Most tabletop games use one of two kinds of dice. Miniature wargames — Warhammer 40,000®, Age of Sigmar®, Bolt Action™, Kings of War™ — run on plain six-sided dice (d6), and you want a lot of them: 30–40 matching d6 is a comfortable count for 40K. Roleplaying games — D&D®, Daggerheart™, Call of Cthulhu® — use a 7-die polyhedral set (d4 through d20). This guide covers what each game actually uses, how many to buy, and the question every dice listing skips: 12mm or 16mm?
12mm vs 16mm Dice — Which Size Do You Need?
Six-sided dice come in two standard sizes, and the difference matters more than it sounds:
| Size | About | Per Dice Block™ | Best for | Shop at LITKO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12mm d6 | ~1/2″ | 36 dice | Rolling lots of dice at once — wargames, buckets-of-dice systems, and counters. Cheapest way to own many matching dice. | 12mm d6 blocks |
| 16mm d6 | ~5/8″ | 12 dice | The familiar board-game size — easier to read across the table, nicer to handle. Replacement dice for family games. | 16mm d6 blocks |
The practical rule: if you roll dice by the handful, buy 12mm; if you roll a few at a time, buy 16mm. A 36-die block of 12mm — the “brick” of wargame tables — covers an army for less than most 7-die sets cost: small enough to roll thirty at once in a tray, still readable at arm’s length. 16mm is what most people picture as “normal dice” — if you’re replacing lost dice from a family board game or want table-readable pips, that’s your size.
Quick verdicts by game: Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Kings of War, Flames of War — 12mm, you’re rolling handfuls. MTG counters — 12mm, you want lots of small matching dice on cards. Kill Team, BattleTech, Bolt Action, family board games — 16mm, you roll a few at a time and readability wins.
On the 40K question specifically, no rulebook mandates a size — and wargame forums have answered it a hundred times, always landing the same three-part way: the default buy is the 36-die brick of 12mm, because it’s the cheapest route to enough matching dice and they roll thirty-at-a-time in a tray; a steady minority pays extra for 16mm so the player across the table can read the roll without leaning in; and the veterans close every thread with the same tiebreaker — high-contrast pips beat either size.
Dice for Miniature Wargames
Warhammer 40,000 runs entirely on d6. Every roll in the game — hit, wound, save, damage, charges, battle-shock — is a six-sided die (the occasional “d3” just means roll a d6, halve it, and round up). What the rulebook doesn’t tell you is volume: a single squad can put out 20–30 attacks, and rolling them all at once is how the game is meant to move. 30–40 matching d6 is a comfortable kit for one army; serious players bring more. That’s why the 36-die 12mm block is the default wargamer purchase — one brick, one color, done. The other thing veterans pack: a handful of d20s or d10s in a contrasting color for tracking wounds and command points — rolling dice and counting dice shouldn’t be the same dice.
The same logic covers most miniature games — here’s the table:
| Game | Dice it uses | How many to bring | Shop at LITKO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warhammer 40,000 / Age of Sigmar | d6 only (d3 = halved d6, rounded up) | 30–40+ in one color; big units roll 20–30 dice at once | 12mm d6 blocks |
| Kill Team | d6 only | 10–15 is plenty for a kill team | 16mm d6 blocks |
| Bolt Action | d6, plus order dice drawn from a bag (one per unit — sold by Warlord Games) | 15–20 d6 covers a full squad’s volley; pin markers track suppression | 16mm d6 blocks |
| Kings of War | d6 only | Hordes roll 20+ attacks — bring 30–40 | 12mm d6 blocks |
| Flames of War | d6 only | A platoon’s shooting can be 15–20 dice; 36 covers a force | 12mm d6 blocks |
| Axis & Allies | d6 only | The original buckets-of-dice game — big battles roll 20–30 dice a turn; a 36-die brick keeps it moving | 12mm d6 blocks |
| BattleTech | 2d6 per attack | Classic rolls 2d6 constantly — bring a few pairs in contrasting colors; Alpha Strike wants even more | 16mm d6 blocks |
| Gaslands | Skid Dice (symbol d6, sold by North Star Military Figures) plus standard d6 for shooting | A handful of skid dice and a dozen d6 | 16mm d6 blocks |
Two honest notes: Bolt Action’s order dice and Gaslands’ official Skid Dice are specialty dice we don’t stock — get those from Warlord Games and North Star Military Figures respectively (the Gaslands rulebook also includes a conversion chart for playing with standard d6). Everything else on the table is standard d6, and that’s where a 36-die block earns its keep. If you play WWII games, our WWII token reference and Axis & Allies accessories guide cover the markers that go next to those dice; 40K players should see the 40K token guide for tracking everything the dice decide.
