I first examined the bag which appears to be fairly well constructed with good sturdy seams and a drawstring that stays good and tight when the dice are in the bag. On the front of the bag is the Dungeons and Dragons logo embroidered in a dark red thread. The strings did not loosen even with vigorous shaking, a big plus, as I do not have to worry about the bag coming open and arriving at a game with only half of a dice set. The bag is sufficiently large to hold all of the dice in the set, and still have room for another set of dice.
The dice set includes 1d4, 4d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, 1d20 and 1d%. They are well molded with no parting line visible. Cast in a metallic blue with dark blue veins, the silver gray numbers stand out well and are easily readable even across the table. The dice roll well with no discernable bias, with the d4 being particularly lively. The only minor drawback to the dice is that I, personally, do not care for the d% in any dice set. Maybe it is my age showing but I much prefer the different colored 2d10 method for percentage rolling. That being said, the dice are very functional and pleasant to look at.
While the set includes four d6s, it lacks any other duplicate dice. There are numerous powers in 4e that have Xd8 and Xd10 as damage rolls. While rolling the same die multiple times is an option, the DMG states that it speeds the game along if the damage and to hit rolls are made at the same time. It would be useful if, for aesthetic and game pace, Wizards would have individual dice, or an expansion set, for purchase so that a player can have a matching set for the multiple dice needed in an encounter.
This dice set would be an excellent starter set for the fledgling player or DM. For veteran players it is definitely not a required purchase, but it is a very serviceable set, though perhaps the “premium” appellation is a bit of hyperbole. Besides, you can never have too many dice, and isn’t your Crown Royal bag getting a bit ratty?
