# What should I do with two large, wooden, regular dodecahedra? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 27, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733 "2007-03-27T20:04:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Emilio\_Lizardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Emilio\_Lizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emilio_Lizardo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/1 "2007-03-27T20:04:05Z")
For reasons surpassing all understanding someone recently gave me [two large, wooden, regular dodecahedra.](http://www.flickr.com/photos/14559928@N00/436735582/) They are packed flat right now, but each face is about 36" across, and when assembled the whole thing is about four feet tall. Each of the faces is painted in a primary color. They are made of plywood, so they’re not very weather resistant. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/2 "2007-03-27T20:09:46Z")
[QUOTE=Emilio Lizardo] For reasons surpassing all understanding someone recently gave me [two large, wooden, regular dodecahedra.](http://www.flickr.com/photos/14559928@N00/436735582/) They are packed flat right now, but each face is about 36" across, and when assembled the whole thing is about four feet tall. Each of the faces is painted in a primary color. They are made of plywood, so they’re not very weather resistant. Any ideas? [/QUOTE] Spray them with shellac and put them on your porch, under the eaves. Or, if you have a big house, empty out one room entirely, put the thingys in there, lock the door, and warn everyone who visits to never, ever open that door. Then leave them alone next to the door, with the key in the lock. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/3 "2007-03-27T20:09:51Z")
Paint them metallic silver. Scorch a path and a patch of ground somewhere in a remote, but not too remote, area. Leave them there, carefully obliterating any trace of your presence. ---
**Author:** ![enigm4tic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@enigm4tic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigm4tic)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/4 "2007-03-27T20:11:21Z")
[QUOTE=cher3] Paint them metallic silver. Scorch a path and a patch of ground somewhere in a remote, but not too remote, area. Leave them there, carefully obliterating any trace of your presence. [/QUOTE] awww only 3 posts in and we have a winner. I second the motion to make them look like crash-landed alien spacecraft. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/5 "2007-03-27T20:14:44Z")
[QUOTE=Emilio Lizardo] For reasons surpassing all understanding someone recently gave me… [/QUOTE] Aw,…come on now…you can’t keep us all hanging in suspense: so let’s hear a little more about those “Reasons surpasssing all understanding…” 'Cause, man, I’d love to know —not just why the guy gave you two dodecahedra—but _why in Og’s name did he have a couple spare dodecahedra that he no longer needs_. ‘Cause, maybe it’s just me or somfthin’, but I’d _never_ give away a pair of perfectly good dodecahedra. Even to my best friend. 'Cause, man, good dodecahedra don’t just grow on trees these days, ya know. I mean, man, it’s not like back in the old days, when a guy could have so many dodecahedra that he could afford to give one away every once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/6 "2007-03-27T20:16:08Z")
Get out a Sharpie and turn them into the biggest fricking pair of D12s ever. Just don’t drop one on your foot…that’d probably be good for 2-24 damage. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/7 "2007-03-27T20:17:07Z")
Are they sturdy enough that they could be used in some sort of gameshow as a weird random-number generator, possibly by tumbling them down a chute into a fairly large, enclosed, padded space? Cause that’s what you should do with them if they are. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/8 "2007-03-27T20:19:29Z")
Paint numbers on each side, so that when you need a pair of dodecahedral dice, you will have a pair handy. (Of course, you’ll need a very large room to roll them in, but that’s a mere detail). ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/9 "2007-03-27T20:19:50Z")
I admire not only whoever gave them to you, but you for wanting to put them to good use. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/10 "2007-03-27T21:24:08Z")
