In 2012, at a gaming convention, a board game designer challenged mathematician Eric Harshbarger to create dice that determine the starting player without the chance of a tie. Harshbarger, a senior lecturer at Auburn University, embraced the task as it presented an intriguing mathematical challenge. After years of collaboration with experts worldwide, they successfully developed a set of dice called Go First Dice for five players, ensuring a fair outcome with a single roll.
Initially, the team devised a set of four 12-sided dice that resolved the issue for up to four players swiftly. However, determining a solution for five players proved to be more complex. After exploring various possibilities, including dice with an impractical number of sides, a breakthrough came when a researcher in Australia proposed a set of five 120-sided dice. Subsequently, a Canadian engineer, Paul Meyer, made a significant contribution by devising a solution using five 60-sided dice, validating the team’s efforts.
Despite skepticism from some researchers regarding the practicality of the dice, Harshbarger affirms the mathematical integrity of the design. The ongoing research now focuses on exploring the viability of fewer sides for a five-player set and the potential extension of the concept to accommodate six players. While current tools may not suffice for these challenges, Harshbarger remains open to unexpected breakthroughs, emphasizing the allure of tackling mathematically intricate problems.
