Review Summary: Third generation of the Castle Dice Tower. Third generation of perfection, now in full colour.
Blurb from the publisher: 'The third generation of our e-Raptor Castle Dice Tower goes great with medieval and fantasy themed board games. Its quite big size and unique ornament make it look like a real castle tower; the perfect decoration for your gaming night.'
What you get: Your EUR 30,50 or equivalent will buy you the e-Raptor FullPrint Blue Castle Dice Tower, a dice tower for use with any game with a strong medieval theme that includes dice-rolling. The tower is made up of nine pieces of high quality plywood and when assembled (no tools or gluing needed) has dimensions of 26 cm (height), 7,70 cm (width) and 25 cm (length). From the moment one throws the dice to the moment they hit the ground and rest, the dice will have touched three different angled platforms.
The present tower is the third generation of the Castle Dice Tower. We saw together the e-Raptor Castle Dice Tower back in 2014, followed by the e-Raptor Black Castle Dice Tower in 2016. The design is similar, but not identical. Where the previous dice towers were adorned with ramparts and a strong cathedral-like design, the present one is more reminiscent of a prison, with bars in front of every window. Small towers have taken the place of ramparts, topped by coned roofs. The tower is a full print: every one of its surfaces, including the internal platforms is covered in imagery, namely bricks. The hues range from purple to white, with many dark shades for additional effect. It is literally as if you are looking at the hostile walls of a purple prison which is ready to devour your dice.
The strong points: I don't know if the Castle Dice Tower line is e-Raptor's flagship product, they make sure however that each new version reaches new levels of perfection. Each previous tower in the line was gorgeous and state-of-the-art. The present one continues the tradition.
First come the colours. Wood is nice, black is nicer, but come on, a prison-like tower where you can see every brick, rampart and tower? This is the most evocative fantasy tower ever, with the iron gates ready to imprison your dice in an eternity of terror. Thankfully, they won't. In fact, the dice are always visible through the windows and between the bars that adorn the tower's front side. You will be able to see each one of them as it rapidly cascades from the first platform to its final resting place in the open yard. The yard is long (15,5 x 7 cm) and provides excellent visibility, seeing how low its fences are. Just because they are low does not mean that they are not efficient; no die will ever jump of the yard, no matter how big a pool you roll. The tower's mouth measures 8,5 x 7 cm; this is just the right size for even the clumsiest of us irrespective of the dice pool's volume. Since the review of the Black Castle Dice Tower the publisher heeded my advice and placed its trademark on the front fence. This is a more nuanced position than the tower's front panel where it lay in the past. The full name is not written; there's just the stylized 'e' resembling a dragon. A dragon on a castle is as thematic a logo as you can get; great stuff!
When it comes to engineering, the FullPrint Blue Castle has many new tricks up its sleeve. Most of the interlocking pieces now use the wooden locks that e-Raptor inserts in almost all its products. This means that you won't need as much brute force when assembling the tower; you only need to cleverly insert and click the joints where needed. If it takes you more than a minute to assemble this tower without even looking at the instructions you are doing something wrong. Disassembling the tower is an equally easy affair, even though I prefer having mine permanently assembled. Once built the tower is solid and can take quite some damage. No glue was needed at all; the thing feels as if it came together in one piece. I wouldn't recommend stomping on it, yet clumsily hitting it or even dropping it from the table didn't appear to cause damage.
All Castle Towers earn extra points because they have a solid wooden base instead of a simple frame. This means that even if its resting area is slightly uneven, the dice will always rest in a clear and unambiguous way. Why aren't all dice towers like this?
Just because you just bought this dice tower does not mean that you should retire its forefathers. On the contrary; if you host games with a high number of players, you can proudly display them all. If anything, it shows how much technology has progressed in the past few years, and what sort of visual treat you can have on your table for a reasonable price. If for any reason you can't afford the present tower, don't fret it. Its forefathers are still in print and they are even friendlier to your gaming budget.
E-Raptor has done a great job when it comes to packaging the tower. Recognizing that the coloured wooden panels could get stuck upon one another, a thin films separates one from another inside the box. That's what I call thoughtful.
The weak points: Gorgeous as the tower is, it takes up a lot more space on the table than what gamers usually have in mind when thinking of dice towers. I am not talking about the height (its height is really a feature as it greatly adds to its aesthetics), but about the length of the base. On the other hand I understand why a lengthier base was needed for additional stability.
One can always say that dice towers distract from their game if their theme is not relevant. I do not feel that way; they are tools to use on the gaming table. If one however is a purist and does not wish to see the spires of menacing, malevolent, medieval-looking towers on his hard sci-fi table, then this tower will be an oddity.
I can't but think that every time I roll my dice on this gorgeous, fantastic tower, I am effectively destroying its platforms and yard. Roll after roll, the full print of the platforms is getting dozens of micro scratches, of bumps, of scrapes and minor injuries. The more time passes, the more the effect will be exacerbated, until it resembles a worn-out football field where nobody tends the grass. It's a very weird feeling, seeing a gaming accessory getting damaged so insidiously just because one is using it normally. If I were e-Raptor, I would have immediately started selling the platforms and the base as spare parts. I am sure that some of us would like to have their tower look always brand new.
Conclusion: Every two to three years, e-Raptor renews its claim as the undisputed best producer of dice towers on the market. That's is an accomplishment in itself, the fact however that they they do it with the exact same tower is an enormous feat. The engineering innovation, the colours, the usability, everything hits the sweet spot. Once again, this is an instant purchase. I set my clock for three years from now; I can't wait for the fourth generation!
To find out more about e-Raptor and its FullPrint Blue Castle Dice Tower take a look at http://e-raptor.pl.
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