Paint them a pale pink color then glue short, curly “hairs” to them and claim they are testicle sculptures from Picasso’s cubic period. Profit? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/11 "2007-03-27T21:38:53Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] Get out a Sharpie and turn them into the biggest fricking pair of D12s ever. Just don’t drop one on your foot…that’d probably be good for 2-24 damage. [/QUOTE] Beat me and apparently **Giles** to it Hal. So assemble them, mark them, ensuring the opposite sides add up to 13 and water proof them and then stack them outside as a weird piece of modern folk art. If you want to get even more creative have them partially crushing a dummy. Think Calvin and his snowmen. Jim ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/12 "2007-03-27T21:47:41Z")
1.) Make them into really big calendars – one month per face. 2.) Put one apostle per face (or, if you’re Jewish, one Tribe per Surface. If you’re an ancient Greek or Roman, one Olympian God per surface) to make Religious/Mathematical artwork. 3.) Build pairs of Tetrahedra, Octohedra, Cubes, and Icosahedra to go along with them and plant a Platonic Solid Garden. It’ll look like an M.C. Escher engraving! 4.) Use them to summon Twelve Demons simultaneously! ---
**Author:** ![enigm4tic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@enigm4tic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigm4tic)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/13 "2007-03-28T01:51:52Z")
> [@](#): > > 4.) Use them to summon Twelve Demons simultaneously! Only if you roll a natural 12 though. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/14 "2007-03-28T01:58:39Z")
D-12’s ??? 2-24 ??? What are these? ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/15 "2007-03-28T02:19:16Z")
[QUOTE=elbows] D-12’s ??? 2-24 ??? What are these? [/QUOTE] D-12s are dodecahedral dice. 12 sided dice. Board and RPG gamers are known to use these. 2-24 is, I’m guessing, two dodecahedral dice coming up twelveses for a total of 24. In other words, if you’re rolling to see how much damage you take, you’re hosed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/16 "2007-03-28T02:23:02Z")
A d12 is a 12 sided die used in multiple “paper & dice” role playing games, like AD&D. Also called a 12-sider. Among other things, it is rolled to determine the damage done by a long sword to a large sized opponent. 2-24 is a range of damage that may be done by a particular attack–it would mean the attack scored double the amount of damage rolled on a 12 sider. Certain magical weapons do “double damage” to a specific type of monster…like a “Giant Slayer” or a “Dragon Slayer”. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/17 "2007-03-28T02:24:51Z")
Sell them on eBay. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/18 "2007-03-28T02:29:49Z")
[QUOTE=elbows] D-12’s ??? 2-24 ??? What are these? [/QUOTE] You don’t play D&D or other RPGs, do you? A D-whatever is a descriptor for a type of die. A cubic die (what we normally think of when we think of dice) is known as a D-6. A tetrahedron is a D-4 and an octahedron a D-8. A dodecahedron is a D-12 and an icosahedron is a D-20. Those are the dice made out of the Platonic solids. Less common are the non-Platonic solids, but the most common is the deltohedron, the D-10. You could (if you wanted) call a coin a D-2. They even make a [D-100](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zocchihedron), but I have no idea why anyone would use it except for bragging rights. 2-24 is the range of possible damage when rolling 2d12 (two 12-sided dice.) One time, there was this guy bugging me at the craps table. He was also one of those guys who believed in being able to set dice before rolling, so it took him forever to shoot. So I started bugging him back by saying that he better make his saves when rolling 2d6 and other similar RPG terms. I think it was just coincidence that he sevened-out the next roll. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/19 "2007-03-28T02:38:22Z")
Thanks for clearing that up. You’re right, of course, I don’t play RPG’s. I do think I’ve seen what you’re speaking of. And these thing would look really cool painted up like that. But I was thinking more along the lines of the magic eight ball insides, it looks to be just about the right shape. I can’t remember all the different answers now though. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733/20 "2007-03-28T02:42:41Z")
Guess you could use a d-100 instead of 2 ten siders for a percentile. Not sure I’ve ever seen one in use. I do have a 30-sider. Had noting else to use it for, so I made some random encounter charts with 30 listings in various level ranges. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-do-with-two-large-wooden-regular-dodecahedra/397733.md?page=2)