Dice for RPGs: D&D, Daggerheart, Call of Cthulhu & More
For Dungeons & Dragons, the answer is a 7-die polyhedral set: d4, d6, d8, two d10s (one numbered 00–90 for percentile rolls), d12, and d20. One set is genuinely enough to play. The upgrades experienced players actually make: a second d20 (so advantage and disadvantage roll together), and extra d6s — a fireball is 8d6, and a rogue’s sneak attack stacks dice fast.
| Game | Dice you need | Worth adding | Shop at LITKO |
|---|---|---|---|
| D&D (5e / 2024) | 7-die polyhedral set | A second d20; extra d6 for fireballs and sneak attack | 7-die sets |
| Daggerheart | Two d12s in different colors (the Hope and Fear “Duality Dice”), plus standard damage dice | A 7-die set covers the damage dice; a d6 for advantage | 7-die sets |
| Call of Cthulhu | Percentile dice (two d10s) plus d4, d6, d8, d20 | A second tens die for bonus and penalty dice | 7-die sets |
| Cyberpunk RED | d10s and d6s | A 7-die set gets you started — add a handful of d6 for multi-die damage rolls | 7-die sets |
| Any d20 game | Loose d20s | Spare d20s in your colors | d20 dice |
Two different-colored sets is the comfortable place most players land — Daggerheart effectively requires it (Hope and Fear must be tell-apart-able at a glance), and in any game it means you’re never hunting for the die you just rolled. Browse the full 7-die set range — every Chessex finish, from opaque to the speckled and translucent lines.
Dice for Magic: The Gathering
MTG is mostly a game you track with dice — though since “roll a d20” became printed Magic text, tables roll them too. The standard kit is a pile of small d6 as +1/+1 counters (this is exactly what a 36-die 12mm block is for — one purchase, a lifetime of counters in your deck’s colors, shared across the playgroup), a d20 for the rolls and 20-life formats, and something better than a nudgeable die for Commander’s 40 life — that’s what our Soul Dial life tracker dials are for. One bit of table etiquette: dice on a card mark real counters — anthem and aura buffs stay in your head.
Yahtzee, Farkle & Family Game Replacement Dice
Replacing lost dice from a family game? These all use standard 16mm d6 — the familiar board-game size:
- Yahtzee uses 5 dice — the standard 16mm board-game size.
- Farkle uses 6 dice.
- Bunco uses 3 dice per table.
- Liar’s Dice needs 5 dice per player.
A single 12-die 16mm block restores the family game shelf with dice that match — and unlike raiding another game’s box, they’ll all be the same color and finish.
Dice Towers & Trays: Taming the Roll
Once you’re rolling 30 dice at a time, the table gets dangerous — dice ricochet through terrain, knock over minis, and end up on the floor with someone insisting that 6 still counts. A dice tower tumbles every roll the same way and drops the dice into a contained tray — rolls stay quick, contained, and off your minis and the floor. LITKO laser-cuts ours from acrylic in the USA, from solid colors to themed designs to travel-size minis. (Aerial-game players: our flight stand dice trays are a different animal — they hold a tracking die aloft on the flight peg with your miniature, replacing smudgy dry-erase altitude and damage bookkeeping.)
Frequently Asked Questions
What dice do you need for Warhammer 40K?
Standard six-sided dice (d6) — that is the only die type Warhammer 40,000 uses; a “d3” result just means roll a d6, halve it, and round up. A practical kit is 30–40 matching d6, since big units can roll 20–30 attack dice in a single volley.
How many dice do you need for Warhammer 40K?
