Lou Zocchi
Encyclopedia
Louis Zocchi, Sergeant
, USAF
(retired), is a gaming hobbyist
, former game distributor and publisher, and maker and seller of polyhedral game dice
.
Zocchi and his company GameScience have published a number of games over the years (many designed by Zocchi), but are best known for making dice
, and inventing the Zocchihedron
(100-sided) die. Zocchi is a well-known figure at gaming convention
s like Gen Con
and Origins Game Fair, where he demonstrates the various inconsistencies in most mass-produced
gaming dice.
Most dice, according to Zocchi, do not roll accurately because of flawed manufacturing processes. The dice favor certain numbers and are more likely to land on those numbers. Zocchi believes the "superstition" of many gamers who use specific dice to roll high and others to roll low results from the fact that major dice manufacturers smooth out the straight edges of their dice in machines much like rock tumblers. The result is that plastic dice originally molded evenly are unevened and unbalanced, making them more likely to land on some numbers than on others.
Zocchi demonstrates the imperfections of dice with statistical results (showing uneven distribution of rolled die values) and with photographs of uneven die edges, faces and vertices
. These pictures have not been updated since at least 1995 and do not show contemporary dice. His demonstrations are sales pitches for the unsmoothed dice (often with sharp edges) manufactured by his company, GameScience. Unlike other gaming dice producers, Zocchi guarantees his dice to roll rightly and never to break. However, tests by Jason Mills in 1987 and published in White Dwarf magazine showed that at least one of his dice designs for the Zocchihedron had a significantly uneven number distribution. Right after that article came out, Zocchi adjusted the numbering of the Zocchihedron to correct the distribution and claims that the d100 now rolls rightly, whereas the original Zocchihedron had all the mid-range numbers clustered at the equator. The modified layout assigns one number from each tens-cluster to each ring of numbers around the die. Only white dice with black numbers use the older distribution. Corrected dice are manufactured in other colors.
Due to safety concerns, the 4-sided die
(or d4) produced by GameScience has truncated points. After redesigning the die with blunt points, one irate customer sent Mr. Zocchi a long letter complaining that the dice might stop on one of the truncated points.
Mr. Zocchi has invented and produced several "non-standard" dice. These are a 3-sided die, a 5-sided die, a 7-sided die, a 14-sided die, a 16-sided die, and a 24-sided die. All these except the 7-sided (d7) are available in high-impact translucent plastic, with GameScience's characteristic precision-edge unpolished look.
GameScience is still trading, and Zocchi is still active in the gaming
community.
Zocchi has designed a few games himself, including Alien Space, Star Fleet Battle Manual (not to be confused with Star Fleet Battles
), The Battle of Britain, Luftwaffe, Flying Tigers, Hardtack
, and Battle Wagon Salvo.
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
, USAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(retired), is a gaming hobbyist
Gamer
Historically, the term "gamer" usually referred to someone who played role-playing games and wargames. Since they became very popular, the term has included players of video games...
, former game distributor and publisher, and maker and seller of polyhedral game dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
.
Zocchi and his company GameScience have published a number of games over the years (many designed by Zocchi), but are best known for making dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
, and inventing the Zocchihedron
Zocchihedron
Zocchihedron is the trademark of a 100-sided die invented by Lou Zocchi, which debuted in 1985. Rather than being a polyhedron, it is more like a ball with 100 flattened planes...
(100-sided) die. Zocchi is a well-known figure at gaming convention
Gaming convention
A gaming convention is a gathering that centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel...
s like Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
and Origins Game Fair, where he demonstrates the various inconsistencies in most mass-produced
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
gaming dice.
Most dice, according to Zocchi, do not roll accurately because of flawed manufacturing processes. The dice favor certain numbers and are more likely to land on those numbers. Zocchi believes the "superstition" of many gamers who use specific dice to roll high and others to roll low results from the fact that major dice manufacturers smooth out the straight edges of their dice in machines much like rock tumblers. The result is that plastic dice originally molded evenly are unevened and unbalanced, making them more likely to land on some numbers than on others.
Zocchi demonstrates the imperfections of dice with statistical results (showing uneven distribution of rolled die values) and with photographs of uneven die edges, faces and vertices
Vertex (geometry)
In geometry, a vertex is a special kind of point that describes the corners or intersections of geometric shapes.-Of an angle:...
. These pictures have not been updated since at least 1995 and do not show contemporary dice. His demonstrations are sales pitches for the unsmoothed dice (often with sharp edges) manufactured by his company, GameScience. Unlike other gaming dice producers, Zocchi guarantees his dice to roll rightly and never to break. However, tests by Jason Mills in 1987 and published in White Dwarf magazine showed that at least one of his dice designs for the Zocchihedron had a significantly uneven number distribution. Right after that article came out, Zocchi adjusted the numbering of the Zocchihedron to correct the distribution and claims that the d100 now rolls rightly, whereas the original Zocchihedron had all the mid-range numbers clustered at the equator. The modified layout assigns one number from each tens-cluster to each ring of numbers around the die. Only white dice with black numbers use the older distribution. Corrected dice are manufactured in other colors.
Due to safety concerns, the 4-sided die
4-sided die
Four-sided dice are often used in role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, to get small numbers for things such as damage or character statistic increases. Each die is a tetrahedron with 4 equilateral triangle-shaped faces. This type of die does not roll well and is thus usually thrown into...
(or d4) produced by GameScience has truncated points. After redesigning the die with blunt points, one irate customer sent Mr. Zocchi a long letter complaining that the dice might stop on one of the truncated points.
Mr. Zocchi has invented and produced several "non-standard" dice. These are a 3-sided die, a 5-sided die, a 7-sided die, a 14-sided die, a 16-sided die, and a 24-sided die. All these except the 7-sided (d7) are available in high-impact translucent plastic, with GameScience's characteristic precision-edge unpolished look.
GameScience is still trading, and Zocchi is still active in the gaming
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
community.
Zocchi has designed a few games himself, including Alien Space, Star Fleet Battle Manual (not to be confused with Star Fleet Battles
Star Fleet Battles
Star Fleet Battles is a tactical board wargame set in an offshoot of the Star Trek setting called the Star Fleet Universe. Originally created in 1979 by Stephen V. Cole,...
), The Battle of Britain, Luftwaffe, Flying Tigers, Hardtack
Hardtack (game)
Hardtack is a set of rules for American Civil War miniature wargaming by Lou Zocchi. It was published as a thirty-page pamphlet by Guidon Games in 1971, with an introduction by Gary Gygax and artwork by Don Lowry....
, and Battle Wagon Salvo.
External links
- GameScience
- US patents , and .
- Interview with Zocchi discussing his dice: Part 1, Part 2, at YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....