducing the dice’s sides for a five-player set and potential expansion to accommodate six players. Harshbarger acknowledges the unpredictable nature of such endeavors, highlighting the allure of tackling complex mathematical challenges that defy easy solutions.