30–40 d6 in one color is a comfortable count for one army. You can play with fewer and re-roll in batches, but rolling a whole unit’s attacks at once is faster and how the game is meant to flow. A 36-die Dice Block covers it in one purchase.
What size dice do you use for Warhammer?
Standard 12mm or 16mm six-sided dice — no rulebook mandates either. Ask a wargame forum and the answer comes back in three parts: the default buy is the 36-die 12mm brick (cheap, matching, rolls in handfuls), a steady minority prefers 16mm for pips the whole table can read, and everyone agrees high-contrast pips matter more than size.
What is the difference between 12mm and 16mm dice?
Size and count. 12mm dice are about half an inch across and come 36 to a block — best for games where you roll big handfuls. 16mm dice are the familiar board-game size, about 5/8 of an inch, easier to read across a table, and come 12 to a block.
How many dice come in a Chessex Dice Block?
A 12mm Dice Block contains 36 dice; a 16mm Dice Block contains 12 dice. Both come in matching color and finish, which is the point — one block gives you a uniform set you can roll in handfuls.
What dice do you need for D&D?
A 7-die polyhedral set: d4, d6, d8, two d10s (one marked for percentile rolls), d12, and d20. One set is enough to play. The most useful additions are a second d20 for advantage and disadvantage, and extra d6s for spells like fireball.
What dice do you need for Commander (MTG)?
Small d6 to use as counters — a 36-die 12mm block covers +1/+1 counters for a whole playgroup — plus a way to track 40 life. A d20 works if you track carefully; a purpose-built life tracker dial is harder to bump and easier to read.
What size are Yahtzee dice?
Yahtzee ships with standard board-game dice — 16mm, about 5/8 of an inch — so any 16mm d6 is a drop-in replacement. A 12-die block replaces a full set with spares in a matching color.
What dice do you need for Daggerheart?
Two twelve-sided dice (d12s) in different colors — the Duality Dice, one for Hope and one for Fear — plus standard polyhedral dice for damage. Two different-colored 7-die sets cover everything the game asks for.
Are dice towers worth it?
If you roll lots of dice around miniatures and terrain, yes. A tower tumbles every die the same way, keeps rolls off your minis and the floor, and ends arguments about cocked or dropped dice. For a few d6 on an empty kitchen table, a tray does the job.
Where to Go Next
- All gaming dice — the full range: d6 blocks, 7-die sets, and d20s
- Dice towers — laser-cut in the USA, solid colors to full themes
- Chessex Battlemats — reversible square/hex playing surfaces
- 40K Token Guide — tracking what the dice decide
- Axis & Allies Accessories Guide — upgrades for the original buckets-of-dice game
Chessex d6 blocks, 7-die sets and d20s — plus the LITKO-made towers, trays and tokens that share the table with them.
Shop Gaming Dice → Browse Dice TowersWarhammer®, Warhammer 40,000®, Age of Sigmar®, and Kill Team™ are trademarks of Games Workshop Limited. Bolt Action™ is a trademark of Warlord Games. Kings of War™ is a trademark of Mantic Games. Flames of War™ is a trademark of Battlefront Miniatures Limited. Axis & Allies® is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc. BattleTech® is a trademark of The Topps Company, Inc. Gaslands™ is a trademark of Osprey Publishing Ltd; game by Mike Hutchinson; Skid Dice are sold by North Star Military Figures. Dungeons & Dragons® and Magic: The Gathering® are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC. Daggerheart™ is a trademark of Critical Role Productions, LLC, published by Darrington Press. Call of Cthulhu® is a trademark of Chaosium Inc. Cyberpunk® is a registered trademark of CD PROJEKT S.A.; Cyberpunk RED is published by R. Talsorian Games, Inc. Yahtzee® is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc. Farkle® is a trademark of PlayMonster Group LLC. Chessex®, Dice Block™, Battlemat™, and Megamat™ are trademarks of Chessex Manufacturing, of which LITKO is an authorized dealer. LITKO Game Accessories is not affiliated with or endorsed by any other publisher listed; our products are independently produced and designed to be compatible with these games. All third-party trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.